The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has assured Nigerians that a new National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP) aimed at invigorating the Federal Government’s drive to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture production in 2022–2027 will be presented soon.

He revealed this after the strategic session meeting he had with the Executive Secretaries and Chief Executive Officers of National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs).

The minister stated that NATIP would be the key platform for driving agriculture growth for the next six years.

According to The Nation, the minister noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration relies on agriculture as a major driver of economic growth and diversification of the economy away from crude oil.

"Research and training occupy a special place as a strategy for Mr. President's goal and, therefore, a priority in the ministry's drive to attain greater productivity.

"The Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ACN) Amended Act 2021 has made provision for the establishment of spin-off companies within the NARIs and FCAs, which is a deliberate strategy by Mr. President to utilise the enormous potential to generate revenue and to augment the current budgetary allocations", the minister said.

Accordingly, the products of your research are expected to be taken off the shelves for the immediate use of farmers, industries, and consumers.

"You must also ensure a strong drive towards attracting research grants to supplement the available funds, which will therefore ensure less dependence on government funding in the near future. 

Abubakar informed all that in his recent meeting with the president, the latter charged him to do everything within his ability to strengthen the capability of ARCN, NARI, and FCA employees. 

To that aim, the minister instructed the NARIs and FCAs to provide essential areas of human resource requirements to the ministry through the ARCN, including research fellows, lecturers, analysts, technologists, and technicians.

Finally, he advised the ARCN to come up with programs that will enable all research institutes and schools to showcase their commercially viable discoveries that have the potential to transform the fortunes of agriculture in the country by the end of the second quarter of 2022.