Food security: States to establish farm settlement estates

The 36 state governors have resolved to establish farm settlement estates for groups of smallholder producers, including women and youths, to increase supply of farm inputs, use of machinery, access to extension services and market access.

They said this was aimed at guaranteeing food security in the country.

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This was contained in a communique at the end of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday.

The communique, signed by the NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, was released Thursday.

The governors said the decision was reached after receiving a presentation from the National Conveyor of the UN Food Systems and Permanent Secretary of Budget and National Planning, Olusola Idowu.

They affirmed their commitment to the ideals of the programme “which many states are already pursuing and committed to working with the federal government to expand the development of these settlements across the country.”

The governors pledged to support the National Identification Number programme through a string of measures, including support for sensitization activities, integration of NIN in state services and collaboration with telecoms providers, to improve network infrastructure for sustained identity registration and authentication.

They re-echoed the need to complete the harmonization and integration of databases, to reduce the carriage of multiple identifications by citizens.