From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Federal Government has said its agricultural reforms were designed to ensure food availability, affordability and accessibility for all Nigerians.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, told newsmen in Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday, that the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu saved Nigeria from a debilitating food crisis.
“If the president had not done some reforms in the agriculture sector, Nigeria could have faced a worse food crisis.”
The minister said part of the reforms was the change in the name and focus of the ministry from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to Agriculture and Food Security. He said the decision announced at the constitution of the Federal Executive Council was to address the looming food shortage and crisis.
He cited the interventions to include the release of over 100,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers, 45,000 tonnes of rice and 42,000 tonnes of Sorghum. He said they were aimed at tackling the food crisis.
The minister disclosed that the government invested in farm mechanisation to increase food production and storage facilities across the 774 local governments. “We are working on affordability of food prices and welfare of farmers. We want to address the issue of consumer welfare and producer welfare.”
He said activities of unscrupulous elements in the country who hoard foods created scarcity and pushed up food prices. He, however, expressed delight that the Federal Government’s intervention forced many of them to release their stock into the markets, leading to increase in supply and drop in prices.
He said the ministry had adopted a multi-pronged strategy to confront challenges such as insecurity, flooding and import dependency, particularly in critical areas like wheat and rice production.
“As part of efforts to reduce the over six million tonnes of wheat currently imported annually, we have launched a national wheat farming programme,” Kyari said.
He noted that Cross River has become the first southern state to join the wheat production drive, marking a significant milestone in diversifying the crop’s geographic spread.
Kyari, also said fertiliser distribution under the programme had boosted rice production by 58,000 tonnes, enabling the Federal Government to subsidise rice supply to states affected by flooding.
“In addition to wheat, the ministry has championed a successful rice programme, leading to positive harvests nationwide,” he said.
The minister stressed the need to protect both consumers and producers, noting that, “80 percent of our food is produced by local farmers.
“Our immediate priority is to address affordability and ensure every Nigerian has access to safe and nutritious food,” he said.
With Nigeria’s population projected to reach 400 million by 2050, Kyari said the government was focused on mechanised agriculture and youth empowerment to guarantee long-term food security.
He said the government was also working to restore national assets, including tractors and essential equipment to boost productivity.
To reduce post-harvest losses, Kyari announced a bilateral agreement with Brazil focused on the preservation, processing and storage of perishable food items.
He also said Nigeria had partnered with Belarus to provide aggregation services aimed at significantly increasing output.
The minister warned against misuse of government-supplied agricultural machinery, urging farmers to make judicious use of such equipment.
He further revealed that only three of Nigeria’s silo sites were currently functional, but plans were underway to reactivate the remaining facilities.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure these critical storage facilities are fully utilised,” he said.
He also announced a government initiative to capture statistics of mechanised farmers and farm sites. He said the government was working on provision of farming machines that would be programmed for each of the local government areas.
“We have signed an MOU with the National Identity Management (NIM) to undertake this data capturing so that the government interventions can go directly to the right people. We don’t want a situation where farmers without farmlands will take these interventions and disappear,” he maintained.