AFAN Highlight Steps to Achieve Food Security

Gilbert Ekugbe

Worried over the high food inflation caused by COVID-19, insecurity and other challenges, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has highlighted steps for the economic managers to follow to address food insecurity.

The National President of AFAN, Mr. Kabir Ibrahim, in a chat with THISDAY explained that it is time for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to parley with stakeholders in the agricultural sector to outline agenda that might salvage the precarious food situation in Nigeria.

Ibrahim said that the federal government should ensure that the 100,000 metric tonnes silos strategic food reserve in each of the six geo-political zones be managed by the Strategic Grains Reserve (SGR) and directly supervised by the Food Security Council (FSC).

The AFAN national president also advised the present administration on the need to resuscitate the GMP (Guaranteed Minimum Price) and implement a special committee through the SGR (Strategic Grains Reserve) to be directly supervised by the Food Security Council.

He noted that this can be achieved by creating a special revolving fund for the GMP to revolve for 2021 and 2022.

He also urged the federal government to create food banks in the six geopolitical zones at close proximity of 100,000 metric tonne silos each totaling 600,000 to guarantee food security for the Nigerian populace.

Speaking further, the renowned farmer explained that there is also need for government to harmonise all the initiatives in the agriculture space under the supervision of the Food Security Council (FSC) via an emergency arrangement.

He also suggested to government to appoint a Special Adviser on Food Security to address the issue of food shortage in the country.

He urged economic managers to be decisive in promptly disengaging any government official who failed to discharge his or her responsibilities under this arrangement for the threshold of the country’s agricultural development.

Ibrahim said that the government should “sponsor campaigns aimed at making every Nigerian aware that the question of security is a collective responsibility and not government’s only.

While these suggestions are not by any means exhaustive we pray that they will be tried especially against the backdrop of the recent attack on Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA).”

He said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and AFAN could
encourage farmers to work assiduously to forestall insufficiency at this point.