Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Nigeria’s Groundnut Value Chain in Abuja, which when successfully implemented will produce 120,000 metric tons of groundnut grains valued at N24 billion ($155m), the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the project was part of consolidated efforts by the federal government to revive the already abandoned groundnut production in the country as well as restore the groundnut pyramids of northern Nigeria. He said that the government had realized the value of the crop and were fully committed to paying quality attention to the production, processing and exporting of groundnuts, stating that it would be a focal point for water shed development of the agricultural sector, in partnership with the private sector. Adesina further said that “today, therefore, is another major milestone in the drive of President Goodluck Jonathan to transform the agricultural sector of Nigeria. We are launching today, a major effort to revive groundnut production, processing and value addition, for local and export markets in Nigeria.
Pyramids of Kano“The groundnut value chain will produce an additional 120,000 metric tonnes of groundnut grains valued at N24 billion (US$ 155 million) and supplied to small, medium and large scale processors.“The project will be implemented directly in 15 states (Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Kebbi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba Yobe and Zamfara) in the northwest, north east and north central geo-political zones of the country. Our goal is to reach 1.8 million farmers.“We have been working hard on this for the past two years. That is why I am delighted today to launch the Groundnut Value Chain, GNVC, which is one of the crop-based programmes of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, ATA, of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.“It is a new value chain and received budgetary provision for the first time in 2013.“The main objective of the Groundnut Value Chain is to drive the development of groundnut sub-sector in conjunction with stakeholders along the value chain to improve production, processing, marketing and export of the produce.” “This will be achieved by improving the profitability of groundnut production through broadening the genetic base and promoting improved cultivars and agronomic practices that meet farmers’ needs and market requirements
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