Senator Adamu Aliero

 Senator Aliero said that women must be empowered for the achievement of food security and wealth creation which are cardinal points of the seven-point Agenda of Mr. President.

Senator Aliero explained that the initiative was a testimony to Government’s belief in the ability of Women in Agriculture to make difference. He added that, the programme is aimed at improving agricultural extension services to women in the FCT, reduce the constraints of women farmers to the barest minimum and supporting women to achieve food security.

The Minister revealed that his administration has already come up with viable programmes aimed at encouraging Women in Agriculture. These include UNICEF programme; FADAMA programme; capacity building in soap making, fish farming, and lots more.  He added that his administration will continue to organize such trainings for women, which he believes will go along way in alleviating their sufferings, empowering them, enhance their participation in agriculture, and further exploring new techniques of enhancing food production in the FCT and Nigeria at large.

In her remarks, the First Lady of Nigeria, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, who performed the Flag-off/launching of the 2009 cropping season, called on the women to judiciously make use of the farm inputs distributed to them.  These include mechanized tractors, allied seeds, assorted fertilizers, modern storage bins, fish smoking equipment, and other modern farm inputs.