In a significant move, President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on food security and included matters related to food and water availability and affordability within the purview of the National Security Council. This decision comes in response to the challenges posed by the subsidy removal. As part of the immediate measures, fertilizers and grains will be released to farmers and households to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal.

Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, made this announcement after consultations with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Alake emphasized that the government will ensure an organic synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the use of water resources to enable adequate irrigation of farmlands and guarantee year-round food availability.

Recognizing the need for continuous farming and reducing downtime, Alake stated that the government aims to establish ranches in collaboration with state governments, with designated sections for grazing reserves. The Federal Government will cover the cost of the land in these partnerships.

Furthermore, the Federal Government plans to activate land banks across the country, which currently encompass 500,000 hectares of mapped land. This initiative aims to increase the availability of arable land for farming, directly impacting food output.

In anticipation of grain distribution by the government, the Central Bank has advised middlemen who are withholding grains to release their supplies. This action is expected to contribute to a potential decrease in prices.

The details of these measures will be provided shortly as the government continues to address the challenges of food security and work towards ensuring a stable and sustainable agricultural sector.

Source: Punch