By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has drawn up a policy document that will ensure food security across the six Area Councils of Abuja .
The Acting Director Planning , Research and Statistics FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Umar Malamiyo at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on Wednesday in Gwagwalada said that the policy document will help to identify areas that would help farmers grow all crops in large quantity.
Malamiyo noted that most farmers in the territory lack the basic knowledge on irrigation activities and some crops growing techniques.
He stated that the maiden initiative is being developed as a specific policy that will help FCT achieve its aims in ensuring food security in the practice of agriculture.
Malamiyo ,represented by the Deputy Director in-charge of Public Private Partnership under the department of Planning, Research and Statistics, FCT ARDS ,Agu Igwe, disclosed that the policy document which will be ready in six months would offer solutions to all challenges in the agric sector.
He said, “The event which started in Gwagwalada Area Council, is to start developing a policy on agriculture, since the inception of FCTA there has never been a specific policy to achieve our aims in ensuring food security in the practice of agriculture.
“The exercise will bring about a policy direction in line with the major objective of food security which will boost food production.”
Lead Speaker at the meeting, Professor Oyinkan Tasie, said tthat the document, which will capture strategic areas in the FCT agriculture sector, is also aimed at deepening the knowledge of farmers in promoting best agriculture activities.
“We are working with FCT Administration to develop an agriculture policy which is the first of its kind since the creation of FCT; through this the FCT will be able to articulate it’s vision in area of agriculture, it will also address hunger and food security”, Tasie said.
Also, the Agric officer for FCT Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, Kayode Sani, said that with the influx of people into the national’s capital, serious measures must be taken in promoting food security.
