By Festus Fifen.

In an effort to cushion the effect of the current rise in food prices within the Nigeria Federal Capital Territory, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has flagged off sales of buffer stock comprising 7,200 bags of maize and 2,500 bags of guinea corn of 50kg bags each at 50 percent subsidized rate to residents of the territory.

During the brief Flagging off ceremony at the Agric Secretariat’s Store in Gwagwa Abuja, the minister again reiterate the commitment of the administration in job creation through the agriculture value chain, stressing that a number of local and multi-national companies are in the process of finalising investment commitments in various agricultural value chains within the FCT.

The Minister who used the medium to distribute motorcycles to agriculture extension agents, also maintained that the decisions of multi-national companies and Africa Development Bank (AfDB) to invest in FCT would help boost productivity and integrate production, processing, distribution and most importantly, create jobs and wealth for the teeming youths.

She used the occasion to commend President, Muhammadu Buhari, for his foresight in giving administrative backing towards strengthening local capacities in food production, adding that the administration has placed priority on the agricultural sector in order to unlock its abundant potentials.
In her words: “It is in heeding to this clarion call that the FCT Administration has been making efforts to open-up the Agricultural landscape and attract suitable investment, and I make bold to say that our efforts are beginning to yield the desired results.
“We are presently engaged in the process of fine-tuning discussions with the African Development Bank (AfDB), towards the smooth take-off of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) as well as the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).”
In a related development, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, also flagged off the harvest and sales of products by beneficiaries at FCT Aquaculture and Allied Trades center for youth and women in Kwali area council.
Aliyu revealed that the conceptualization of the projects by the FCT Administration was aimed at addressing problems of poverty by creating viable source of livelihood especially for the less privileged members of the society.

Earlier in his remarks, the Acting Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mr. Ibe Prospect, stressed that the buffer stock programme was an initiative practiced globally, aimed at ensuring the availability of agricultural produce to the public at affordable rate.
He assured residents of the territory of the administration’s continued commitment to quality service delivery, while appealing to residents to cooperate with the committee in the smooth conduct of the sales exercise.