Tinubu Declares State Of Emergency On Food Security, Releases Grains, Fertlisers’ Release

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the release of fertilizer to farmers for the cultivation of more produce and grains for poor households as part of measures under the state of emergency declared on Thursday to enhance the nation’s food security.

The decision aligns with his promise to deploy palliatives to cushion the effects of recent petrol subsidy removal, and the resultant food inflation.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) puts the food inflation rate in May 2023 at 24.82 percent on a year-on-year basis, 5.33 percent points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2022 (19.50 percent). Food Inflation was 24.61 percent in April.

Presidential spokesman, Dele Alake also announced several short-term and long-term measures to secure the country’s food supply, including establishing ranches in collaboration with State Governments to incorporate grazing reserves and check farmers/herders’ conflicts.

He announced that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources has been directed to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all year round.

“The Federal Government will create and support a National Commodity Board that will 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”, Alake said.

Meanwhile, other measures include the establishment of modern cattle ranches in partnership with willing State Governments, and Federal Government will pay for the land, so as to reduce contentious open grazing and maximise the benefits of modern animal husbandry.

Alake explained that “the government will change the way we have been doing livestock business, away from the archaic method to the modern way acceptable worldwide.

“We will establish ranches in collaboration with State governments and the Federal Government will pay for the land. So, that in essence will resolve all of those issues of encroachment.”

Security agencies are also to enhance security in conflict-ravaged communities so that farmers can return to cultivating farm produce to boost food supply across the country.

According to Alake: “As a hands-on leader who follows developments across the country every day, Mr. President is not unmindful of the rising cost of food and how it affects citizens.

“While availability is not a problem, affordability has been a major issue to many Nigerians in all parts of the country. This has led to a significant drop in demand thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.

“Accordingly, in line with this administration’s position on ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported, Mr. President has declared, with immediate effect the following actions:

• That a state of emergency on food security be announced immediately, and

• That all matters pertaining to food & water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.

“As a direct and immediate response to this crisis, a number of initiatives will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Nigerians.

“As with most emergencies, there are immediate, medium- and long-term interventions and solutions.

“In the immediate term, we intend to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector focusing on revamping the agricultural sector.

“In an earlier meeting with Agriculture Stakeholders (today), we drafted a memorandum of partnership between the government and the individual stakeholder representatives that encompasses the decisions taken and actions proposed from our engagements.