The federal government has announced plans to distribute 42,000 tonnes of grains from its reserves to vulnerable Nigerians free of charge. This decision, revealed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the agricultural sector.
The grains distribution aims to alleviate the rising cost of food items and will target the needy segment of the population. The government has collaborated with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Department of State Security (DSS) to identify areas with the greatest need.
Minister Kyari attributed current food insecurity to low food production during the 2023 wet season farming, citing challenges such as shrinking land mass and limited access to capital for farmers. He also highlighted concerns over double taxation and harassment faced by truck drivers transporting food items across states, advocating for a national policy to ensure food security.
In response to these challenges, the government plans to implement the second phase of the National Agriculture Growth Scheme and Agro Project (NAGS-AP), focusing on rice production. The initiative aims to cultivate 150,000 hectares of land and provide intervention support to 300,000 farmers, including subsidies on fertilizer and seeds.
Looking ahead, Minister Kyari outlined ambitious targets for rice, maize, and cassava production, aiming to cultivate 500,000 metric tonnes of farmland during the wet season.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, emphasized the government’s commitment to restore trust, confidence, and credibility in public communications. This aligns with the Renewed Hope vision of President Tinubu and encompasses pillars such as restoring trust, amplifying policies and programmes, reorienting national values, modernizing technology and talent, and creating an enabling environment for the media.
