By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Federal Government moves to boost soybean production by 460,000 metric tonnes, while the National Soybean Expansion Strategy was validated along with the Commodities Development Initiative, CDI, and other stakeholders.

This was made known at a workshop tagged ‘Validation of the National Soybean Expansion Strategy’, which was convened by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the National Soybean Association of Nigeria, Oil Seed Processors Association of Nigeria and CDI in Abuja, where the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Aliyu Abdullahi, maintained the Ministry is keen on developing and expanding the various value chains driven by the private sector towards exports.

The workshop brought together stakeholders under the soybean value chain including Dawanu Market Development Association, and others.

The Minister who was represented by the Senior Technical Adviser, Ibrahim Alkali, told the relevant departments in the Ministry to ensure integration of the strategy into national planning frameworks, therefore, to align the soybean expansion with broader agro-industrial policies by the Ministry.

He also promised that the Ministry would provide the necessary policy and institutional support to drive the expansion forward, therefore, commended the inclusive and action-oriented process.

He said: “We must treat soybean as a strategic commodity. It is critical for nutrition, livestock feed, and foreign exchange. 

“I am pleased with the direction this strategy is taking. Let us ensure implementation is private sector-led but fully supported by government.”

In his remarks, the Managing Director, Commodities Development Initiative, CDI, Roland Oroh, stressed the collaborative nature of the strategy, and also explained that the aim of the validated National Soybean Expansion Strategy was to boost Nigeria’s soybean production by an additional 460,000 metric tonnes.

According to Oroh, the proposed 460,000 metric tonnes production of soybean can be achieved with a well coordinated approach, which focuses on enhancing production and productivity including acreage expansion, processing improvement, and unlocking access to market both locally and for export.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that the soybean strategy as a national action tool designed with farmers, processors, exporters, investors and government actors. 

“The next phase is implementation, and that starts now with commitment from all sides.

The workshop brought together critical public and private stakeholders in the soybean ecosystem”, he said.

He also explained that the partnership would mobilise investments, strengthen farmer linkages, support agro-industrial processing, and position Nigeria as a competitive origin for non-GMO soybeans.

Highpoints of the workshop was the signing of public-private partnership framework under the Nigeria Soybean Partnership by stakeholder-led coalition tasked with implementing the expansion strategy and coordinating interventions across the soybean value chain.