In response to the soaring food prices across Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has introduced a series of initiatives aimed at stabilizing the market and ensuring food security.
The administration has announced a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities. This window will see the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of select food commodities, including maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpea, through land and sea borders. Imported food commodities will be subjected to a recommended retail price to ensure affordability, while maintaining strict safety standards for all imported items.
In addition to private sector importation, the Federal Government will import 250,000 metric tons of wheat and 250,000 metric tons of maize. These semi-processed food commodities will be distributed to small-scale processors and millers nationwide.
The government will also engage relevant stakeholders to set a guaranteed minimum price and purchase surplus food commodities to replenish the National Strategic Food Reserve. This will help stabilize prices and ensure a steady supply of essential food items.
To enhance agricultural production for the 2024/2025 farming cycle, the administration will provide continuous support to smallholder farmers during the current wet season through existing government initiatives. The government will also strengthen and accelerate dry season farming across the country. An aggressive mechanization effort will be launched to reduce production costs and boost productivity. Additionally, the administration will collaborate with sub-national entities to identify and cultivate irrigable lands and will work with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to rehabilitate and maintain irrigation facilities.
A strategic engagement for youth and women will promote the immediate greenhouse cultivation of horticultural crops such as tomatoes and peppers, aiming to increase production volume, stabilize prices, and address food shortages. The Federal Government will also fast-track ongoing engagements with the Nigerian Military to rapidly cultivate arable lands under the Defence Farms Scheme, while encouraging other para-military establishments to utilize available arable lands for cultivation.
The Renewed Hope National Livestock Transformation Implementation Committee will be inaugurated on July 9, 2024. This committee will develop and implement policies that prioritize livestock development, aligning with the National Livestock Transformation Plan initiated by the previous administration.
To enhance nutrition security, the administration will promote the production of fortified food commodities and support the scale-up of the Home Garden Initiative by the Office of The First Lady of Nigeria.
These comprehensive measures will be implemented over the next 180 days, with information publicly available to ensure the participation of all relevant stakeholders across the country.
Credit: Nurudeen Adeyemi, Independent Sales Contractor (Nigeria)
