The Federal Government has announced a strategic plan to boost food security by increasing the production of staple crops by small-holder farmers to 135 million metric tons by the end of this year.
This is part of the initiatives of the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) and shared by the spokesperson of the president, Ajuri Ngelale, on Thursday.
The PECC Is a body of economic team set up by President Bola Tinubu to revamp the economy of the country.
The team includes the president, the 36 state governors, lawmakers as well as members of the organized private sectors, among others.
According to the measures rolled out by the council, food security tops the list of the priority of the government.
Accordingly, the objective includes to increase staple crops from 127 million MT in 2023 to 134 million MT in 2024.
The measures also include partnering with large-scale commercial farmers to boost local production.
In addition, the council aims to support qualified farmers with satellite imagery of land use planning, among others.
What the PECC is saying
The statement from the State House on agricultural production states the following:
“Agriculture and Food Security:
“Under this plan, the aim is to:
“Increase staple crops grown by small-holder farmers from 127 million MT in 2023 to 135 million MT this year;
“Bolster production by partnering with larger-scale commercial farmers;
“Support qualified farmers with satellite imagery for land use planning, crop rotation, and monitoring of agricultural expansion.”
What you should know
Nigeria is currently battling a food security crisis with food inflation at 40.5% as households struggle to provide for their family across the country.
Furthermore, the price of staple foods especially grains has seen an over 100% increase in prices in the past year.
The steep rise in food prices is significantly burdening households nationwide, intensifying the challenges within an already precarious economy.
With projections indicating that approximately 31 million Nigerians could confront severe food shortages by August, the situation demands urgent attention and strategic interventions.
Recently, the federal government announced plans to share N50,000 to 100,000 households across the country’s 36 states for three months and purchase food items worth N155 billion to be distributed across the country.
President Tinubu disclosed this during the recent National Economic Council (NEC where he rolled out construction, housing and other support programs for Nigerians.
The president also called on state Governors to work towards meeting the food security needs of their states.
