The Federal Government has attributed the current food scarcity and rising food prices in Nigeria to the smuggling of food across borders and the Naira redesign policy.
Speaking at a sectoral debate organized by the House of Representatives, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari emphasized that flooding, which ravaged farmlands nationwide, also contributed to the food insecurity crisis.
He explained that the currency redesign policy left smallholder farmers without sufficient funds to cultivate their lands during the 2022/2023 period.
This lack of access to cash hindered farmers’ ability to pay for harvest and cultivation expenses.
Kyari acknowledged the compounding effects of insecurity and the global COVID-19 pandemic on food production. Furthermore, he highlighted the devastating impact of flooding in 2021 and 2022 on farmland, which further exacerbated the food production challenges.
To address the crisis, Kyari stated that the President has directed the Ministry to take urgent measures to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians by ensuring adequate grain supply.
He mentioned ongoing efforts to increase the availability of tractors, noting the current shortfall of functional tractors compared to the nation’s needs.
The Ministry has also entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a tractor manufacturer to supply 2000 tractors annually for the next five years, aiming to bolster agricultural productivity and address food security concerns.