RMRDC has opened a talk with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) on agricultural materials and land development on possible partnership. The DG, RMRDC Prof. Hussani Doko Ibrahim who made this known when Director General National Agricultural Development Authority, Prince Paul Ikonne paid him a working visit in Abuja recently, said the Council was willing to partner with NALDA to ensure the development of the agric sector to provide food security.

The RMRDC DG noted that there is a lot that the Council can do through institutional partnership to mitigate some production challenges faced by farmers to facilitate production of Agricultural commodities as input for local industries. Giving details on how the Council has progressed so far, Prof. Ibrahim, said ‘’in 2016 and 2017, the Council developed a competitiveness strategy for Nigeria in the bid to improve on the development and utilization of the County’s local content.’’

The DG said that the Council’s has channelled more efforts towards value chain development for both primary and secondary commodities, while emphasizing on the need for federal Government to review land policies to enable smaller holder farmers have access to land to produce their commodities. He noted that land is crucial to the development of raw materials in the Country.

Speaking in a meeting with the DG, National Agricultural Development Authority, Prince Paul Ikonne explained that NALDA has an important role to play towards food security as an organ of government operating within the supervision of the President. He said the agency has its activities spread around the development of agricultural business platforms, ‘’beginning from land acquisition, putting food on table and export.’’

Prince Ikonne said the agency has come up with action programmes that are crucial to land and agricultural development and would require the collaboration of the Council to actualise its goals in this direction. He underscored the role of RMRDC in the effort of NALDC to drive its National Young Farmers Scheme which projects to employ over a million youths in the country by developing infrastructure for agricultural research and development.

‘’We are interested in life –after – NYSC for the youth and will seek the partnership of RMRDC in the acquisition of improved seedlings that will guarantee improved harvest at the end of the planting season, as well as value chain development which will include the processing of the agro commodities by the beneficiaries of the scheme to useful products at the end of the day’’ the Prince Ikonne said.

He expressed confidence that a partnership with RMRDC will give NALDA a big boost in the area of local capacity utilization required to harness the huge industrial potentials of the country as well as provide a base to empower the youth segment of the population by providing them with technical skills required to add value to the nation’s huge agricultural potentials.