Nasarawa inaugurates 13 member committee to FasTrack agric policy

By David Odama

The Nasarawa State Ministry of Agriculture has in it’s determination to bring about robust policy in agriculture has inaugurated a 13-member Agricultural Policy Facilitation and Advocacy Committee (NAPFAC)

The policy when fully implemented will propel road map for developing a robust and effective State Agricultural Policy (SAP) and State Agriculture Investment Plan (SAIP).

The SAP and SAIP are geared towards repositioning the state’s agricultural sector for food security, from production and through the entire value chain.

The State’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources,Tanko Tunga who stated this at the inauguration of the committee on Wednesday in Lafia, added that the committee is under the Alliance for Green Revolution Africa

“AGRA Nigeria-Nasarawa State Capability for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation Project would work to reposition the state agricultural sector through an effective policy framework.

The commissioner said that the inauguration of the committee represented a milestone towards transforming the state’s agricultural sector, fostering sustainable development, and securing the livelihood of farmers and future generations.

“The establishment of NAPFAC underscores our unwavering commitment to robust, inclusive, and forward-looking agricultural policies that respond to the evolving needs of the people,” he said.

He said that the multidisciplinary composition of the committee – spanning MDAs, legislature, academia, women groups, and the private sector embodied the belief in collaborative governance.

“It’s through such synergy that we can craft policies that are inclusive, sustainable, and effective,” he said.

“Our goal is to position Nasarawa State as a leader in agricultural productivity, food security, and rural development in Nigeria,” he said.

The commissioner urged members of the committee to approach their responsibility with a sense of patriotism, integrity, and zeal.

“Your collective efforts will shape the future of agriculture in the state and uplift the lives of countless farmers and rural communities,” he said.

Tunga appreciated AGRA for supporting the state by funding the development of the SAP and SAIP documents, as well as other partners working on the project.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, an implementing partner on the project, underscored the significance of the committee to the project.

According to Abdullahi, the SAP and SAIP documents need a great deal of politicking, advocacy, and building a stakeholder consensus to ensure effective implementation.

“We need to build the consensus of very high-level policymakers that would drive the implementation of the strategy and the plan, hence the inauguration of the NAPFAC,” he said.

While expressing optimism that with the pedigree, credibility, and wealth of experience of the committee, the policy would get the desired attention, Abdullahi maintained that the committee would ensure that Nasarawa State gets a policy that is in tune with current reality, stands the test of time, and be used as a lead way to grow the “bigger pie.

“What I mean by the bigger pie is Nigeria’s ambition to become self-sufficient in agriculture – in the food value chain from production to processing.

“This is one sure way that we can achieve our goal of industrialization and food security,” he added.

Also speaking, AGRA Country Programme, Mrs Juliet Lampoh restated the organization’s commitments to support the successful development and implementation of the SAP and SAIP.

“We would be happy to see how this policy would drive investment into the agricultural sector.We want to see how our policy here will help drive a sustainable increase in agricultural production, which is part of our commitment to AGRA.

“We look at how to drive inclusion by getting young people and women involved in the framework. If we are developing any agricultural policy and we want it to drive job creation for the young people, then we have to bring them to the table to get what will make sense for them.

“We will be happy to follow the process of the development of the agricultural policy and agriculture investment plan. Hopefully, we will be here to see it launched, and then we see how it will be implemented.

“AGRA stands ready to support the state in the delivery of this policy when implemented”