Amidst escalating food prices and panic among the public, Federal Government rolls out incentives to restore food prices to normal.
By Anayochukwu Agbo
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Wednesday, February 14, said the federal government has put enough measures in place to rein in escalating food inflation in the country.
He explained at the maiden Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) organized by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation that the galloping food prices were driven by market forces of demand and supply spurred by lack of availability.
To provide immediate intervention, the government will release 42, 000 metric tons of grains free to the needy across the country. Another 62, 000mt will be sourced from private millers in the country and also distributed.
The government has also approved a raft of incentives to farmers to enable them raise their production capacity to fill the supply gaps driving the rising prices. These include supporting about 500 farmers to raise their capacity by a minimum of two tons each. They will be provided with fertilizers, improved seeds, machinery and technical support by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Kyari reaffirmed that the commodity board will return to guarantee food security for the country. “Food Security is national security. Now anybody can go the market and buy food for export. We must secure the national interest first before export. Commodity board will see to that. Food is now viewed as a trading commodity, not as a necessity for food security of the nation.
“Even if it’s somebody from India or any other country, they can go to the farm gate and buy. And these are the issues that we’re facing today in food security. But the board will take charge of what is needed in terms of securing the supply of food for our teaming population before others take that which is for export. What we believe is that we must secure the country first with food for the population before any surplus. You must have a surplus before it goes outside. If you don’t feed yourself, you cannot export.”
On the multiple taxation and harassments commodity traders face in transit, Kari said the government bring it to an end.
“And I think because of this situation and the challenge that we face; we have to come out and I make absolute statement that no double taxation should be applied to food in transit.”
Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, reaffirmed the mandate of his ministry “to manage and enhance the image and reputation of the people and government of Nigeria through a dynamic public information system that facilitates access by citizens and the global community to credible and timely information.”
To this end, the Ministry has designed an agenda based on five pillars, in alignment with the Renewed Hope vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: to restore trust, confidence and credibility to public communications; amplify government policies and programmes; reorient national values; modernize technology and talent; and create an enabling environment for the media to do their work.
