News in Brief:
– The Nigerian government is distributing 42,000 tonnes of grains from its reserves to vulnerable people.
– This initiative includes prioritising communities near storage facilities and allocating 20% to religious organisations
The Nigerian Federal Government has commenced distribution of 42,000 metric tonnes (MT) of grains from its strategic reserves to vulnerable Nigerians, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, representing President Bola Tinubu, flagged off the distribution in Sokoto State. He mentioned that this initiative is part of a wider government effort to address recent food price hikes and ensure market availability.
Today in Sokoto State, we flagged-off the distribution of the 42,000MT of grains from the strategic reserve as approved by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to vulnerable people.
I’m pleased to announce that the recent drop in food prices and increased… pic.twitter.com/ht6Gr7chuu
— Sen. Abubakar Kyari, CON (@SenatorAKyari) April 7, 2024
Senator Kyari also attributed recent decline in food prices to the government’s strategic intervention. He stated that since taking over the affairs of the nation, this administration has distributed 58,500 metric tonnes (MT) of milled rice obtained from the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria and procured an additional 30,000MT of rice. It has bought produce from the Flour Mills Plc that exceeded ₦5 billion.
The Tinubu-led government is expecting 4,976.75 MT of foodstuffs from the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve, a regional solidarity mechanism for Member States to improve the response to food and nutrition crises at the local, national, and regional levels.
Meantime, the distributed grains consist of 23,600 MT of maize, 12,860 MT of sorghum, 3,700 MT of millet, and 1,840 MT of garri. Sokoto State has already received a portion of its allocation, including 1,320.20 MT of these various grains.
The distribution system will prioritise communities near grain storage facilities. Additionally, 20% of the commodities are designated for religious organisations. Senator Kyari urged Nigerians to commend President Tinubu for recognising the hardships faced by citizens and for promptly releasing these essential food reserves.
