By JOHNMARK UKOKO
The Federal Government has been urged to immediately begin the process of buying of processed rice and and other foodstuffs to stem the massive hunger in the country.
The President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria ( AFAN) Mr Kabir Ibrahim who made the plea while paying a courtesy visit on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Mohammed Abubakar in Abuja yesterday.
Ibrahim said the food products should be directly sold to Nigerians at subsidised prices to cushion the rising prices.
He stressed that the government should as a matter of urgency tackle the issues that have made the prices of locally produced products to go beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
In his words, ‘ There was no time to waste again in crashing price of foodstuffs .
” It is sad that prices of the products we produce in our country have gone beyond the reach of most Nigerians. The common man no longer has any foodstuff he can easily afford for their families, “.
He lamented that that rice that was formally affordable to most Nigerians is no longer affordable, despite the trillions of naira spent on the ” Anchor Borrowers’ Programme ( ABP) for rice production in the country by president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, The Trumpet gathered.
” It is time President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to rescitate the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) and and Guarantee Minimum Price (GMP) in order to bring succour to Nigerians.
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” The Buhari’s administration may have made efforts and solid achievements in agriculture via various agric interventions and policies, but Nigerians are complaining bitterly of food shortage , rising food prices , austerity and food food inflation, which if not addressed and immediately could defeat all the investments made in the country’s agric sector.
It is a great pleasure that we come to express our solidarity with you and Buhari’s administration over the efforts and solid achievements in the agriculture sector, “.
Responding, the minister commended AFAN’s leadership for the visit and advice, adding that he will pass the message to the president.
The trumpet investigation in Lagos showed that a bag of rice currently sold between N22,000 and N28,000 depending on the brand and the market.
