President Bola Tinubu, has approved all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.
Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, while speaking to newsmen on Thursday, explained that affordability has been a major issue for many Nigerians in all parts of the country and this had led to a significant drop in demand, thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.
Clarifying the short, medium and long-term interventions, Alake said the administration intends to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector, focusing on revamping the agricultural sector.
He pointed out that parts of the interventions include the immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal as well as ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands to guarantee that food is produced all year round
Alake also maintained that a National Commodity Board will be created and supported to 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.
As for storage, he said existing warehouses and tanks will be revamped to cut waste and ensure efficient preservation of food items, while attention would be paid to transport system.
CREDIT: Punch Newspaper
