The Federal Government has ruled out the importation of food as part of strategies to address the high costs of foodstuffs and the economic hardship troubling the country.
It has also set up a committee comprising the National Security Adviser, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Inspector-General of Police to clamp down on traders hoarding grains.
This formed part of the resolutions reached at Thursday’s an emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Assessing the government’s action to tackle the hardship in the country, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and the organised private sector supported the decision of the President and the governors not to adopt importation as a solution to the biting food crisis facing the nation.
They also backed the planned action against hoarders as the Nigeria Customs Service vowed to stop smuggling of food out of the country.
The prices of staples have gone up in recent times with the National Bureau of Statistics listing the 2023 December food inflation at 33.93 per cent, up from 23.75 per cent in December 2022.
Reports say the prices of staples like rice, beans, oils, plantain, grains, fish, poultry, and meat have surged by 50 per cent and this has triggered protests against the harsh development across the country.
Data obtained from the consumer price index reports by the NBS indicated Nigeria spent N1.47tn on importing food and beverages in the first six months of 2023.
A former Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, had said that the country had enough food to feed all its citizens, but it failed to grow more food for its fast-rising population due to insecurity, flooding, and low mechanisation, among other reasons.
This forced the country to spend millions of dollars yearly importing food, putting further pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves as it battles with forex scarcity.
‘No food import’
Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that importing food would hurt the struggling economy further.
Idris, had earlier on February 8 after the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention met at the Presidential Villa, said the administration would import essential supplies to augment shortages observed after releasing 102,000 metric tonnes of food items nationwide.
“Now, the third item is that the government is also looking at the possibility, if it becomes necessary, as an interim measure in the short run also to import some of these commodities,” he had said.
However, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government reconsidered its decision as it would “reverse” some of the gains of the past few months.
Idris announced, “In the interest of our country, there will be no need for food importation at this point. Nigeria has the potential to feed itself and even be a net exporter of food items to other countries.
“And we do not want to reverse some of the progress we have seen regarding food production in this country.
“What we’re seeing now is just a temporary difficulty that will soon go away. Therefore, the solution is continuous investment in agriculture to make food available to all Nigerians.”
He cited President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security last July, adding that the state governors had agreed to “join hands with Mr President to deepen their investment in the agricultural sector so that more food will be made available to Nigerians.”
Idris noted that this investment would transcend crop production into livestock development and management.
Battle against hoarders
Also, the President directed “the National Security Adviser, the Director General of the State Services and the Inspector-General of Police to coordinate with the state governors to look at the issue of those hoarding commodities.”
Idris explained the rationale for the move, saying, “At this point, the nation requires food to be brought out to the people so that we can control prices and put food on the table for most Nigerians, while other commodity traders are busy hoarding these commodities so that Nigerians wil suffer or they will make more money as a result.
“So, the governors and Mr President have taken this decision that security agencies will collaborate with the state governors to ensure that this end.”
According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged the governors to pay all salary arrears to state workers and gratuities to
pensioners as a way to put money into the hands of the people since states are now getting more monthly federal allocations.
“Spend the money, don’t spend the people,’’ the President reportedly admonished the state helmsmen.
Onanuga in a post on his X handle clarified that the meeting was necessitated by the rising prices of food items, insecurity, and delayed/non-payment of salaries and gratuities.
He explained that the participants agreed on common grounds to address some of the challenges facing the country, particularly, the rising cost of food and insecurity.
“After extensive deliberations, the President and governors agreed to work together to solve the problems and tackle the economic pressure being faced by the citizens,” Onanuga wrote.
Addressing the insecurity which is also affecting farming and food production, he explained that President Tinubu said more police personnel would be recruited to strengthen the force.
He stated, “The President advised against the idea of food importation and price control when local food producers should be encouraged to produce more food.
“The President advised the governors to follow the example of Kano State in dealing with the hoarding of food for profiteering by commodities merchants.’’
Also, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed more details of Tinubu’s discussion in a statement on Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu to 36 state governors: there must be zero tolerance for incompetence; support local farmers to boost food production and remove rent seekers.’
According to the statement, Tinubu at the meeting said he would not set up any board to regulate the soaring prices of food commodities in the country.
“What I will not do is to set a price control board. I will not also approve the importation of food,” Tinubu was quoted to have said this at the meeting.
His comments came days after Vice President Kashim Shettima hinted at plans to establish a national commodity board to curtail the escalating food inflation in Nigeria.
Supporting the Federal Government, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, Dele Oye, in a statement titled “NACCIMA’s position on food security and measures to reinforce local agricultural productivity,” supported the President and the governors.
He said, “We commend the President’s directive to state and Federal Government agencies to enhance collaboration in bolstering local food production rather than resorting to food importation and price control. This approach aligns with NACCIMA’s core objectives of championing the agricultural value chain and supporting local producers. It is a vital step toward self-sufficiency and economic resilience.
“However, we believe that the issue of rising food costs is multifaceted. While local production capacity is a critical factor, we cannot overlook the significant impact of the depreciating value of the Naira.
“The current exchange rate exerts inflationary pressure on input costs, thereby affecting overall food prices. To counter this, a robust economic policy aimed at defending the Naira to reach an acceptable exchange rate of 750 Naira to one USD is essential. A stable currency will not only make agricultural inputs more affordable but will also bolster consumer purchasing power.”
Oye noted that to further incentives to local production, the government should facilitate access to more single-digit interest loans and grants for farmers.’
