How President Tinubu plans to tackle Food Security After Declaring State of Emergency

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has revealed his immediate, medium- and long-term interventions and solutions to fix alarming food crisis in Nigeria following his declaration of State of Emergency on Food security.

Tinubu plans to deploy savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the Agricultural sector focusing on revamping the agricultural sector and also growing agriculture’s contribution to 70 per cent in the long term.

This was disclosed by Mr Dele Alake, Presidential Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy,

Mr Dele Alake, said, Tinubu is a hands-on- leader who follows developments across the country every day, adding:

Rising costs of food

“Mr President is not unmindful of the rising cost of food and how it affects the citizens. While availability is not a problem, affordability has been a major issue for many Nigerians in all parts of the country.

“This has led to a significant drop in demand thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.”

State of emergency on food security

He noted that President Tinubu announced the declaration of a state of emergency on food security and other measures with long and medium terms solutions

“As with most emergencies, there are immediate, medium- and long-term interventions and solutions.”

Decisions taken and proposed actions food security

Alake noted that a Memorandum of Partnership between the government and agricultural stakeholders had been  drafted, containing decisions taken and proposed actions.

“In the immediate term, we intend to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the Agricultural sector focusing on revamping the agricultural sector.”

“We will immediately release fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.

“There must be an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all-year round.”

He added the administration will also create and support a National Commodity Board that will review and continuously assess food prices as well as maintain a strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilisation mechanism for critical grains and other food items.

“Through this board, the government will moderate spikes and dips in food prices.”

Medium and Long term

In the medium to Long term, the President stressed that the measures would bring about positive outcomes through a massive boost in employment and job creation, citing increased jobs in the sector.

Alake noted that this would be in line with his pledge to create jobs, as the initiative is expected to achieve between five to 10 million more jobs created within the value chain.

“Indeed, agriculture already accounts for about 35.21% of employment in Nigeria (as at 2021), the target is to double this percentage to about 70% in the long term.”

The jobs he said would come through working with the current 500,000 hectares of arable land and the several hundreds of thousands more farmlands to be developed in the medium term.

The president, therefore, called on all Nigerians to partner with the government to ensure the success of the strategic intervention and assured Nigerians that the administration would not relent in its efforts “until all strategic interventions are deployed efficiently and effectively and until every household is positively impacted”

“This administration is working assiduously to ensure that Nigerians do not struggle with their essential needs,”.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders include National Commodity Exchange, Seed Companies, National Seed Council and Research institutes and NIRSAL Microfinance Bank.

Others are, Food Processing/ Agric Processing associations, private sector holders and Prime Anchors, smallholder farmers, crop associations and fertilizer producers, blenders and suppliers associations, he added:

“In furtherance of this, the federal government would engage security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.

“The Central Bank will continue to play a major role in funding the agricultural value chain.
“There are currently 500,000 hectares of already mapped land that will be used to increase the availability of arable land for farming which will immediately impact food output.”

FG will also collaborate with mechanization companies to clear more forests and make them available for farming

Alake also noted that there are currently 11 river basins that will ensure the planting of crops during the dry season with irrigation schemes that will guarantee continuous farming production all year round, to stem the seasonal glut and scarcity that we usually experience.

“We will deploy concessionary capital/funding to the sector, especially towards fertilizer, processing, mechanization, seeds, chemicals, equipment, feed, labour, etc.

“The concessionary funds will ensure food is always available and affordable thereby having a direct impact on Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI).

“This administration is focused on ensuring the HCI numbers, which currently rank as the 3rd lowest in the world, are improved for increased productivity.”