Senator Abubakar Kyari Minister of Agriculture and Food Security
By AMOS MATHEW, Kaduna –
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has commended Governor Uba Sani for transforming the agricultural and agro-industrial landscape of Kaduna State within just two and a half years in office.
Speaking when he led a delegation of Commissioners of Agriculture from the 36 states on a courtesy visit to Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Wednesday, the Minister described Governor Sani as a “reference point” in Nigeria’s agricultural development drive.
Senator Kyari recalled that Kaduna once stood as the nation’s textile hub — a sector powered by cotton production — but said the state was now witnessing significant value addition across its staple crops.
“What Governor Uba Sani is doing in Kaduna State aligns perfectly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for food security and sovereignty,” he stated.
The Minister noted that Kaduna was the first subnational government in Nigeria to launch a Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ), which was inaugurated in April, and has continued to attract major agro-allied investments.
He disclosed that the delegation, in Kaduna for the 47th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture, had toured key agro-industrial facilities such as OLAM Poultry and Feed Mill, TMDK Agro-Processing Company, Tomato Jos, and the Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC).
“These facilities, mostly located outside the metropolis, will create jobs in rural areas and help reduce rural-urban migration,” Kyari said.
He also lauded Kaduna and other states for aligning with President Tinubu’s push for food security, which, according to him, “means ensuring availability, accessibility, and affordability of nutritious food for Nigerians.”
Kyari further praised Governor Sani’s inclusive leadership, which he said had fostered political unity and attracted opposition figures into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We were deeply impressed by what we saw. I had no doubt from the start that Senator Uba Sani would perform exceptionally well,” the Minister added.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, applauded Kaduna’s commitment to agricultural funding, revealing that the state has exceeded the Malabo Declaration’s 10 percent benchmark for agriculture spending.
“Governor Uba Sani has already allocated 12 percent of the state’s budget to agriculture, and we are confident he could raise it to 20 percent by the end of his tenure,” Abdullahi said.
Responding, Governor Uba Sani thanked the ministers for hosting the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security meeting in Kaduna, describing it as “an honour and privilege.”
He disclosed that Kaduna remains the only state in northern Nigeria with an Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) to certify farm produce for export, and the first in the country to launch the SAPZ initiative, followed by Cross River and Oyo States.
“We are investing heavily in agriculture because it contributes about 43 percent to our GDP and employs about 60 percent of our workforce,” the governor said.
“When we came in, the agriculture budget was just 0.5 percent, but today it stands at 12.5 percent,” he added.
Governor Sani further revealed that his administration has distributed 900 trucks of free fertilizer to smallholder farmers across the state in two years, irrespective of political or religious affiliations.
“We did not allow politics to guide the process. Traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, as well as farmers’ associations, were all involved to ensure transparency and fairness,” he stated.
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