By Aliyu Galadima
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ,FMAFS, plans to boost food production through an initiative called “Operation Empty the Stores” nationwide.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, disclosed this during a one-day workshop in Abuja themed “Building a Strong Partnership with the Media for Food Security”.
The event emphasized the importance of communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing in achieving the ministry’s objectives.
Ogunbiyi highlighted the critical role agriculture plays in Nigeria’s economy, amid global economic challenges and the need for diversification.
Ogunbiyi described the workshop as a testament to the ministry’s commitment to openness, transparency, and constructive engagement with the media.
He said the workshop was timely, given the current administration’s emphasis on agricultural development and its priority on achieving food security, self-sufficiency, and export of staple commodities.
Ogunbiyi stated, “It may interest you that the Ministry will soon be distributing agricultural inputs and implements to all stakeholders. Arrangements are on, and within the next couple of months, this will be done.
“And of course, immediately I resumed duties, I made a pronouncement that we would be embarking on “Operation Empty The Stores”. It means that all the equipment and other things that we have in the stores are not meant for the stores; they are meant for the farmers.
“Therefore, I will embark on emptying all our stores nationwide so that the equipment and inputs will be useful to our farmers.
“The importance of agriculture in our national economy cannot be over-emphasized, especially with the global economic challenges and the need for diversification of our economy. There is, therefore, the need to mobilize, educate, and sensitize the Nigerian populace on the need to embrace agriculture.
“It is essential for us to let Nigerians and indeed the world know the efforts being made to achieve food and nutrition sufficiency, thereby stemming hunger, starvation, and malnutrition in our country”, he stated.
Dr. Joel Oruche, Director of the Department of Information at the Ministry, praised the partnership, stating that a strong relationship with the media would contribute to ensuring a food-secure nation.
Oruche emphasized the media’s role in educating smallholder farmers about methodologies, input availability, and the proper application of agricultural implements to improve their yields.
He said, “Essentially, as we make efforts towards ensuring food security in our dear country, it is important that we forge a strong synergy to ensure that this is achieved.
“Your duty in this regard is to continuously educate the public on the policies, programmes, and activities of the ministry that impact farmers.
“Smallholder farmers indeed depend on your ability to educate them on methodologies, inputs availability, and application of implements that can enhance their yield.
“I therefore urge you to, as always, give wider publicity to all the ministry’s activities, including those of its agencies”.
The Director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Services, Dr. Deola Lordbanjou, revealed that by February 2025, over 50,000 farmers across Nigeria would be empowered with agricultural inputs and implements.
The empowerment, which would cut across states would benefit 1,500 farmers per state under the farmers’ empowerment programme.
In addition, Lordbanjou said the National Electronic Extension Platform ,NEEP, would soon be launched to transform the ministry from analogue to digital.
This platform, he emphasized will serve as a transformative tool for improving communication and interactions between farmers and other agricultural stakeholders.
“We have all the inputs that can help farmers, including sprayers, seeds, organic fertilizers, planters, motorized weeders, among others.
“Anyone who wants to go into farming can easily access all the information needed on the platform. We are using the platform as a model for other African countries to follow”, he said.
