The Federal Government has inaugurated the Presidential Food Systems Coordination Unit (PFSCU) as part of its efforts to tackle the prevailing hardship in the land.
While inaugurating the unit at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Friday, Vice President Kashim Shettima said it was part of the present administration’s ongoing plan to tackle hunger.
The presidency has also engaged the states, development partners and other critical stakeholders in the efforts to address the soaring prices of commodities and general food insecurity in the country.
Addressing members comprising governors, cabinet ministers and representatives of development partners, Shettima said, “The nation is facing a rare food security crisis and the sooner we come to terms with the reality, the better.
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“Food insecurity endangers the very basis of our democratic experiment and this is why all hands have to be on deck. We are in a food security crisis but it also provides us the opportunity to re-engineer and reposition the nation on a firmer footing”.
Outlining the mandate of the PFSCU, the Vice President said the unit was not created to usurp the functions of the Ministry of Agriculture, noting that the urgency and seriousness of the matter at hand requires the ideas and resources of all stakeholders.
Shettima also made reference to the Green Imperative Programme, a government-catalyzed, private sector-driven, agricultural industrialization programme, as one initiative which the PFSCU must work assiduously to activate and operationalize.
He stated that with improved farming practices, improved seeds, use of fertilizers, Nigeria’s agricultural productivity could be turned around for the better.
Peoplesmind