From Aminu Dalhatu (Kaduna)
Kaduna State Government has formulated policy documents to enhance the unprecedent growth and development of agriculture, after nine months of research and extensive consultations.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hajiya Halima Lawal who stated this at a news briefing in Kaduna said the policy evolved in response to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 and 2 and the need to diversify the economy.
Hajiya Halima Lawal stated that, the policy would develop agriculture as the economic backbone, create self-sufficiency in food production in line with the federal government’s effort to diversify the economy, reducing over-dependency on oil and ultimately create enabling environment for private sector investment.
According to her, the policy was conceived to accelerate agricultural development and facilitate its overall socio-economic prosperity by addressing the huge challenge of inefficient and ineffective agricultural systems.
The commissioner reiterated that the government commitment toward ensuring food self-sufficiency for employment generation and stimulating agro industrial development across the state.
‘’ The present administration is fully aligned with the federal government in diversifying the economy to shift from oil to the non-oil sector,’’ she added.
According to Hajiya Halima Lawal, the documents would guide all stakeholders in the state’s quest for rapid agricultural development including the private sector through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) concept, as well as in ‘stand-alone’ investments in line with global best practices.
Halima also noted that the documents will provide strong legal framework for the needed confidence to investors in the sector as well as commit the state and local governments to adequate annual budgetary allocations to agriculture.
The Commissioner however thanked both the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa(AGRA) for funding the evolution of the policy through a two-year capacity strengthening project, and the facilitator, Synergos Nigeria for their assistance.