FOOD CRISIS: FG DONATES 20 TRUCKS OF RICE TO EACH STATE, ABUJA – MINISTER

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FOOD CRISIS: FG DONATES 20 TRUCKS OF RICE TO EACH STATE, ABUJA – MINISTER

The federal government says it has donated about 20 trucks of rice to each of Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja as part of measures to cushion the country’s food crisis.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris disclosed this in Abuja on Monday while briefing State House reporters at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting.

“Each of the trucks of course is carrying about 1,200 25kg bags of rice,” Mr Idris said.

“This is part of the measures that the
government is taking in addition to so many others to ensure that the hardship being experienced by Nigerians is drastically ameliorated.”

The minister said the bags of rice are expected to be distributed to vulnerable Nigerians by the state governments.

“…each of the state governments has received 20 trucks of rice for onward distribution to the most vulnerable. This is a first step and the federal government will continue to support all the state governors and local governments, all the subnationals, so that the hardship being experienced by most Nigerians in terms of shortage of food supply is breached,” he said.

Nigerians have been grappling with a cost of living crisis since President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of subsidies on petrol last year.

The price of basic foods has tripled in some cases, with a 50-kg bag of rice rising from about N20,000 to over N60,000.

Monday’s announcement comes a few days after the government approved the duty-free importation of major food items like rice, beans, and wheat.

However, some Nigerians, including Akinwunmi Adesina of the African Development Bank, have criticised the food importation policy.

He warned that the policy could undermine all the hard work and private investments that have gone into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.

“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilise prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilise food prices while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending that will further help stabilise the Naira,” Mr Adesina said.

On Monday, Mr Idris said the move is a first step towards addressing food inflation in the country and that the federal government will continue to support all the state governors and local governments, to address the hardship experienced by most Nigerians in terms of the shortage of food supply.

“It is expected that the state governors will go ahead and distribute this food item to the most vulnerable. So that the hardship like I said has been experienced will be brought down significantly,” the Minister said.

He recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria had earlier made available over 2.1 million bags of assorted fertiliser to the Ministry of Agriculture for onward distribution to the states.

“So that is also in progress,” he added, stating that the federal government will do everything they can to ensure that Nigerians have more food for consumption.

“Investments in the agricultural sector are ramped up and you also know that the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development that was announced by Mr President, will also take off very soon,” Mr Idris said.