According to the Federal Government, the agriculture sector has helped 4.21 million Nigerians escape poverty in the last two years.
Mohammad Mahmood, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated this at a ministerial press conference in Abuja on Friday in honor of World Food Day 2021.
He said, “Through our various empowerment initiatives along production, processing and marketing of agricultural commodities, we have lifted a total of 4,205,576 Nigerians out of poverty in the last two years.
“This is going to continue as part of Mr President’s promise to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years.”
According to Mahmood, a total of 2,205,576 farmers, including youths and women, have been trained and empowered on various agricultural value chains.
According to him, fish farmers and fishermen cultivated a total of 783,102 metric tonnes of fish through the National Accelerated Fish Production Program, which included the exploration of marine resources in the Deep Sea/Exclusive Economic Zone and the exploration of inland water bodies by fish farmers and fishermen.
In the next ten years, the agriculture sector, according to the minister, will boost its contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product from 23% to 50%.
He stated that the agricultural sector would meet the aim if agricultural entrepreneurs worked together and other industry operators contributed
“I am quite optimistic that agriculture’s contribution to the Nigerian economy would expand tremendously from 23% to over 50% in the next ten years, thanks to the united efforts of agro-entrepreneurs,” Mahmood added.
