Border Closure Helped Boost Local Production— AFAN

Nigeria’s border closure has increased local food production by over 80 percent, despite the initial hardship it caused Nigerians.

The National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Farouk Rabi’u Mudi, disclosed this at a sensitization program organized for youths, with a theme; “Agriculture as a means of employment to our youths," held in Kano State on Thursday.

He explained that the food production level in Nigeria was just 25 percent before the closure of land borders, adding that wheat production, which was only two percent then, had now risen to 10 percent.

He noted that the closure of the border had done more good than harm as a lot of youths had embraced farming and become self-reliant

“We support the border closure because, without it, most of our youths would have become unemployed. The policy is the only way to make our people embrace farming.

“With the border closure, we have witnessed improvement in food production, from 25% to over 80%. Wheat production up to 10%. So, this policy is very good as lots of Nigerians have gone back to farming,” he said

Mudi said the program was organized with a view to enlightening the teeming youths on hundreds of opportunities in the agricultural sector.

“The purpose of the program is to motivate the youths to embrace farming in a bid to improve their socio-economic status.