The Kaduna State Government on Monday unveiled its 4- year’s strategy to improve food, nutrition in the state.
Dr Hadiza Balarabe, Deputy Governor, Kaduna state, made this known at the launch of the state’s 2024-2027 ‘Agricultural Sector Strategy for Achieving Food System that Improves Nutrition in Kaduna’.
According to her, the strategy document was necessary to ensure that farmers in the state were nutrition-sensitive to address the nutritional needs of the vulnerable populations.
Balarabe said, ” Statistics have shown that malnutrition was evident amongst children and women of childbearing implying that there is an urgent need to improve nutrition in the state.”
She said that the state would provide the farmers with bio- fortified crops which contain essential micro-nutrients and vitamins.
According to her, such crops offer a sustainable solution to combating malnutrition and promoting healthy growth.
She added, ‘ Kaduna state government is working on providing seeds, fertilizers to improve production to address malnutrition.’
Balarabe, who was represented by Mohammed Dabo, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, commended HarvestPlus for supporting the state in tackling malnutrition.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Commissioner of Planning and Budget Commission, Mr Mukthar Ahmed, thanked HarvestPlus for its unwavering dedication in championing the cause of nutrition and sustainable agriculture in the state.
Ahmed was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the commission, Mohammed Bashir.
He said that the strategic document was a call to action to work collaboratively towards achieving the goals set out by the Agricultural Sector Strategy for 2024-2027.
“I am confident that with the collective efforts of all stakeholders, we can achieve the ambitious target in this strategy.
Let us seize this opportunity to transform our agricultural sector into economic growth, innovation and sustainability” he said.
Speaking to newsmen at the sideline, Mr Cyril Inegbedion, said bio-fortified crops were key in the fight against hidden hunger and malnutrition which is prevalent in northern Nigeria.
Inegbedion is the Project’s Team Lead for the FCDO-funded scaling climate adapted and nutritious smart crops through market systems in Northern Nigeria project in HarvestPlus.
He added that for the particular crops to gain prominence, an enabling environment was critical.
Inegbedion said they needed the government’s buy-in so as to infuse into its policies, the adoption, production and consumption of biofortified crops.(NAN
