FG working to turn South-South farmers, lands into major food producer

The Federal Government has announced efforts to transform small holder farmers and land in the South-South region into a food production powerhouse, as Nigerians hope for lower food prices.

Gift Johnbull, the Senior Special Assistant to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Community Engagement for the South-South Zone, shared these plans during a discussion with journalists organised by the South-South Journalists Forum for Good Governance (SSFGG). She spoke about the importance of agribusiness in addressing challenges faced by women and young people in the region.

Johnbull revealed that over 100,000 farmers are expected to take part in the region’s wet season farming. The government is collaborating with farmer cooperatives to gather accurate data on local farmers, following previous engagements in the six South-South states: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers.

She highlighted the region’s rich, fertile land capable of supporting large-scale crop production and generating significant profits for farmers. According to her, the South-South is not just an oil and gas hub but has the potential to become a major food production area, an opportunity the government is currently working to harness as part of the Tinubu-led Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The President is very interested in food security. We targeted a couple of priority crops based on our research, our engagement in the time past, and we picked cassava, rice, cocoa, oil palm, maize, and aquaculture across the region,” she said.

She also pointed out that some local governments are stronger in certain crops, with plantain and yam now added to the list of priorities. “We are looking at 100,000 small holder farmers because small holder farmers actually make the last chunk in the agricultural sector right now. If you gather 100,000 small holder farmers and you aggregate all their produce, that is a large chunk going into the market, and when we have excess, of course, more supply than demand, the price will come down and then we can even have enough to process and start talking about exportation.”

On the strategy to engage farmers, Johnbull explained that the government has met with various cooperatives and is working to cluster women into groups for better coordination. “We have done all that profiling and data collection across the region,” she added.

Gift Johnbull, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement South-South

The government’s focus on aquaculture in Rivers and Bayelsa states was also highlighted, as youths are already involved in small-scale aquaculture. Johnbull noted that while the business holds potential, it suffers from issues such as short shelf life for seafood and lack of proper storage facilities. She emphasised the need for cold rooms, especially solar-powered ones, and processing equipment to address these challenges and support the sector’s growth.

Johnbull also discussed the ₦10 billion “Earn From The Soil” fundraising initiative aimed at addressing rural poverty and boosting agricultural productivity in the South-South. The fund will support small holder farmers, especially rural women and fisherfolk, and help them improve their agricultural businesses.

“The event at the State House Banquet Hall on the 10th of December was after we’ve gone across the six states in our region, Calabar, Akwa Ibom, and then we did Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, and Rivers,” she said. “Now, the fund is not yet available. It was launched then, so we are looking forward to meeting relevant stakeholders to ensure that this money, or even more, is pumped into the agricultural sector in the South-South region this planting season that is starting from April.”

Johnbull also praised the achievements of the Tinubu administration in the region, including infrastructure development and agricultural empowerment. “A very key thing why the President has created this office is to also ensure that there is inclusivity in his government, and that is why he has created a bridge,” she said.

“So the President is not far up there. He has used an office like this to create the bridge between the people and the government. So there is this interaction, relationship because the truth is, nation-building is a collective effort.”