The Federal Government has said about 3.6 million indirect jobs have been created from $1.113 billion (about N461.9 billion) worth of externally funded projects being implemented by the present administration.
Minister of Agriculture, Mohammed Abubakar, made the disclosure while appearing on a ministerial media briefing organized by the presidential communications team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
According to him, $538 million was approved for special agricultural processing zones to support inclusive and sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.
He pointed out that another project worth $575 million is being implemented to improve rural access and agricultural marketing in participating states while strengthening the financing institutional base for effective development, maintenance and management of rural roads network.
Abubakar listed the participating states as Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Kebbi, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau and Sokoto.
The minister noted that government is also implementing the Value Chain Development Programme Additional Financing (VCDP-AF) 2020 to 2024 to enhance, on a sustainable basis, incomes and food security of poor rural households engaged in the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava.
He revealed that the project is currently being implemented in nine states, including Niger, Benue, Ogun, Ebonyi, Taraba and Anambra, Nasarawa, Kogi and Enugu, to scale up the achievement recorded in the original VCDP states.
The minister also assured government was working hard to address the issue of rise in prices of food stuff in the country.
Abubakar explained that the current rise in the prices of food is not peculiar to Nigeria, due to the emergence of COVID-19 and the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine.
He further said Nigeria remains focused on its plan of ending hunger by 2025.
“Of course, we are on track. Who will not want to end hunger?” he said.
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