News in brief:
-Â President Bola Tinubu has unveiled plans to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland in Nigeria to grow staple crops, aiming to enhance food security and affordability.
– This initiative builds on the already-launched National Wheat Development Programme launched and addresses concerns over rising food prices by focusing on agricultural productivity.
President Bola Tinubu has unveiled plans to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland across Nigeria for key staple crops like maize, rice, wheat, and millet. This initiative forms part of his administration’s efforts to strengthen food security and affordability. The announcement marked a key element of his New Year’s address to the nation.
Tinubu’s initiative builds upon existing efforts launched under the National Wheat Development Programme in November 2023. The program, which kicked off in Jigawa State, started with the cultivation of 120,000 hectares of land and created optimism among local farmers, according to reports.
Also, the federal minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, had previously announced the government’s target of cultivating 100,000 hectares of wheat during the dry season as part of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
President Tinubu’s focus on food security comes amidst rising concerns about food affordability and accessibility in Nigeria. Recent months have witnessed significant price hikes for staple foods, driven by a combination of factors including rising inflation, shortfall in food supply, insecurity and certain government policies, like the removal of the fuel subsidy.
However, in response to these challenges, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food insecurity in July 2023. The 500,000-hectare farmland cultivation initiative, along with ongoing programs like the National Wheat Development Programme, are seen as key elements of an aggressive push to boost agricultural productivity and stabilize food prices in the country.
