Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on
Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba yesterday warned that Nigeria could face
famine in January if drastic steps are not taken now. Garba who gave the
warning when he spoke at a radio station in kano yesterday, said Nigerian
farmers are exporting most of their food products instead of making it readily
available for consumption in Nigeria.
"Huge demand for our
grains in the global market is creating an excellent environment for the
mindless export of Nigerian grains across our borders and unless this is
curtailed, Nigerian markets will be bereft of food by January next year. Over
the past year, Providence has blessed Nigeria with a bountiful harvest of
grains, more than enough to feed the country and to export to other countries.
At present, there is a high demand for grains from Nigeria, from African
countries as distant as Libya and Algeria, and from places as far away as
Brazil. However, the ministry of agriculture has raised concerns about a
massive rate of exportation, which could lead to a shortage of grains in
Nigeria by January. President Muhammadu Buhari is not in any way opposed to or
intent on tampering with that. On the other hand, exporters also have a moral
obligation to make their produce available to Nigerians who live within our
country’s borders, to ensure that our citizens have access to food” he said.
Garba said that the ministry of agriculture estimated that no fewer than 500
trucks laden with grain leave Nigerian markets every week, headed for countries
outside Nigerian borders. “The major markets involved in this exportation are:
the Dawanau market in Kano, Naigatari in Jigawa, Bama in Borno, and Ilela in
Sokoto, as well as three other main markets in Kebbi State,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment