By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration ,FCTA, has adopted a strategy to boost agriculture activities across the 62 wards of the territory.
Mr Ibe Prospect Chukwuemeka, the Acting secretary FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat ,ARDS, disclosed that the secretariat will work more closely with the Area Council authorities to achieve better results.
He said success in agriculture development can only be achieved through collaboration with the FCT Area Councils where the farmers are domiciled.
Chukwuemeka stated this in an interview with Journalists at the end of technical session of a two days ‘8th Regular Meeting of the FCT Council on Agriculture and Rural Development’ in Abuja.
“We have identified some areas that can help in boosting agriculture development in FCT, top among them is collaboration with the Area Councils, farmers are domiciled in the Councils. So we must close the gap by involving them in our activities.
“There can’t be success in agriculture programmes without involvement of the main players, which are the rural farmers”
The Acting secretary said with the lessons from the 8th regular meeting, officials of the secretariat will do more on monitoring, supervision and capacity building as well as provision of inputs for the farmers.
He regretted that COVID-19, banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges have affected farming activities of recent in the territory, but more will be done by the Secretariat to achieve better results.
For the ARDS Director planning, Research and Statistics, Oseni said the regular meeting will rekindle the hope of farmers in FCT, saying with the participation of all the strategic stakeholders there will be enhanced bumper food production.
However, other participants at the event, David Uban who is the supervisory councillor for Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja Municipal Area Council ,AMAC, described the event as an eye opener to the farmers on areas of improvement.
