Why Nigeria Should Not Be Importing Food – Edun

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Thursday, September 26th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nigeria is about to significantly reduce its dependence on food imports, according to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who presented an outline to assist domestic agricultural production and increase food security.

Edun, speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday to mark the country’s 64th Independence Day announced that the era of heavy food importation must end.

“We should not be importing food,” Edun said, saying that Nigeria’s future lies in self-sufficiency.

The government, he said, was focused on helping small-scale farmers by giving important inputs like seeds and fertilizer under schemes such as the Nigerian Agricultural Growth Scheme.

The aim of this support will be to enhance both the wet and dry season harvests and reduce the need for imports in the short term while boosting productivity in the long term.

As an immediate measure, the federal government has directed for maize and wheat imports so that the food market will be stabilised.

However, Edun harped on the importance of balancing this with domestic production.

“It is critical that we do not disrupt domestic production of food. It is critical that we do not disrupt farming in Nigeria by flooding the market with imports,” he cautioned.

According to Edun, the shift from food imports is not only just an economic necessity but a major step toward Nigeria’s future self-sufficiency.