Friday, October 28, 2016
The Federal Government has disclosed plans to
commence buy-back from farmers at a guaranteed minimum price, to check rising
prices of food items in the market.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Audu Ogbeh, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja said that on a daily
basis, 700 trailer loads of grains left Nigerian markets for Mali, Mauritania,
Niger Republic, Chad, and the Central Africa Republic.
Ogbeh explained that with the devaluation of the
naira, it was cheaper to buy from the Nigerian markets and sell in other
neighbouring countries.
To prevent hunger, the government has started buying
and storing grains in silos with a plan to release them by February when
farmers may have exhausted their stock.
"We are buying a lot of grains now because
there is a surplus harvest in many states, including Kebbi, Niger Zamfara and
Anambra. We also guarantee a minimum price that will be announced shortly,
because up to 700 trucks daily are leaving Nigeria with grains heading for
Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and the Central Africa Republic. Everyday,
everything goes there.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN