Food Security: FG Unveils Five-Year Potato Production Plan

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, (FMAFS) in a bid to stem food insecurity in the country has launched a five-year national potato production initiative.

The National Potato Strategy will be from 2023 to 2028 and will be activated through the same Rice Policy initiative.

The Minister of Agric, Abubakar Kyari, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ernest Umahkhihe made the launch on Thursday in Jos Plateau state.

Kyari said the initiative while acting as a catalyst for food security, will also boost economic growth, create job opportunities, and generate revenue for the country.

He said, “The essence of this strategy is to ensure sustainable food and nutrition security to catalyze the rapid transformation of the Nigerian potato sector into a commercially viable sub-sector of the Agricultural Value Chains as a major export product.

“The Ministry is aware of the challenges in the agricultural sector and necessary measures are being taken to address them accordingly. And that is why the ministry is embarking on massive production, processing, value addition, and product development to be the bedrock for driving our industries.

“This launching couldn’t have been better timed, following the President’s recent directive on the intensification of crop production. I do not doubt that the Nigerian potato industry has the potential to become globally competitive given the country’s strong comparative advantage in production.”

Also at the launch, the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, represented by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Bugama Samson, drummed the state’s support for the initiative.

Mutfwang said, “We will make sure that the goal of putting the resources together comes to fruition”.