The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced its commitment to prioritising processing of agriculture produce. The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe revealed the plans and said the move aims to increase the sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product.

The government is set to prioritise its processing capacity through the establishment of several cottage industries to produce staple food products in a competitive and comparative advantage manner.

Umakhihe, while speaking at the opening ceremony of 45th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD) in Jos, Plateau State, said government would ensure a steady off-take of produce from out-growers, enhance the income of farmers and entrepreneurs across all commodity value chains.