Abubakar Kyari: FG to Boost Food Supply to Douse Rising Prices

  Namadi: Insecurity no longer threat to farmers in Jigawa

James Emejo in Abuja
 

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator  Abubakar Kyari, yesterday, said the federal government was working to increase the supply of grains, particularly the rice commodity in order to cushion the increases in food prices.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and commodities in the country rose to 28.20 per cent year-on-year in November.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation accounted for 32.84 per cent.

The rise in the food index was attributed to increases in prices of bread and cereals, oil and fat, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish, fruit, meat, vegetables and coffee, tea and cocoa, potatoes, yam and other tubers among others.

However, speaking while receiving the Governor of Jigawa State, Mallam Umar Namadi, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Kyari said the federal government seeks to boost food production as well as release more grains into the market to douse rising food prices.

He said the measures to drive down food prices will be ready within three weeks.

The minister said, “We also intend to massively produce to bring down food inflation because today, the number one driver of inflation in the economy is food inflation and so we want to assiduously work hard to do just that.

“Mr. President has given us all the support that we need and we are going to wrap it up.

“Starting with the rice for instance, you will see what we are going to do and I am sure Nigerians would be happy.”

He said, “We have started already. Within the next three weeks, everything should be in place, especially regarding rice. It is not a matter of how soon but we want it to be immediate.

“It’s all about market forces of demand and supply and so, if we increase supply, definitely food prices will drop.”

Kyari also revealed that the second phase of the Dry/Wet Season farming intervention would commence this month to enhance productivity.

The minister said the governor’s visit signified the strong partnership between the state and the federal governments in the collective efforts to ensure food security and development of agriculture in the country.

He thanked Namadi for his remarkable successes achieved in the preparation of farmlands and distribution of agricultural inputs in the ongoing wheat dry season farming under the NAGS-AP programme.

He also extended his profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support in the quest for food security in the country, adding that the ministry is focused on ramping up massive production of staple crops using technology and mechanisation to achieve the goal.

The minister said, “It is imperative for us to tackle some of the challenges observed and ensure that they do not impede our agricultural development agenda.”

“These challenges include reported cases of round-tripping in connivance with agro-dealers and poor validation of farmers’ data in parts of the participating states.”

He, however, noted that the case of Jigawa State was remarkably different.

He said the ministry was fully committed to addressing the issues and equally determined to implement stringent measures in the forthcoming dry/wet season farming for rice, maize and cassava to ensure transparent distribution to genuine farmers.

He, therefore, urged all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to overcome the challenges and ensure a successful intervention despite the time constraints.

 Namadi, however, told journalists that insecurity was no longer a challenge for farmers in the state.

He said, “We really have little or no security challenges in Jigawa State. Our farmers can freely go to their farms even at night to conduct their activities

“We are working with the federal government to ensure that farms are secure and people can go to their farms.”

He commended the minister for all the support and confidence reposed in the state.

He also thanked the minister for giving the state the largest share of wheat during the Wheat Dry Season Farming under the NAGS-AP programme.

According to him, the state currently has about 50,000 hectares of wheat under cultivation following the federal government’s support through the ministry, adding that the state will continue to cooperate with the ministry to achieve food security in the country.