The Federal Government has called on all stakeholders to facilitate its efforts to address rural-urban migration, food insecurity in the country and its dwindling revenues.
Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, made the call at a sensitisation walk with various development partners, organised to commemorate the 2017 World Food Day.
The minister, who noted that the Federal Government was committed to tackling food insecurity in the country through its policies, said that the cooperation of various stakeholders was vital in its efforts to achieve the objective.
He said that the sensitisation walk was to heighten public awareness on the nature and dimension of the food problem as well as the crusade against hunger, malnutrition and extreme poverty across Africa.
Ogbeh said that the theme of the 2017 World Food Day was “Change the Future, Migration, Invest in Agriculture and Rural Development’’.
“The Federal Government has committed itself to tackling food insecurity in the nation.
“To address the current challenges of food insecurity, the Federal Government has introduced an array of programmes for long-term economic growth. Such programmes include the Green Alternative, the Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Agricultural Promotion Policy.
“ The ministry is committed to making the sector the pivot for economic standardisation in diversifying the economy, generating employment and creating wealth.
“In response to the world food crisis and high cost of production due to rural-urban migration, the ministry has imbibed the culture of promoting best practices in agricultural production,’’ he said.
The minister, however, called for a reduction of agricultural lending rates so as to encourage more youths to engage in farming.
The FAO Country Representative, Mr Suffyan Koroma, said that the Day, which was celebrated in over 150 countries of the world, was set aside to commemorate the founding objectives of the FAO.
He said that Nigeria would not be able to achieve other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if it did not tackle the issue of hunger by promoting agriculture and food system that was climate smart and resilient.
“It is an opportunity to raise awareness and action for those suffering from hunger, while ensuring food security and nutritious diet for all.
“It is a time for us to show our commitment to Goal 2 of the SDGs, which is achieving zero hunger by 2030,’’ he said.
Mr Constant Tchona, the Deputy Country Director of OXFAM, called on all stakeholders in states and local government areas to invest in agriculture so as to enable the country to attain economic revival.
“Rural-urban migration, if not curbed, will have implications on food security and will make the fight against hunger a herculean task,’’ he, however, added.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Food Day is celebrated across the world on October 16 every year.