From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has revealed that over 300,000 farmers across the country have benefited from the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Project (NAGS-AP).
The minister made this disclosure during the commencement of wheat cultivation and the flag-off of the 2024/2025 National Dry Season Farming under NAGS-AP, held in Calabar.
He stated that the project aims to support 250,000 wheat farmers and 150,000 rice farmers during the dry season.
Kyari emphasized that the NAGS-AP project has significantly boosted food production in the country, reducing the gap between food supply and demand.
Ishaku Buba, the national project coordinator of NAGS-AP, confirmed that the dry season wheat farming will cover 16 states, including Cross River.
Dr. Peter Odey, the deputy governor of Cross River State, expressed the state’s readiness for wheat cultivation.
He highlighted that Cross River, under the NAGS-AP, has become the 16th wheat-producing state in Nigeria and the only one in Southern Nigeria.