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Despite the surge in inflation rate, the Nigerian Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Abdullahi, has stated that the Federal Government is working to address the high cost of food prices in the country.
He said this during an interview on Channels Television programme tagged “Sunrise Daily”.
This development comes as food inflation in the country surged to 40.87% in June from the 40.66% recorded in May, 2024.
Speaking during the programme, Abdullahi who admitted that there is food insecurity in the country, assured Nigerians that the government is addressing the situation.
He claimed that the prices of commodities would reduce as a result of several programmes and interventions by the Federal Government.
The anchor expressed concerns that the government's efforts do not seem to be yielding sufficient food output.
The minister responded by acknowledging that while there is indeed significant agricultural production underway, the crops are still in the growth stage and have not yet been harvested. He explained that it typically takes around three months for crops to mature and be ready for consumption, implying that the current production will eventually translate to actual food.
He, however, noted that until then, the anchor's concerns about food insufficiency may persist.
He said, “You will see a lot of programmes trying to dampen the situation.
“Agriculture has a time frame. Now, a lot of production is ongoing. We are in the rainy season and if you look at the fields, there is a lot of cropping going on. Those croppings are not food.
“They will only translate to food after three months. So, until then, this story you are talking about will continue.”
The minister added that the country, in the past, relied more on rainy-season farming and needed to take the dry season more seriously.
“We realised over the past few years that we have not been taking our dry season agriculture seriously,” he added.
The Nigerian government recently announced the removal of import duties on food items such as rice, maize and cowpeas.
The government also announced a 150-day duty-free Import Window for food commodities which include suspension of duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders.
Nigerian government has been unable to tackle the rising inflation in the country, creating apprehension and uncertainties.
