In 2023, Nigeria's ginger farmers faced a devastating blow as a blight epidemic wiped out a significant portion of their crops, leading to a loss of N12 billion (€6.8 mln), according to Aliyu Abdullahi, the country's minister of state for agriculture and food security. During a workshop in Abuja, Abdullahi unveiled a strategic partnership between the federal agriculture ministry, the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), and PULA Advisers. This collaboration aims to integrate agricultural insurance within the National Agricultural Growth Scheme Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) program to safeguard farmers' investments against such calamities.
The NAGS-AP initiative, which kicked off with wheat cultivation in the 2023 dry season, has already yielded a successful harvest. Abdullahi emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring the sustainability and security of Nigeria's local food systems through this program, highlighting the importance of mitigating climate risks that pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity and food security in the country.
[ N 100 = €0.06 ]
Source: businessday.ng