FCT minister asks Abuja residents to plant vegetables

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has urged residents to grow and consume their own vegetables for economic and health benefits. The minister said this when he flagged off the “Grow Your Vegetable” programme, an initiative of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), which is designed to encourage citizens to […]

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has urged residents to grow and consume their own vegetables for economic and health benefits.

The minister said this when he flagged off the “Grow Your Vegetable” programme, an initiative of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), which is designed to encourage citizens to grow their vegetables in and around their homes.

Speaking during the flag-off exercise in Abuja, the minister noted that the programme is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s advice that Nigerians should grow what they eat and eat what they grow in order to boost the economy and the agricultural sector.

The minister, who was represented by the Managing Director, Abuja Enterprises Agency, Shehu Abdulkadir, also stated that the initiative by NALDA will, in addition to saving families money that otherwise would have been spent on buying vegetables, also boost the implementation of the Federal Government’s Back to Farm Initiative.

The minister further expressed optimism that the initiative will rekindle the interest of young Nigerians in small homestead farming, a practice which he said is fast losing value among the youths, in addition to encouraging the consumption of home-grown food.

The minister, however, advised residents to carry out the practice within the environmental laws regulating backyard farming, especially within the FCT city centre.