Bill to involve Armed Forces in farming, food production passed for second reading
The House of Representatives yesterday passed for the second reading a Bill to make the Armed Forces get involved in food production to boost food security and promote economic diversification in the country.
The Bill, sponsored by Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), seeks to establish the Armed Forces Farms and Ranches to enhance food security and promote economic diversification.
Leading the debate on the Bill, Benson described the Defence Farms and Ranches as an initiative for boosting agricultural production by leveraging the resources and capabilities of the nation’s Armed Forces.
The lawmaker said it is a broader effort to diversify the economy, reduce reliance on oil revenue, and address food security challenges by leveraging the Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited and the Command Agriculture initiative.
He said the Defence Farms and Ranches scheme is not a new initiative as it is built on earlier efforts by previous governments to involve the military in agricultural production.
Benson recalled that military farms had existed in various forms, primarily for the sustenance of military personnel.
The lawmaker noted that by involving the military in agricultural activities, the scheme aims to increase food production and contribute to national food security, leverage extensive land holdings, manpower and organisational capacity of the military and supports Nigeria’s broader economic diversification strategy by promoting agriculture as a viable economic alternative to oil.
