The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has declared that he and his team “will work swiftly and diligently to actualise the crucial policies to ensure food security for everyone in the immediate term.”
It was to kick-start the emergency plan to neutralise the galloping rise in food prices, among others.
Soon to begin is the implementation of the 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities.
The programme is a quick-fix stopgap to ease food supply ahead of harvest.
With the programme, there will be no duties, tariffs, or taxes on some essential food items imported through land and sea borders, such as maize, wheat, husked brown rice, and cowpeas.
At 40.66 per cent, food inflation is the key driver of the 33.95 per cent headline inflation as of May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, said the agency was still analysing the implementation modalities.
“We are still studying it,” he told the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise during an oversight visit.
The minister, in a tweet via his verified X handle @SenatorAKyari, said within the 150-day timeframe, the Federal Government would import 250,000 metric tons of wheat and maize each.
The imported food commodities will be subjected to a Recommended Retail Price (RRP), he said.
“We understand concerns about the quality of these imports, especially regarding their genetic composition.
“The government assures that all standards will be maintained to ensure the safety and quality of food items for consumption,” Kyari said.
