The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed that it borrowed over 5,000 metric tonnes of grain from ECOWAS for the purpose of feeding its citizenry.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba-Shehuri made this known on Monday.
It was while he was receiving the 3,999 tonnes of cereals donated to Nigeria by ECOWAS that he made this known.
According to Shehuri, “The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria loaned 5,000MT of assorted grains from ECOWAS Stock which was agreed to be paid back on grain for grain basis.
“Modalities had been put in place to replace the ECOWAS Stock before the advent of COVID-19 Pandemic. That notwithstanding, I can assure you that the stock will be replaced in due course.”
He said to tackle the food crisis in the West African Sub-region, the Heads of Government of ECOWAS member states decided to establish a Regional Food Security Reserve (RFSR) Programme.
“This includes keeping a substantial quantity of food in her Food Reserve that can be used for interventions in case of emergencies and to boost food security within the ECOWAS member States,” he said.