The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has announced the approval of 2,000 tractors, 4,000 disc ploughs, and 1,200 tractor trailers among other equipment under the National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (NAMP) to promote food security in Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement shared on Wednesday by President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy on his X handle, outlining the outcomes of the FEC meeting in Abuja.
Onanuga said the equipment will be supplied by DMCC firm which is also planning to set up assembling plans of some of these equipment in the country.
“Procurement of 2000 tractors, 4000 disc ploughs, 1000 disc ridges, 1200 tractor trailers and assorted spare parts. The items to be supplied are for the National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (NAMP) to strengthen national food security.
“Astride DMCC, which has done a similar job in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Togo, will supply all the equipment and will also set up a plant to assemble the machinery, in the second stage of the contract,” Onanuga said.
Waiver of Import Duties on Food
The approval by FEC came on the heels of the recent confirmation from the Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, that the government has decided to suspend import duties on certain food items for 150 days.
Kyari also said the federal government will import 250,000 metric tonnes of wheat and maize to fill the depleted strategic grain reserve.
In addition, the federal government will engage stakeholders to get a Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) for commodities, ramp up production, especially among smallholder farmers in the 2024/2025 farming season, promote of production of fortified food commodities and others.
What you should know
Nigeria is currently battling a food security crisis with food inflation at 40.5% as households struggle to provide for their family across the country.
Furthermore, the price of staple foods especially grains has seen an over 100% increase in prices in the past year.
The steep rise in food prices is significantly burdening households nationwide, intensifying the challenges within an already precarious economy.
With projections indicating that approximately 31 million Nigerians could confront severe food shortages by August, the situation demands urgent attention and strategic interventions.
Recently, the federal government announced plans to share N50,000 to 100,000 households across the country’s 36 states for three months and purchase food items worth N155 billion to be distributed across the country.
President Tinubu disclosed this during the recent National Economic Council (NEC) where he rolled out construction, housing and other support programs for Nigerians.
The president also called on state Governors to work towards meeting the food security needs of their states.
