The United Nations through its Food and Agricultural Organization, in partnership with the Federal Government, has selected 13 states for intervention with respect to the production of a few crops such as rice, sorghum, soybean, and dairy.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood Abubakar, disclosed this in his speech at the official inauguration of the National Steering Committee on the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative in Nigeria.

In the speech, he said the selection of states for the intervention was based on their potentials for import substitution, export promotion, comparative advantage, social inclusion, and demand gap on the national, continental and global scale.

Abubakar said the Hand-in-Hand initiative take cognizance of the country’s economic advantaged and disadvantaged areas in selecting the priority commodities for intervention in selected states.