The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari (C), and youth and women farmers displaying well packaged food items.
By Victoria Onehi
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyar has said that active participation of Youth and Women Farmers in Agriculture would Fast-track Development in the Sector, Increase Production, Revitalize Agribusiness as well as achieve Food and Nutrition Security.
The Minister stated this during a working visit to D’More Food and Spices, the Food Processing Division of Jet Farms Agro Solution Ltd ,an agribusiness enterprise owned and managed by the Nigerian Youth Farmers, at Technology Incubation Hub, Lafia , Nasarawa State, recently.
Kyari said that the ministry would provide the strategic policy backbone for transforming agriculture into a tech-enabled, youth – and women driven sector, promoting mechanisation, digital agriculture, and research – commercialisation linkages, among others.
He stated that the initiative would ensure that youth and women farmers have a conducive environment for agribusiness and maximise their potential in production, packaging ,marketing, and distribution in the agriculture ecosystem.
The Minster in a statement by Assistant Director Information, Ezeaja Ikemefuna,
revealed that in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in Agric Sector, the ministry would continue to support Jet Farms and other emerging youth and women-led agribusiness ventures across the country.
He inspected a range of products under the company’s D’More Spices Brand comprising curry, thyme chilli pepper , and rice, among others
In his welcome address, Team Lead,Tobi Jeremiah Olanrewaju, stated that food processing arm of Jet Farms and Agro Solutions Ltd, was born out of one simple but urgent mission: to stop the painful waste of farmers harvests, to create dignified jobs for young people and women, and to take the bold flavors of Nigeria to tables across the world.
According to him: ‘’Every year, smallholder farmers loose up to half their harvest because of a lack of storage and processing facilities. At D’More, we saw both a tragedy and an opportunity.
‘’By processing ginger, turmeric, thyme, curry, chili, crayfish, and rice into premium-quality spices and food products, we are extending shelf life, creating value, and turning what could have been waste into both income for farmers and nourishment for families’’.
‘’More than that, we are showing that agriculture is not just survival, it is prosperity and pride’’, Olanrewaju said .
Olanrewaju appealed for single-digit financing from institutions like the Bank of Industry and Bank of Agriculture and other intervention programmes.
The highlight of the working visit was the inspection of the company facility, which includes the raw materials store, processing room, and finished products section.
