The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on
Tuesday said it was funding six agricultural commodities value chains
with emphasis on rice and yam production to ensure food sufficient in
Nigeria.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the world, founded by Bill Gates.
Dr Audu Grema, the Senior Programme Officer, Agriculture in the West African Office of the Foundation, said in Abuja on Tuesday.
He listed some agricultural projects of
the foundation to include CARI-Project (rice) which was aimed at
improving rice production productivity, pest control, and variety
enhancement.
Grema expressed optimism that Nigeria would soon be self sufficient in rice production.
He said the rice project by the
foundation was currently being implemented in Cross River, Niger, Kebbi,
Jigawa, Kano, Plateau and Edo, Ebonyi States.
The programme officer, however, said
that the Cassava Value Addition Project was based in Abeokuta at the
University of Agriculture.
According to him, we also have a big yam
project where we are working with private farms around Abuja, Kaduna,
Niger, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Akure to enhance yam propagation technology
through seeds.
He said, “We have a huge portfolio of
agricultural investments in Nigeria. We are work on maize, rice, yam,
cassava and crop-livestock interface.
“We have four strategic cassava investments that we think are critical that we are funding across Nigeria.
“In agriculture, we do not approve projects except if it has a small holder connection.
“Anything we fund must have a connection with enhancing the status of small scale farmers.”
He explained that the foundation was
also working in public health, integrated vaccine delivery, routine
immunisation revival across many states.
On the reports that Gates was a major
propagator of Genetically Modified Organisms, the programme officer
refuted the assertion, saying that the Bill Gates had no connection with
GMOs.
According to him, Bill Gates has no interest to promote agribusiness, so we are denying that we did not bring GMOs into Nigeria.
“Bill and Melinda Gates are not farmers;
they are not into agricultural services; so, to think they will promote
GMOs just to promote their businesses interest is very wrong.
“I will be in complete denial that we
have nothing to do with these big commercial agricultural farms that
have been cited in some of the articles in Nigeria.
“The foundation does not have anything to do with GMOs even in Nigeria and abroad.
“No connection with the big industrial agricultural concerns which people are alluding to.
“People making such assertions are morally wrong,’’ he said.
Grema commended the `Green Alternative’ currently launched by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He said the agricultural initiative was a step toward fighting poverty and food security in Nigeria.
The programme officer assured that the
foundation would align its programmes with that of the Federal
Government to enable the country achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
The foundation with headquarter based in
Seattle, Washington has its primary aim of enhancing healthcare and
reduce extreme poverty.
(NAN)