FG to empower farmers, boost food production with ‘Operation Empty Stores’

The Federal Government, yesterday, disclosed moves to empower farmers and boost food production with ‘Operation Empty Stores’.

The move was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Marcus Ogunbiyi, while delivering his speech at a one-day workshop organized for the agriculture correspondents with the theme, ‘Building Partnership with The Media for Food Security’, organized by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Abuja.

Ogunbiyi explained that the ‘Operation Empty Stores’ is going to galvanize the sector, where all the needed and necessary farm equipment and inputs that have been in the stores belonging to the Ministry across the country are opened and distributed to farmers.

According to the Permanent Secretary, the programme will bring about a better collaboration between the Ministry and the media covering the sector for better information dissemination and feedback from Nigerians.

Meanwhile, he acknowledged the impact made by agric correspondents in the sector, which he said the power of information is with the media, therefore, he appealed to the correspondents to adequately sensitize and inform Nigerians on what the Tinubu-led administration is doing to boost food production and fight hunger under the Renewed Hope Agenda on promoting agricultural development, improving food security, creating jobs and enhancing livelihoods of farmers.

He said: “This workshop has indeed become expedient, given the emphasis the present administration places on agricultural development and the priority it attaches to the attainment of food security, self-sufficiency in food and nutrition as well as staple commodities for export.

“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 mobilise, educate and sensitize the Nigeria 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, stem hunger, starvation and malnutrition in our country. It may interest you that the ministry will soon be distributing agricultural inputs and implements. Arrangements are on and within the next couple of months, this will be done.

“The press we know possesses significant power that can always change the negative narration of situations. I want to encourage you to channel this power towards sensitizing our people to take a renewed interest in agriculture so that together, we can feed ourselves and develop our nation. The Ministry will also provide the necessary and enabling environment for your partnership with us in this respect.

“It is expected that through your constructive engagements with the ministry such as we are witnessing today, you would be in a vantage position to educate our farmers on different farming methods, mechanisms, and varieties of farm input available to them and how these can be accessed and put into use to improve their productivity.”

Also, in a remark, the Director, Information, Dr Joel Oruche, 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 on farmers.”

In another remark, the Technical Advisor, Strategic Communication to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Kingsley Osadalor said, “The critical role of the media cannot be overemphasised and how well-informed media communications are about pertinent issues in food security will also play a role in how well stakeholders have understanding matters going on and how well stakeholders can also be pulled into the pool for cooperation and collaboration.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Agricultural Correspondent Association of Nigeria, ACAN, Collins Nnabuife, commended the Ministry for the initiative to engage the agric correspondents with the workshop, describing it as timely, and also said the relationship between the Ministry and the media would be sustained, and he acknowledged the Ministry for carrying the media along in its activities, therefore promised the media would report objectively about the sector.