BREAKING: Nigerian Govt Discloses Actual Cause of Food Scarcity, Hardship in Country

• Nigeria's minister of agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, has said one of the factors affecting food availability in the country is smuggling
• Kyari disclosed this while addressing federal lawmakers at the national assembly complex, Abuja, on Tuesday, March 5
• Legit.ng reports that Nigerians have been battling severe economic hardship in recent times as prices of commodities continue to increase

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism.

FCT, Abuja - Abubakar Kyari, the minister of agriculture and food security, on Tuesday, March 5, linked the present food scarcity, increasing cost of food, and general hardship in Nigeria, to the smuggling of food across the country's borders.

Kyari also pinned the problems to the Naira redesign policy facilitated by the sacked former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

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Hardship: Looting of food trucks fuels fears of industry collapse amid food shortages

As reported by The Nation, Kyari said the policy resulted in smallholder farmers lacking the necessary funds to cultivate their farms during the 2022/2023 period.

Food scarcity caused by flooding, Naira redesign

The minister, who spoke while appearing in the sectoral debate organised by the house of representatives, also identified flooding which destroyed farmland across the country as another impediment to food security in the country.

He stated that small-scale farmers had no access to cash because of the naira redesign policy and currency swap especially to pay for their harvest towards the end of 2022 as well as pay for cultivation during the commencement of the wet season.

While acknowledging the impact of insecurity of the food crisis in the country, the minister said the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on food production across the globe, while the rise in flooding in 2021 and 2022 caused serious damage to farmland and therefore hurt food production.

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Furthermore, Kyari noted that as a result of the non-availability of cash, preparation for the 2023 farming season was not enough to produce the much-needed food to feed Nigerians.

Hardship: Tinubu's govt actions

Kyari stated that his principal, President Bola Tinubu, has directed the ministry and all those responsible to do everything possible to mitigate the suffering of Nigerians by ensuring enough grains are made available to the people.

According to the minister, currently, about 5000 tractors are working in Nigeria and the country should have 72,000 functional tractors to meet the growing needs of citizens.

He, however, said that the ministry has signed an MoU with a manufacturer to supply 2000 tractors annually for the next five years.

Vanguard newspaper quoted the minister as saying:

“We have seen smuggling of foodstuffs to other neighbouring countries. This has affected the availability of food items in the country."

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As Nigeria grapples with hardship, protest spreads to Jos prison

Read more about food scarcity in Nigeria:

• Hardship: Looting of food trucks fuels fears of industry collapse
• Feeding a nation: Unraveling threats of insecurity to food security
• Solutions to food insecurity in Nigeria

Food challenge: Journalist recommends solutions

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that amidst rising food prices, a journalist, Uloma Onyemachi, identified palliative distribution as a valuable strategy for mitigating food insecurity in Nigeria.

In a recent op-ed sent to Legit.ng, Onyemachi said beyond actions by the Tinubu administration, other institutional entities like non-governmental organisations and research centers, amongst others, also have a role to play in securing food self-sufficiency.

Source: Legit.ng