The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, has warned that subsidised imports and other global trade distortions pose a threat to Nigeria’s agricultural growth, calling for stronger collaboration among government, the private sector and development partners to build a more resilient food system.
Bagudu made the remarks at the second biannual meeting of the Agrifood Systems Working Group convened by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Abuja, where he reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s agrifood system through institutional reforms, science-driven agriculture and greater private sector investment.
According to a statement issued by the ministry on Thursday, the minister said addressing domestic and global challenges confronting agriculture would require coordinated efforts from all stakeholders.
The statement read, “Bagudu further called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address domestic and global challenges affecting food systems, including rising fertiliser and energy costs driven by international conflicts, as well as trade distortions that threaten local agricultural production through subsidised imports.”
