The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar has said that the National Agricultural Extension Development Committee (NAEDC) Forum would accelerate agricultural extension services delivery and improve technology innovation and the livelihood of Nigerian farmers.
The minister stated this at a two-day workshop for the 2022 National Agricultural Extension Development Committee Meeting themed “Strengthening the ADPs for Effective Agricultural Extension Service Delivery at the grassroots in Nigeria’’ which took place recently at the Nasarawa State Government House, Lafia.
Abubakar stated that the committee remained a veritable tool to interact, clarify and amplify some of the ongoing policy objectives of the present administration in the agricultural extension sub-sector.
He revealed that the forum had formed part of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension (FDAE) strategy to achieve one of its key mandates of the coordination of the Nigeria Agricultural Extension System (NARES).
The minister stated that the meeting would assess the status of the National Agricultural Extension System, particularly national coordinating activity at the Federal level and efforts of agricultural development programmes in states, in carrying out agricultural extension delivery services. “This NAEDC is, therefore, an opportunity to review progress in the sector and project for the future’’.
A statement by the ministry’s director of information signed by Ikemefuna Ezeaja said Abubakar urged the stakeholders to review the progress on the legislation of the draft National Agricultural Extension Policy, provide solutions to identify logjams and carry out an unbiased investigation of the major factors that hampered the effective performance of agricultural development programmes (APD) in agricultural development, including the existence of synergy or lack of it.
In his remarks, the governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule stated that his administration has left no stone unturned in ensuring that the policies of the Federal Government on agriculture are well positioned and implemented in helping people cope with the realities of life.
“Agriculture has become expedient in the lives of everyone because we all depend on all facets of agriculture for survival.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Ibrahim Oshafu, pointed out that the state government has made the workshop a priority and an avenue to fast-track the agricultural extension services towards achieving food and nutrition security.
