The Federal Government yesterday resolved to partner with all the states so as to tackle the current economic challenges facing the country.
The ministers of Budget and National Planning, Mr Udoma Udoma, disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of the two-day National Economic Council Retreat in Abuja, adding that the Federal Government was looking at immediate possible ways to increase government’s revenues.
Udoma said the Federal Government resolved to concentrate on diversification of revenue sources, particularly on revamping agriculture as key to economic growth.
According to Udoma, “We also resolved that by working together with the states , by the end of 2018, we will be self-sufficient in rice, that means we are going to expand rice cultivation in many states to achieve the target.
“We also resolved to work together to achieve self-sufficiency in meat production by 2019.”
Udoma stated that it was resolved at the retreat that every state government was to identify at least two agricultural crops it had comparative advantage, adding that the Federal Government would open up rural roads to facilitate transportation of agricultural produce.
Stressing that the retreat resolved to set national targets for self-sufficiency in a number of identified crops, Udoma said, “in particular, we resolved to come together to make sure that by the end of this year, we will be self-sufficient in tomato paste.”
Comments