He said the losses were due to poor storage, weak infrastructure, limited processing, climate change, flooding, soil degradation, and increasingly erratic rainfall across the country.
According to him, agriculture contributes about 24 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, with smallholder farmers producing around 70 per cent of the nation’s food.
The Minister further revealed that the GRAIN initiative is driven by the private sector innovation, as a means of strengthening Nigeria’s food systems.
He described the pulse centre as an integrated hub for agriculture, infrastructure and rural development, with each centre serving an entire value chain.
“By empowering smallholder farmers with modern tools, technology, and markets, we can unlock the full wealth of our land and people,” the Minister stated.
He lauded the embedding of the value chain with the provision of quality facilities at the centre which serves as a safe environment for export, noting that such facility would be replicated in many communities across the country.
Also, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, emphasised the strength of public-private partnerships in development, commending the establishment of such hubs in Jigawa’s agrarian communities.
“This microeconomy will benefit Nigeria because of its multiple advantages, particularly the integration of modern facilities and technologies,” Tuggar said.
Furthermore, Tuggar commended the Tinubu and Namadi’s administration of Jigawa state, for privatising food security in their agenda.
In his speech, Governor Umar Namadi expressed delight for the opportunity given to Jigawa to host the first pulse centre in the country.
He described the initiative as an extremely brilliant innovation that brought about a sustainable means of livelihood to the rural community in Jigawa state.
According to him, the groundbreaking of the centre in Kangire, will make the community operational and bring to light the economic potential and transformation.
Namadi commended the facility, saying that it consisted of an integrated power project which consisted of solar power alternation, digitally connected hub with an integrated series around the entire agriculture value chain.
He this reiterated the commitment of his administration to improving the agriculture value chain to compliment his administration’s effort in job creation, Infrastructure development and improving livelihood.
