To lower the price of rice, increase food production, and improve food security, the Ministry of Women Affairs will give 26,000 tonnes of hybrid rice to rural women.
This was disclosed by Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women’s affairs, to reporters as she briefed them prior to the 2023 International Day for Rural Women, which is observed on October 15.
“A Chinese company donated 26,000 tonnes of hybrid rice to the ministry,” she said.
She urged all ladies to provide the farmers with tools so they can do their work more efficiently and create more farm goods.
The minister also mentioned that rural women will receive free mechanised farming gear worth 151 million from First Lady Remi Tinubu.
The event, according to Mr. Mohammed Idris, the ministry’s acting permanent secretary, is significant because it highlights the crucial role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in advancing agriculture and rural development, enhancing food security, and eliminating rural poverty.
The evidence is there to show that women are an essential part of the global rural economy.
“They take part in crop production and animal care, as well as providing their families with food, water, and fuel. They also engage in various occupations to diversify their families’ sources of income.
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The phrase “rural women are active agents of economic, social change, and environmental protection” often used.
Idris also expressed sympathy for rural women and their families whose homes and lives were damaged by floods and armed violence in many regions of the nation.
Additionally, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, the UN representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to tackling issues affecting women, particularly rural women.
“We are developing climate-smart agriculture with digital support.
“We want to make sure that issues about the environment, low productivity, and low soil productivity are handled in such a way that production and production goes up.”
Hajiya Lami Adamu-Lau, National President of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), urged the ministry to make sure that the rural women received a fair allocation.
The 15th of October should be observed as “World Rural Women’s Day,” according to NAN.
Over the past ten years, “World Rural Women’s Day” has been observed globally, mostly by civil society.
“Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All” is the subject, according to NAN.
In its resolution 62/138 of December 18, 2007, the General Assembly established this day to honour “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security, and eradicating rural poverty.”
At the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, international NGOs proposed the concept of designating a special day to recognise rural women. (NAN)
