…Urges rice millers to release 60,000 metric tons of rice
…Mulls importation of essential commodities to drive down prices
The Federal Government has ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to immediately open the national food reserves in order to release 42,000 metric tons of millet, maize and others commoditues to cushion the current spike in food prices.
FG also said it had asked the Rice Millers Association to release not less that 60,000 metric tons of rice in their storaes nationwide.
It also said the option of importion of these essential food items is on the table if the remedial measure put in place failed to achieve the desired results.
Minister of Infiemarion and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris disclosed these on Thursday while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting of the Presidentsil Committee on Food Security held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “Today’s meeting was again on the issue of difficulty, like I said two days ago, of putting food on the table of most Nigerians, and has come up with a number of measures to ensure that food becomes more readily available to Nigerians.
“The first one is that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been directed to release about 42,000 metric tons of maize, millet, garri and other commodities in their strategic reserve so that these items will be made available to Nigerians; 42000 metric tons immediately.
“The second one is that we have held meetings with the rice Millers Association of Nigeria, those who are responsible for producing this rice and we have asked them to open up their stores.
“They’ve told us that they can guarantee about 60,000 metric tons of rice. This will be made available and we know that that is enough to take Nigerians the next one month to six weeks, perhaps up to two months 60,000 metric tons. They’ve agreed that they will make that available to Nigerians to bring it out to the market so that food made available.
“Now the whole idea of this is to crash the cost of these food items. And these are measures that will happen immediately.
“42,000 metric tons from the strategic government reserve, about 60,000 metric tons of rice from the rice Millers Association, they have them in all their storage facilities and government in conjunction with them after this exhaustive meeting, has directed that they also bring this out immediately so that you food, I mean the price of rice will come down significantly.
“Now the third item is that the government is also looking at the possibility, if it becomes absolutely necessary as an interim measure on the short run to also import some of these commodities immediately so that these commodities can be made available to Nigerians immediately within the next couple of weeks.”
idris also disclosed that there was a directive “to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to invest massively, in conjunction with Nigerian farmers and other producers so that we can have better season coming up shortly.
“Now, we all know that dry season farming is happening, that will take effect very shortly, and that we hope will also contribute, because as soon as the dry season farming gets underway, it is the hope of government that food prices will also also come down.”
Insisting that the claims of food shortage in the country is a fluke, the Imformation Minister said government knew all the millers who are storing food commodities and would wield the big stock on them if they failed to comply with the directive.
“Now government, of course, is also looking at all those who are hoarding these commodities because actually these commodities are available in the stores of many traders. Government is appealing to them, that they should open up these stores, make these commodities available in the interest of our nation. There is no point when the whole country is looking for this food, you are looking up this products so that you make more more money and then Nigerians suffer.
“Of course government will not fold his arms. We know where all these major traders are. We know where all these major stores are. And if they don’t respond by bringing these commodities to the market, government will take appropriate measures to ensure that these products are made available to Nigerians.
“Well, you cannot hold the nation to ransom. You cannot have these commodities and you’re hoarding them in your stores when we all need them. We are in an emergency situation and we’ll take emergency measures to make sure that this food is available to Nigerians.”