The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that food security was partially challenged by many factors including flooding, insecurity and the rapid population of Nigeria, revealed that concluded plans is being set to release at least 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains to ease Nigerians suffering.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, who made the revelation at the edition of ministerial Press Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was concerned about the high food prices in the country.
He announced that modalities for the grains to be released to needy Nigerians from different locations in the country were being worked out with the Department of State Security Services and National Emergency Management Agency so as to make the process seamless and successful.
Beyond distributing grains to Nigerians to stem the rising wave of hunger in the county Kyari said that the ministry had also adopted various measures to produce more food so that the country would no longer experience food shortage and high prices.
The Minister said that in a bid to also made food readily available to Nigerians a total of 120,000 hectares of land is to be cultivated with wheat while 150,000 farmers are expected to cultivate rice in many parts of the country within the year.
Information and National Orientation Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Idris stated that the main essense of this Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) which kicked off today, are in line with the government’s ‘Restore Trust’ and ‘Amplify Policies and Programmes’ pillars.
He added that this will help the media to hear first-hand about what the Govt is doing, its policies, programs, targets, and objectives, and able to ask questions, receive relevant clarifications. “We’ve made efforts to ensure that this Briefing Series receives widest possible coverage, through traditional and digital platforms”, he said.
The Minister urged the members of the press to please report objectively and responsibly, through the headlines and the narratives that will be reporting to the world, adding that the objective is to enlighten, inform and educate Nigerians and the world, and to ensure that everyone is carried along through provision of credible and timely information.
