35. The President Buhari administration has embarked on the re-validation of the claims of agro- dealers and input suppliers under the 2014 wet and 2014/2015 dry seasons to ensure that genuine claims are paid by the government.
36. The President Buhari administration has facilitated the payment of the sum of N20 billion, as part of the debts owed agro-dealers while efforts are on to fully settle the outstanding liabilities.
37. The President Buhari administration has established a N50 billion mechanisation fund to facilitate the second phase of Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE) to roll-out 6,000 tractors and 13,000 harvest and post-harvest equipment units across the country.
38. With the Buhari-led administration, Tractors and Implements were rolled out in Ilorin and Abuja on January 12, 2016, to support targeted commodity value chains.
39. The rising spate of hostilities and attendant insecurity arising from clashes between crop farmers and nomadic herdsmen has raised serious concern within the government. Accordingly, the PMB administration has commenced efforts towards resolution of pastoralists-farmers conflicts through the provision of 55,000 hectares of land by 11 states as part of the 5,000 hectares each expected from the 19 northern states for the development of pasture/paddocks grazing reserves.
40. The Buhari administration has established 40 large scale rice processing plants and 18 High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCGF) plants with a stake commitment of China EXIM (85 per cent) and Nigeria Bank of Industry (BoI) (15 per cent) through concessional credit facilities of US$383,140,375.60 for the rice mills and US$143,722,202.40 for the HQCF Plants.
41. The President Buhari administration through the Ministry of Agriculture is embarking on a programme of distribution of rice mills, of ten tons per day capacity, 20 tons a day, 40 tons a day, 50 tons and a few 100 tons. Collectively between them, the capacity for rice milling will be close to 3,000 tons a day nationwide. That is expected to close the gap between paddy availability and mills to process it.
42. The President Buhari administration has established 10 large scale rice processing plants and 6 High Quality Cassava Flour plants to be owned and operated by the private sector and would be funded by the Special Rice Processing Intervention Fund and the WB Assisted Agricultural Development Policy Operation [AgDPO] Funds.
43. Through President Buhari administration, Real GDP in agriculture grew by 4.11 per cent in the year 2016, and this growth rate was higher than that recorded in 2015 of 3.72 per cent.
44. Under Buhari’s administration as captured by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there was a continuing strong growth in Agriculture (especially Crop Production) in the Q4 of 2016.
45. Agriculture contributed 21.26 per cent to nominal GDP in the Q4 of 2016 and the sector grew by 6.45 per cent year-on-year under President Buhari administration.
46. In the Buhari-led administration, the contribution of Agriculture to overall GDP in real terms was 25.49 per cent in the quarter under review, higher than its share of 24.18 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2015.
47. The Ministry of Agriculture under President Buhari administration also provided 2283 bags of industrial salt to hides and skin dealers in 12 targeted states.
48. The President Buhari administration placed ban on rice importation and that has saved Nigeria an average of $5 Million daily.
49. The growing success story on agriculture in Buhari’s Administration has prompted more youths to commence full production in agriculture.
50). More than 7 million Nigerians are actively employed in agriculture under the Buhari Government’s diversification agenda and the Mini
