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Nigeria: Food Crisis - There is No Food Shortage in Country -Minister
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Vanguard (Lagos)
15 May 2008
Posted to the web 16 May 2008
Chinyere Amalu
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources, Alhaji Adamu Waziri yesterday says Nigeria does not need to import food.
The Minister who blamed the poverty situation in Nigeria on lack of proper coordination of NAPEP programme from the top to the bottom, said that what Nigeria is experiencing now is normal in increase in food prices between the month of April to July of every year.
In his paper "The Impact of Global Food Crisis on the poor Nigeria" at the NAPEP Coordinators meeting yesterday in Abuja, Alhaji Waziri also said advised the Federal Government to invest in agriculture and support Nigerian farmers through mechanized agriculture.
His words, "I don't agree that we should import food. My job as a minister is to produce food and not to import. There is a global food crisis, we agree, but there is no hunger and food shortage in Nigeria.
"The only thing we are experiencing now is increase in food price, which is normal at this point in time. We have been experiencing increase in food prices in this country from April to June.
"By the time it is the end of June, the prices of food will come down, those who have been hoarding food will start releasing it to the market. This is because by this time new products starts coming into the market, the orchestrated food crisis in Nigeria will stop.
"If we are able to stand from now till the end of June, all this story of food crisis will end. But this does not mean that we should not look into the issue of food security because, we want to make sure that there is food all the time".
He however, pointed that if only NAPEP at the state level can work in close relationship with those at the Federal and local government level, the programme will be a success.
"The weakness of Nigeria is lack of ordination from the apex to the bottom. The state coordinators must preserver and let the state and local government comply with the programme at the national level.
"There are three vehicles to solve poverty in Nigeria. These are agriculture, energy and education. Nigeria has comparative advantage in agriculture because we have six agricultural zones in the South alone.
"NAPEP must identify and buy in agriculture, to solve poverty. If we are able to have adequate power in Nigeria, it will complement our efforts in agriculture. Of course, when you are educated, you ca be involved in mechanized agriculture", he said.
The minister however, noted that Nigeria produced not only for her citizens, but to other countries, adding that the shortage of food in other countries also affects Nigeria.
"Government should invest in agriculture. This is because if we invest up to N20 million in agriculture, we will produce more than one million tones of rice.
"NAPEP should also encourage farmers to form cooperative while state government should subsidize the price f tractor for them. I don't agree that NAPEP can eradicate poverty alone. It is the responsibility of all", he added.
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In his open remark, the National Coordinator, of NAPEP, Dr. Magnus Kpakol challenges State Coordinators to sit up to their responsibilities, and take the programme to all at the grassroots.
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