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Jonathan promises 20 million metric tons of food

President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to create an additional 20 million metric tons of food into the nation’s domestic food supply by the year 2015. … Continue reading Jonathan promises 20 million metric tons of food


President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to create an additional 20 million metric tons of food into the nation’s domestic food supply by the year 2015.

The increase in food production is also expected to create 3.5 million jobs both in the farming and the non-farming sector in the next five years.

The president made this known while speaking at the inauguration of an agricultural transformation implementation council, where he told members of the council to turn Nigeria away from being a food importing country to self-sufficient and food exporting country.

Members of the committee include, the coordinating Minister for the Economy and Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former managing director of UBA, Tony Elumelu and the governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko.

According to the president, agriculture is no longer a development programme but pure business which states and local governments can take advantage of because every state has a comparative advantage in the sector which they can leverage on to create job for Nigerian youths.

He also warned that his administration will not allow any body, group or company to frustrate its agricultural transformation agenda.