Due to rising cost of living ravaging the country, the federal government has called for collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water Resources, and their sub-national counterparts are to ensure sufficient irrigation of farmlands for a year-round food security.
Aliyu Shehu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, revealed this at the 30th meeting of the National Technical Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation (NTCWRS) titled “People, Planet, and Prosperity: Promoting Water Governance for National Food Security,” held in Abuja
The 12 River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) were called upon at the meeting to intensify efforts towards ensuring year-round irrigation of crops to address both seasonal surpluses and put an end to food shortages.
“You will recall that the federal government has recently declared a state of emergency on food security to tackle food inflation. The major components of this declaration as it affects the water and sanitation sector include: That all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the national Security Council.”
To achieve this goal, he said, “There is a need for urgent synergy between the federal ministry of agriculture and food security with the federal ministry of water resources and sanitation to ensure adequate irrigation of farmland and to guarantee that food is produced all year round.”