The administration of President Muhammad Buhari has reiterated his commitment to grow the Nigerian agriculture sector and improve locally made food product for the benefit of the citizen.
Nigeria is known for its dependence on food importation and basic items. The country which is the most populous in Africa with over 180 million population largely depends on food items from Europe, China and India. From the inception of this government in 2015, it has committed to banning of food items such as rice, beans and other food items which country can produce through land borders which is most accessible ways for smugglers to smuggle the food items to the country. The efforts of the government to promote locally made items has not been yielding positive results as expected and the government is also standing fit to make sure the policy goes as planned.
According to President Buhari in a tweet through his official twitter account @MBuhari who addressed the nation on the implications of importing food and his commitment to producing food locally for Nigerians.
“A country with a population of close to 200 million has to be able to feed itself. We cannot rely on importing food. This is why one of our priorities as a government is growing the food we eat. Our policies will continue to be focused on agricultural self-sufficiency.”
The government has created different platforms for farmers to access loan to purchase farm equipment, fertilizers and other materials needed to make their work easier and productive.
