Alhaji Garba Bala, the National Coordinator of agriculture Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has urged farmers to intensify efforts in agricultural production in spite of current security challenges in the country.

Bala said that this was important to save the country from hunger and ensure food security.

The VCDP national coordinator gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of an Agricultural Show and World Food Day commemoration in Tudun Wada, Nasarawa State, on Friday.

Bala said farmers should not to be deterred by the various security challenges, as doing that would be defeatist.

”This will expose the nation and its entire population to serious food crisis.

“Security challenges in the country should not deter us from engaging in farming activities, because if you are deterred, you are defeated.

“Security challenges are all over the world, they are not peculiar to Nigeria, so you cannot fold your hands and remain at home, because of security challenges,” he stressed.

He explained that VCDP, a partnership between the Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), was aimed at boosting food production and food security in the country.

He disclosed that the programme had supported those earlier participating in the project but displaced by security challenges and forced to live in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country.

”This group of people are at the moment into various farming activities.

“The programme has also identified persons with disabilities across the country and they are as well engaged into farming under the VCDP.”

The coordinator called on Nigerians, irrespective of status, to engage in farming activities for sustainable food production.

NAN reports that IFAD is a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.

The VCDP takes holistic and demand-driven approach to addressing constraints along cassava and rice value chains.

It adopts inclusive strategy and strengthen stakeholders’ capacity along the value chain, including producers and processors.