The Nigerian government has announced its commitment to prioritizing processing of agri produce. The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe revealed the plans and said the move aims to increase the sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product.
The government is set to prioritize its processing capacity through the establishment of several cottage industries for the production of staple food products in a competitive and comparative advantage manner.
According to Umakhihe, the government would ensure a steady off-take of produce from out-growers, enhance the income of farmers and entrepreneurs across all commodity value chains, with the aim to achieve the desired success in government’s commitment to the provision of incentives, increase the output and quality of agricultural commodities to meet and surpass national requirements as well as achieve a diversified economic base with agriculture leading the way for the non-oil sectors of the economy.
