Govt won’t buy grains from hoarders –Lokpobiri

From Magnus Eze, Abuja

In a move to overcome the anticipated famine this month, the Federal Government has warned those hoarding grains with the hope of selling them for high profit margin to dispose them to the end users, saying it is not ready to purchase grains from any unscrupulous hoarders.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who made the disclosure in Abuja, at the weekend, regretted that many of them hoard the grains in conditions that would affect their quality and lead to eventual loss of both the grains and the much desired profit.
Lokpobiri said the government, in its resolve to ensure food security and self-sufficiency, put several measures in place which translated today to enhanced increase in food production, especially grains.
He noted that the ministry achieved this by ensuring that, “hybrid seeds are available to farmers, soil test and relevant fertilisers are also within the reach of farmers,” adding that “the ministry is hugely engaged and committed to all-year-round agriculture, including dry season farming and also through increased investment in irrigation.”
However, Lokpobiri said to encourage farmers in a situation where there are huge grains due to increased production, “government would buy off the excess from farmers to be stored and released when the need arises.”
A statement by Deputy Director of Information, Mrs. Blessing Lere-Adams, said “the Federal Government has, however, affirmed and warned that it has no plans to buy grains from any unscrupulous third party, and that anybody hoarding grains is doing that at his own risk.”