Nigerian govt moves to end hunger in the land, takes new action

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to address the escalating food inflation in the country by establishing a National Commodity Board. This board will play a crucial role in assessing and regulating food prices, as well as maintaining a strategic food reserve to stabilize the prices of essential grains and other food items.

Vice President Kashim Shettima made this announcement on Tuesday during a two-day high-level strategic meeting on climate change, food systems, and resource mobilization at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In his address titled “Climate Resilience and Food Security: Nigeria’s Vision for the Future,” Senator Shettima emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change and ensuring food security for its citizens.

Highlighting food security as a top priority under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prompted the declaration of a state of emergency on food security, the Vice President outlined ongoing policy reforms aimed at guaranteeing food and water availability and affordability.

“Our approach to addressing the potential food crisis encompasses immediate, medium, and long-term strategies,” Senator Shettima explained. “In the short term, we are revitalizing food supply through targeted interventions such as distributing fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of subsidy removal. Additionally, we are fostering collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to enhance farmland irrigation for year-round food production.”

He continued, “To address price volatility, we are establishing a National Commodity Board tasked with continually assessing and regulating food prices while maintaining a strategic food reserve to stabilize prices of crucial grains and other food items.”

The Vice President also assured the nation of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to land restoration initiatives, aiming to restore four million hectares, or nearly 10 million acres, of degraded lands within Nigeria’s borders as part of its contribution to the AFR100 Initiative.

Regarding security challenges hindering farming activities, Senator Shettima affirmed the government’s resolve to engage the security architecture to protect farms and farmers, ensuring their safety and enabling them to return to their farmlands without fear of attacks.