FG revolutionizing agricultue in Nigeria --- Lai Mohammed
(Nigeria) Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
has said the Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Presidential Fertilizer
Initiative were revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria.
The Minister made the remarks in Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State,
when he led a Federal Government delegation on an inspection of Malam Alu Agro
Allied Company Limited, which also hosts the tallest national flag pole in
Nigeria and the second in Africa at 50 metres high.
He said the Anchor Borrowers Programme, which was launched
by the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria, in 2015 to
boost the nation’s agricultural sector!, has now catalysed the production of
such crops as rice, maize, wheat and tomato, among others, and boosted local
production as well as conserved the nation’s foreign exchange through marked
reduction in importation.
“Then, there is the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative,
which is aimed at stimulating local production of NPK fertilizer by reviving
moribund fertilizer plants and the local blending ferilizer industry, making
fertilizer available to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices and saving $200
million in foreign exchange and N60 billion in budgetary provision for
fertilizer subsidy, and of course creating thousands of jobs in the process,”
he said.
Alhaji Mohammed lauded the foresight of the Jigawa State Governor,
Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, for keying into the initiatives, thus attracting
private investments like the Malam Alu Agro Allied Company Limited, to his
state.
“With these and the ingenious programmes of the state
government, Jigawa is a shining example of the success of the Federal
Government Agricultural Revolution. I implore other farmers and other states to
take advantage of the Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Presidential
Fertilizer Initiative to revolutionize agriculture in their areas,” he said.
The Minister commended the Chairman of Malam Alu Agro Allied
Company Limited, Alhaji Faruk Aliyu, for his massive investment not just in
agriculture but in tourism by hoisting the tallest national flag pole on the
farm, which will go a long way in attracting tourists to Birnin Kudu.
“Today's visit is a double-barrelled one, aimed at
showcasing successes in agriculture as well as in tourism. Malam Farouk has, as
they say, used one stone to kill two birds. Not only is he showcasing success
in agriculture, he is also helping to make Jigawa a choice destination for
tourists by erecting the tallest Nigerian flag pole in the country. This is good thinking for which I commend
him,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Malam Alu Agro Allied
Company Limited, Alhaji Aliyu, said the 70-hectare sprawling complex is
involved in poultry farming with 120,000 layers and broilers, dairy with 400
heads of cattle, a 40-tonne per hour fertilizer blending plant, and a
greenhouse that produces between 15 and 20 tonnes of tomatoes weekly among
other farm products.
He said he decided to erect the second tallest national flag
on the African Continent in order to solidify the nation’s unity and inspire
patriotism among Nigerians.
“This is all in furtherance to uniting the country and
making our people believe in our country,'' he said.
The Minister was accompanied on the visit by the Directors-General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Garba Abari; Nigerian Television Authority, Mallam Yakubu Mohammed; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Dr Mansur Liman; Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mr Folarin Coker and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Prof Abba Tijani.
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