Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has addressed the persistent rise in food prices across Nigeria, emphasizing government efforts to boost production and stabilize costs.
Kyari acknowledged the global trend of soaring food prices, attributing it to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the Russia-Ukraine war. He noted that while food prices remain high in Nigeria, neighboring countries are also experiencing similar challenges.
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The government's approach, according to Kyari, is to ramp up food production. However, supply struggles to meet growing demand, keeping prices elevated. He stressed that increasing availability through improved agricultural practices, mechanization, and high-yield seed varieties is the key to reducing costs.
Kyari highlighted that 95% of Nigerian farmers are smallholders relying on traditional methods. He noted that climate change, erratic rainfall, flooding, and urbanization are further shrinking arable land, making food production more difficult.
Despite these hurdles, he assured that the government is prioritizing mechanization, soil health improvement, and better farming techniques to enhance yields. With these efforts, Nigeria aims to meet and potentially exceed its food demand.
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