FG: Nigeria is on the verge of overcoming food inflation and shortages
The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria will soon overcome its current food shortage and inflation, which has reached 40 percent according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, assured that the Bola Tinubu administration has strategies in place to combat the ongoing food inflation and boost food production. He anticipates a bumper harvest before the end of the year.
Kyari noted that factors contributing to the severe food shortage include seasonal variations, reduced arable land, flooding, and other issues. He projected that the bumper harvest would occur around October-November, provided no major natural disruptions occur.
The minister also highlighted the challenges faced in agriculture, such as the critical lean season between June and July, land shrinkage, flooding, encroachment, insecurity, and an aging farming population, with fewer younger people entering the field.
To address these issues, the federal government is increasing efforts in mechanized farming by distributing fertilizers and acquiring tractors. Kyari mentioned that he ordered 200 tractors and 9,000 farming implements from Belarus, aiming to modernize Nigerian agriculture and move away from outdated tools like hoes.
