Mr Kyari also said the Nigerian government will massively import some food items in addition to allowing the duty-free importation of food.
Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, has confirmed that the Tinubu administration has suspended duties, tariffs and taxes for the importation of major food items like beans, wheat and husked brown rice.
Mr Kyari, in a statement he shared on his X account, said the government has suspended "duties, tariffs, and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders. These commodities include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas."
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the minister's statements come about 48 hours after a presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, shared a similar statement but later deleted it.
In his statement, Mr Kyari said the imported food "will be subjected to a Recommended Retail Price (RRP)."
With this, the minister explained that the government hopes that the new food import policy will lead to a drastic reduction in the prices of basic food items, whose prices have increased astronomically since President Bola Tinubu removed subsidies on petrol and floated the naira to allow the value of the Nigerian currency to be determined by market forces.
Mr Kyari also said the federal government will massively import some food items in addition to allowing the duty-free importation of food.
"The Federal Government will import 250,000 metric tons of wheat and 250,000 metric tons of maize. These semi-processed commodities will be supplied to small-scale processors and millers across the country," he said.
This implies that the government is planning to import maize and wheat equivalent to approximately 2.5 million bags (100kg) of each commodity to ameliorate the shortages in the country and force down the prices in the market.
Background
In recent years , Nigerians have been battling with rising food prices. However , the situation deteriorated further since the president announced the removal of petrol subsidies and also floated the naira so the value of the Nigerian currency can be determined by market forces in 2023.
Within this period the prices of major staple foods such as rice, wheat, yam, bread among others have maintained a skyward trend, plunging more Nigerians into extreme poverty and hunger amidst soaring inflation figures.
The continuous surge in the prices of goods and services over the past year has made some farm owners and businesses close shops. Likewise many farmers (both crops and livestock) have already cut down on their production quantity due to insecurity and fluctuating weather conditions ravaging rural communities.
This prompted the president to declare a state of emergency on food insecurity last year, with the hope of addressing the increase in food prices, yet, food inflation persisted.
PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that several poultry farmers in the country have lamented the closing/cutting down of production over a significant surge in the prices of poultry feed ingredients such as maize and soybeans which has eventually made poultry farming unsustainable.
Measures
On Wednesday, Mr Kyari said part of the strategic measures listed to improve food security in the country is the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders.
These commodities, he said, include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.
The Minister said the government has granted "150-Day Duty-Free Import Window for Food Commodities".
Mr Kyari explained that the government understands concerns about the quality of these imports, especially regarding their genetic composition.
"The government assures that all standards will be maintained to ensure the safety and quality of food items for consumption," he added.
He stated that the government will engage with relevant stakeholders to set a GMP and purchase surplus food commodities to restock the National Strategic Food Reserve and also ramp-up production for the 2024/2025 farming cycle.
He listed other strategic measures to be embarked upon in the coming months to also include, a continued support to smallholder farmers during the ongoing wet season farming through existing government initiatives, strengthening and accelerating dry season farming nationwide.
Other measures involve embarking on aggressive agricultural mechanisation to reduce drudgery, lower production costs, and boost productivity, as well as collaborating with sub-national entities to identify irrigable lands and increase land under cultivation among others.
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Mr Kyari explained that a "Renewed Hope National Livestock Transformation Implementation Committee" has been inaugurated to develop and implement policies prioritising livestock development in alignment with the National Livestock Transformation Plan, and a ministry of Livestock Development has been created.
The minister said over the next 14 days, in close collaboration with the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) and the Economic Management Team (EMT), they will convene with respective agencies to finalise the implementation frameworks and ensure that the information is publicly available to facilitate the participation of all relevant stakeholders across the country.
"The success of these measures hinges on the cooperation and collaboration of all relevant MDAs and stakeholders," Mr Kyari added.
"My team and I will work swiftly and diligently to actualize these crucial policies, ensuring food security for everyone in the immediate term while continuing our strategies for long-term interventions to address underlying causes and ensure sustainable and resilient food systems in Nigeria."
