FG orders food release to curb scarcity

Bankole Makinde, Abuja - 14.03.2008

THE Federal Government on Wednesday ordered grains to be released from the National Strategic Food Reserve Stock to cushion the effect of high food prices resulting from food scarcity in the country.

In line with this, Gari will now sell for N2,250 per 50-kilogramme bag; maize, N1,800 per 50-kilogramme bag; millet, N1,700 per 50-kilogramme bag, just as sorghum.

The paucity and poor distribution of rain in most Northern states during the last farming season had led to drastic fall in production of crops and the net effect of the development was a shortfall in food supplies, especially grains, and soaring prices of food in the market.

Following the development, President Umaru Yar’Adua directed that food items be released at subsidised prices from the National Strategic Food Reserve to cushion the effect of the high prices.

Disclosing this in Abuja at a ceremony to mark the flag-off of the National Food Release from the Strategic Food Reserve, Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Sayyadi Abba Ruma, said similar launching would be carried out in eight other states where the food reserve silo complexes are located.

The minister said apart from direct sales at venues of launchings, allocations had been made to each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for onward distribution to various groups such as poultry farmers, feed millers, traditional/religious institutions, security agencies, schools, corporate groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals within each state.

Dr. Ruma urged state governments to also release food items from their buffer stock programmes to complement the efforts of the Federal Government.