Abuja – The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Fatima Bamidele, has declared that  the Nigeria/US Binational Commission will assist the country attain its food sufficiency and become a net exporter of agricultural products.

Bamidele made the promise on Tuesday in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of the working group on food security and agriculture of the commission.

She said the Food Security and Agriculture working group of the BNC would also plan to increase reliable access to food in Nigeria and the West African sub-region through investment in Agriculture and trade policies.

According to her, through this working group, Nigeria hopes to tap from the wealth of knowledge of the United States in the field of agriculture.

“We look forward to learning from the US agricultural experience with the view to revamping our agricultural sector which no doubt has enormous unexploited opportunity,’’ Bamidele said.

She expressed the enthusiasm of the Nigerian people to see very concrete projects that would impact positively on the agricultural sector and bring appreciable improvements in their standards of living.

“Over the years we have endeavoured to promote this sector by producing relevant policies with the view to revamping it and providing food to the populace,’’ the Permanent Secretary said.

Bamidele acknowledged that although Nigeria had yet to achieve its desired level of development in the Agricultural sector, measures were in place to actualise them.

She expressed the hope that Nigeria’s partnership with the US would assist in achieving these goals very soon.

In his remarks, Greg Gottlieb, Head of the American delegation, said with Nigeria’s history in Agriculture, her farmers could be feeding not just the country but the entire West Africa.

“We know Nigeria’s potential in this sector and with coordinative policy responses at the Federal, state and local levels, Nigeria can resume its status as a net exporter of Agricultural commodities,’’ he said.

Gottlied said the need to get more women involved in the agricultural sector could not be overemphasised as women were central to Agriculture.

“Nearly one half of rural women in Nigeria are subsistent farmers. Improvements in that sector can have a dramatic effect on health, education and wealth of Nigerian Women,’’ he said.

Both the Nigerian and US delegation expressed optimism that the meeting would mark the beginning of greater constructive engagement between both countries.

The meeting would disccus the transportation needs of small farmers and policies to address credit and input, how to attract investment to agricultural business activities and the promotion of business opportunities for women and youths.

Nigeria and United States signed an agreement in April 2010, setting up a bi-national commission aimed at helping Nigeria deal with corruption and electoral abuses, domestic energy and agricultural problems as well as the instability in the Niger Delta. (NAN)