The Plateau State government intends to turn around its potato, coffee and livestock industries to support its planned investment in a cargo airport, which is meant to boost the state’s economy, while the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has assured that his administration would implement long term interventions that would guarantee sustainable food security in the state.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State stated that agriculture is the “bedrock of society and the cornerstone of his administration”. He disclosed the state’s plan to leverage its favourable weather conditions. Mutfwang announced that the government would invest in the airport next year to make it a regional hub for cargo aviation. He also clarified that the government’s initiative in Wase is for ranching, not a RUGA project, as the programme aims to boost cattle and milk production to a commercial scale, thereby enhancing the state’s economy. “When we came in, our agriculture was still primitive. We reorganised the sector, splitting the ministry into crops and livestock for better focus’,’ he said.
The governor also explained that the state’s current potato seeds are 15-28 generations old, leading to poor yields of three to four tons per hectare, far below the global minimum of 10. To address this, the state government is working with a leading seed company from The Netherlands and reviving a mismanaged tissue culture project. To stabilise the market, the state has established the Plateau Commodities Marketing Company and is building new markets with storage capacity. “The old cows we have produce only 2.5 litres of milk a day. Imported dairy breeds give 20 litres. We must move forward”, he said. The ranching programme would employ veterinary doctors and livestock attendants, and cattle will be scientifically tagged.
Meanwhile, Governor Peter Mbah, has hinted that his administration would carry out long term interventions that would guarantee sustainable food security. Mbah listed the measures as huge investments in agriculture, empowering small-scale farmers through training and provision of agro-inputs, agricultural grants as well as investing in systems that mitigate climate change effects. He spoke in Enugu when he flagged off the state’s Sustainable Food Distribution Programme; an intervention aimed at providing locally produced food items to vulnerable households for 12 consecutive months. Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, said the programme would start with 500 households and would be expanded to fight hunger and improve nutrition among the poor in the state.
The governor, according to a statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, noted that the United Nations considered food insecurity one of the most stubborn contemporary challenges which affected over 735 million people worldwide in 2020. “But as a responsible and responsive government, we believe that no citizen of the state should go to bed hungry. This is not just a political obligation; it is a moral one. So, the Sustainable Food Distribution Programme is more than just a palliative measure. It is a structured, strategic, and sustainable response to food insecurity”, he added. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Focal Person and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Oyinye Akubuilo-Okpalanma, said the food distribution programme was “deeply symbolic of the collective commitment to ending hunger, promoting inclusive wellbeing, and improving nutrition among our vulnerable”.
