NIGERIA’S Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) took another turn for the better when it became an area of interest to foreign investors at the recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town. This was contained in a release from the ministry at the weekend.

The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who attended the forum with President Jonathan, spoke to a high level audience of global policy makers and private sector representatives about Nigeria’s ATA. He spoke on government’s efforts to change the face of agriculture in Nigeria and restore the lost glory in global food production.

In the past 18 months, Dr. Adesina observed, “we have unleashed an agricultural transformation by looking at agriculture as a business and not a development programme, with growth driven by private sector-led investments. We need to create wealth, not manage poverty.”

He assured that Nigeria is set to become a major contributor to global food and nutrition security and poverty eradication through the creation of the right business.

Adesina was was emphatic on a recent development, which has faulted the clamour of some people for imported rice.

According to him, dry season rice production in the north increased by more than a million metric tons, over one-third of the total needed to replace amount Nigeria currently imports. This is the first time dry season rice production support has been done and it has triggered massive job creation all across rural areas in 10 states of northern Nigeria.

On the rice intervention, the minister disclosed that over 1.5 million farmers received their seeds and fertilisers through the electronic wallet system using their mobile phones. He noted that Nigeria was the first country in Africa, and possibly in the world, to develop such a system for reaching farmers.

On the need to diversify the economy away from dependence on oil, Adesina observed that, since 2012, the federal government has attracted nearly $8 billion USD in investment commitments into agriculture.

He emphasised the commitment to transform Nigeria’s financial landscape through innovative financing approaches to solve agricultural value chain breakdowns and give small agribusinesses and farmers access to credit.

“We are expanding farmers’ access to financial services to allow them to build their productive assets, diversify income sources and enhance their resilience,” he added.

Adesina announced the creation of 14 Staple Crop Processing Zones, high potential agricultural production areas, where dedicated infrastructure support – including roads, power, water and other benefits will be provided to private sector investors who will help improve the local agricultural landscape for small- and large-scale farmers. These are expected to link production, processing, and end markets to improve Nigeria’s contribution to the agricultural value chain.