Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago has proposed to HarvestPlus Nigeria to make the State its headquarters.
The Governor made the proposal during the 10th edition of the Nutritious Food Fair aimed at promoting nutritious and public health, held at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
He said Niger State has all that is needed to make it the headquarters.
The Governor who commended the organisers of the event for finding Niger worthy of hosting, directed the Ministry of Education, especially School farms, to key into the initiative so that macronutrients fortified crops would be produced for the school children.
He enumerated numerous initiatives of his administration aimed at promoting Agriculture, which he said is yielding positive result as the State has harvested a variety of food that contains macronutrients.
The Governor observed that the 30,000 hectares of bio fortified food production centre that would be established in Adunu, Paikoro local government area of the State would in no small measure support nutrition.
He said the centre will commence on a 3,000 hectares in the next dry season farming, which will spill into the wet season.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Sa’abi Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director, Food, and Safety Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Alh. Nuhu Adamu, commended Harvest Plus for collaborating with the Niger State Government in ensuring the success of the programme in the state, adding that it will minimise malnutrition in the state and the society at large.
He further stated that the Ministry is also focusing on a food-sustainable system,
nutrition, and food safety.
The Minister, who noted that many children and women of childbearing age in the country are suffering from acute malnutrition, revealed that the ministry is making efforts to improve access to essential commodities, especially those that contain macronutrients for vulnerable households.
Governor Umaru Bago thereafter, inspected various food stands where products were displayed.
