Sirika Inaugurates Committee To Review Impact Of Rainfall

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Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, yesterday inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee, charged with the responsibility to review from 2015-2018 the impact of seasonal rainfall prediction (SRP) by the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMet) on the nation’s food security.

Sirika, in a statement by the ministry’s Director, Public Affairs, James Odaudu, said “prediction which is very scientific and exact, are extremely important and beneficial to what we do, like how to plan cities and build in such a way that stands the weather condition, but the most important one is our ability to feed ourselves by knowing when to plant and harvest the type of crops at what particulars season.”

He said it’s in recognition of the importance of the annual rainfall predictions that the agency was being empowered and positioned for more accuracy.

According to him, “We are acquiring capability through NiMET to cascade and drop it down within metres and inches of accuracy.”

He noted that in 2017 some farmers in Sokoto came to testify that from the prediction and the advice they got they were able to make good harvest for the season and unfortunately other who didn’t follow the advice recorded losses.

The committee’s terms of reference, the minister revealed, include “Examining the level of awareness of stakeholders (especially farmers) of the SRP;

“Compare and contrast the agricultural production and SRP within the period of 2015-2018;

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“Examining the consumption visa-vis production of agricultural products on the nation’s economy within the period; and

“Relating issues on SRP and food security; and other assignments given by the Minister on the subject matter.”

He urged the committee members to take the job very seriously as national assignment and do it with all the necessary due diligence as well as finish on time, considering its likely effect on the nation’s food sufficiency capacities.

The Chairman of the committee and the ministry’s Director Planning Research and Statistics, Mohammed Shehu, pledged that the members would work assiduously and deliver as expected.

He thanked the minister for the opportunity to serve the committee whose assignment, according to him, touched the life of an average Nigerian.

 

THISDAY

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