The Federal Government is putting more efforts to ensure equitable distribution of about fifty two thousand metric tons of assorted grains to States for distribution soon to vulnarable Nigerians free.
The Minister of Agriculture and food security Abubakar Kyari gave this indication during an interactive session with the joint committee of Agricultural production services and rural development of both Chambers in Abuja.
Abubakar Kyari explained that the issue of food security has manifested its self much earlier immediately after the swearing in of Mr.President and has already taken measures to ensure the country deal with the issue head-on.
The Minister said already the Federal Government has taken steps under the ministry and other agencies to ensure food security in Nigeria by given attention to dry season wheat production which is about to be harvested.
He maitained that there are plans for rainy season rice production which is expected to cultivate about two hundred and fifty thousand hectares during the season , Fifty Five thousand hectares of maize and thirty thousand hectares of cassava nation wide.
He noted that some development partners of World Bank and other Agencies are given them the support to double their assistance in that area.
The minister assured that right now they are seeking government approval to start distribution of assorted grains to states for onward distributions to vulnerable Nigerians in an efforts to ensure availability of food to citizens free.
However, according to the minister based on the advice of the special adviser to Mr.President on security the ministry is keeping its programmes on all these distributions mute going by the recent trend of vandalization and breaks of warehouses.
The Minister also talked about the assistance of wheat by Ukraine , saying the programme was long started before the break up of war and also received allocation of fertiliser from CBN for onward distributions to Nigerian Farmers after due investigation of its suitability to the soil.
Similarly responding to some questions the minister said the Government initiated a steps to assist farmers with fertilizers, farming implements and other necessary farming gadgets to improve food production among farmers instead of given out palliatives to them.
Ealier in their seperate key note address the chairmen of both committees said the objective of the interactive sessions is to find out what actually the federal Government is doing to address the hike of food prices and shortage to cushing the impact of food inflation .
The Chairman Senate Committee on Agricultural Production Services Senator Salihu Mustapha said from January there are cases of food shortage, and inflation prices as such it is the responsibility of the representative of Nigerians to know exactly the position of Government to ameliorate the sufferings despite the palliative.
Also in his comment the Chairman of the House Honourable Bello Kaoje said good collaborative efforts between the executive and legislature is necessary in ensuring food security in Nigeria , urging all and sundry to put more efforts in achieving that in the near future.
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