National Assembly Seeks Partnership to Strengthen Food Securit

The National Assembly and agricultural colleges have announced plans to work together to improve food security, research and legislation in the agriculture sector.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, Sharafadeen Alli, disclosed this during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists secretariat in Ibadan.

He said partnerships have already begun with development organisations to support farmers in land preparation, cultivation, harvesting and access to markets.

Alli also said plans are underway to introduce solar-powered dryers to help reduce post-harvest losses across the agricultural value chain.

According to him, many farmers are still not using modern agricultural innovations developed by Nigerian research institutions, despite progress made in crop improvement and production technologies.

He said lawmakers are working on legislation to support agricultural institutions, improve research, and encourage stronger collaboration to boost food production.

Also speaking, Executive Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Mohammed Atanda, said research institutes in the country have skilled personnel and improved crop varieties but need stronger coordination and support.

Acting Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Adedeji Rasheed, called for increased private sector funding for agricultural research, saying government support alone is not enough.