The Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, says contrary to fears expressed in some quarters, Nigeria is not close to being at risk of food scarcity.
He claimed that President Bola Tinubu was aware of the importance of food security, which led him to declare a state of emergency just two months after taking office.
“Let me react to the headline I saw you talking about, risk of food scarcity. Nigeria is not at risk of food scarcity, it has not been and will never be by the grace of God”, Abdullahi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.
“What I want to say here is that when you say scarcity, it means that it is not even available. Nigeria has not experienced that, but what has happened is that there are dynamics, macroeconomic issues, and the economics of food extend beyond the immediate sector.
He claimed that several states have adopted the buffer stock strategy and have stocked food as their buffer, which further increases food security, in addition to the food silos managed by the Federal Government.
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The Minister argued that there shouldn’t be any reason to be concerned about Nigeria’s lack of food security and that it shouldn’t be alarming as long as it can go to the market and find all different kinds of food.
Nigeria meeting the demand for rice.
According to the minister, Nigeria has gone far in meeting its demand for rice production. adding that the country’s rice production is sufficient, but the taste buds of Nigerians still crave imported ones.
“We have accomplished a lot to meet the rice production demand in this nation. Our taste buds prefer imported rice, he said, but the local rice we grow is sufficient.
Source: Channels TV
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