Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, said the Federal Government would deploy technology for all-year round farming.
The minister said this while briefing State House correspondents.
“The faster we clear land, harvest, chemical deployment, whether it’s pesticide, whether it’s herbicide, the better.
“We intend to use drone technology in doing that because what one drone can do, a hundred people cannot do in a day.
“So, we are going to use drones to fast-track agricultural activities, harvest quickly, and then make the land available for the next cycle of cultivation,” said Kyari.
He said his ministry would partner the private sector to support vibrant youths to take advantage of its mechanisation programme.
“It is very important to also educate our farmers that agriculture is no longer for the stomach only. It should also be seen as a business, something that will earn a livelihood.
“So, what we have seen that input support may not necessarily be what will incentivise our smallholder farmers to produce.
“I think we need to change the mindset and see how we can engage them in such a way that funding from the private sector should support agricultural production,” Kyari said.
By Salif Atojoko
