Agriculture

FG Announces Plans to Restock National Strategic Food Reserve to Tackle Food Insecurity

Written by Jerry Alomatu on July 26, 2024

News Views: 71

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to replenish the National Strategic Food Reserve System to combat food insecurity and stabilize food prices across Nigeria.

At the launch of the 2024 Global Food Policy Report, themed “Improving Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition in Nigeria: Policies and Actions,” Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, emphasized the need to enhance food production, particularly of key staples such as rice, maize, and cassava.

“The idea of the National Strategic Food Reserve is for us to be able to keep stock so that when prices of food are getting high, we release from the stock so that we stabilise the price,” Abdullahi emphasized during the Abuja event organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

He acknowledged that the reserve system had been disrupted by the 2021 floods but assured that efforts are underway to restock it from this year’s harvest. The government is also distributing fertilizers and agrochemicals to farmers to boost production.

Abdullahi urged Nigerians to support the government’s efforts, noting the importance of increasing food reserves to stabilize production and prices.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Production Services and Rural Development, chaired by Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, pledged support for initiatives addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. Dr. Uzoma stressed the importance of ensuring farmers benefit from their harvests and emphasized the need for quality produce to support national health.

Michael Ojo, Country Director of GAIN Nigeria, highlighted the importance of data for evidence-based policymaking and targeted interventions. He called for urgent action to leverage the Nigeria Subnational Food Systems Dashboard and other data sources to improve national nutrition plans and combat malnutrition.