By James Moses (9News Nigeria)
The Federal Government of Nigeria has said plans are in progress to establish a National Commuinity Board as a solution to escalating food prices on the country.
The commodity board will be expected to assess and regulate food prices, as well as maintain a strategic food reserve for stabilizing prices of crucial grains and other food items.
Vice President Kashim Shettima during this on Tuesday during a two-day high-level strategic meeting on climate change, food systems and resource mobilization at the President Villa, Abuja.
Speaking on Climate Resilence and Food Security: “Nigeria’s Vision for the Future, Shettima said the event was an attestation of Nigeria’s efforts at mitigating the effects of climate change and ensuring food security.
Shettima, who highlighted ongoing policy reforms by the administration to ensure the availability and affordability of food and water, said the solution ‘to potential food crisis has become immediate, medium and long-term ststegies”, adding that the short-term strategy entails revitalizing food supply through specific interventions like the distribution of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to counteract the effects of subsidy removal, and addressing price volatility by establishing a National Commodity Board.
“This board will continually assess and regulate food prices, maintaining a stategic food reserve for stabilizing prices of crucial grains and other food items”, he said.
The VP assured that while the Tinubu administration is fully invested in the restoration of degraded lands, there are ongoing plans “to restore four million hectares, or nearly 10 million acres of degraded lands within” the nation’s boarders as its contribution to AFR100 Initiative.
On the security challenges that have prevented farmers working in their farmland , he said: “I wish to assure you that we will engage our security architecture to protect the farms and farmers so that farmers can return to their farmland without fear of attacks”.
-9News Nigeria.
