President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N24.4 billion for phase one of the smart irrigation scheme for nation’s agricultural sector.
This is in furtherance of efforts to ensure food security in the country.
Executive vice chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mohammad Haruna, disclosed this at the foundation laying of the Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) in Obudu, Cross River State.
He stated that as part of an all-year-round bumper harvest plan, the federal government decided to establish six AMEDIs in each of the geopolitical zones.
The plan, according to him, was for the AMEDIs to teach farmers not only mechanised farming, but also modern farming techniques, adding that Nigeria had been collaborating with Czech Republic and Jordan on modern agriculture and manpower training on mechanised farming.
“The proliferation of mechanised farming is needed to meet the targeted bumper harvest all year round which informs the need for local production of tools and equipment and hence approval for the six institutes nationwide.
“One of the targets of implementing bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Czech Republic approved by President Buhari and managed by the presidential implementation committee hosted by NASENI is to make agriculture attractive to the youths by deploying mechanisation and technology,” he said.
Haruna pointed out that some NASENI experts trained recently in Czech Republic and others in Jordan in modern agriculture are among the best Nigeria has ever produced in agricultural technology with capacity and know-how in the application of advances in agricultural technology especially green agriculture.
He disclosed that Phase 1 of the six agricultural institutes is located in three states; AMEDI-Lafia, Nasarawa state for north-central; AMEDI Mbutu Mbaise, Imo state for south-east, and Obudu in Cross River state for south-south, with Lafia and Mbutu to be commissioned in March 2023.
“The institutes are mandated to invent and produce tools, parts, systems and equipment, and machinery for cultivation, plantation, weeding, harvesting, shelling, processing and preservation through backward integration and domestication of foreign technologies in agriculture copied by a well-trained staff of NASENI.”
Cross River governor, Ben Ayade, commended the federal government for promoting the agricultural sector.
