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Following the minor shakeup of Buhari’s cabinet last week, the National Fish Association of Nigeria, NFAN, Sunday, congratulated the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, and pledged support for success.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, NFAN, Chidike Ukoh while assuring that the agriculture sector will be made a foremost sector of the nation’s economy and would be sustained for positive impacts across the board.
The statement reads in part, “The National Fish Association of Nigeria NFAN, on behalf of the entire Fisheries and Aquaculture industry value chain in Nigeria, heartily congratulate and welcome our new Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar.
“Activities at the Ministry’s Headquarters in the first three days of his appointment were brisk, quite instructive and devoid of the usual pomp and pageantry that characterised events of that nature. We believe this signified the understanding of his brief and sense of duty to hit the ground running in the field, while celebrations for bumper harvest will naturally happen at the turn of a successful season.
“In this regard, the NFAN leadership and stakeholders nationwide will continue to work in concert with passionate and patriotic citizens to ensure that agriculture as the foremost sector of the national economy sustained its positive impacts across the board.
“On the spur of the moment, we the farmers/ industry value chain operators being partners in progress from the private sector are looking to consolidate effective collaboration with the result-oriented management and staff of the Ministry to achieve Massive Agricultural Production under the watch of the new Minister.”
However, the association also promised to redouble its effort in food production by up-scaling fish production 1.1 million metric tonnes to 3.5 million metric tonnes annually, “We are committed to redoubling efforts in this critical sector on the bases of fellow citizens’ well-being and survival against all odds, and to serve the overriding need for improved national food safety and security.
“We are aware and conscious of the fact that the fisheries subsector needs direct public policy impetus, enabling business environment and funding support for sustainable growth and development.
“And having the mandate of the 44th NCARD Annual Meeting, we are determined to accelerate local production from the current 1.1million metric tonnes to meet the annual national consumption requirement of 3.5 million metric tonnes, which will translate to self-sufficiency, increased job creation/opportunities, access to foreign markets and especially, taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, ACFTA window for non-oil export revenue earnings.”
