National reserves 8,000 tonnes can’t solve food crisis — Officials


The quantity of food items stored in the 23 national reserves across the country are extremely low and cannot effectively address the rising prices of food in Nigeria , various officials at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and operators in the sector have said .


According to them, Nigeria ’ s store houses for food have the capacity to take over one million tonnes of agricultural produce but the reserves currently have only about 8 , 000 tonnes of food valued at N1 . 5 bn .
On Wednesday , the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development , Chief Audu Ogbeh , stated that the Federal Government was considering opening the nation ’ s food reserves as part of measures aimed at reducing food prices in Nigeria .


“ We shall be looking into our reserves if in the next few days the situation persists , to see what we can bring out to lower the prices because another bumper harvest will be coming up at the end of March, ” the minister had said .


But operators in the sector and officials at the FMARD noted that the quantity of food items in the reserves were very low and should be restocked .
When asked if the country had enough food in its reserves to open up in order to address the rising food prices , a senior official at the FMARD , who spoke to our correspondent in confidence on Saturday , said , “No , we don ’ t have . ”


One of the officials added, “ It is very low; in fact , extremely very low! And the reserves are low because sometime last year , we distributed about 38 , 000 tonnes to IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons ), and the Poultry Association of Nigeria and we were not able to replenish our stock due to lack of adequate budgetary provision .


“ For instance, the budget of 2016 can only give us 3 , 000 tonnes when we have a capacity of almost about a million tonnes . But the ministry is making an arrangement to get extra funds from the Federal Ministry of Finance to see whether they can give us money so that we can take off what the private grain stock holders have with them now and put in the reserves . ”


On the conservative value of foodstuff in the reserves , the official said , “As it is now, we have about 8 , 000 tonnes and this will give you just about N1 . 5 bn . To fully stock the reserves of about one million tonnes capacity will require trillions of naira , which is why it is not something that only the Federal Government should do .


“ I think there has to be a partnership between the federal and state governments or the federal and private sector players through public private partnership . ”


Another official at the ministry , however , noted that the government might not commence the distribution of food from the nation ’ s reserves at the moment , unless there was an extreme situation or scarcity.


The source said , “ It has to be extreme, but you know that presently we are expecting dry season harvest from the ongoing dry season farming in many states .


Therefore , before the next harvest , the price of food should come down because the produce from the various dry season farms will be coming in at the end of March this year .


“ It is important to let Nigerians know what the ministry is facing and how we are tackling the issues despite the very limited resources at our disposal .

Also , people should know that there isn ’ t much in the reserves so that they won’ t relax with the hope that government has enough in its store houses , no !”
The official explained that on occasions when food from the reserves were shared , the government usually adopted measures that forestall a hijack of the distribution process by middlemen .


The official said , “It cannot be hijacked by any middleman because we do direct sales to the public or give directly to beneficiaries who are primarily those that need it , so that they won’ t have to go to the market. We don ’ t give it to those who don ’ t need it . ”


According to the source , the quality of different food items in the reserves are good enough , adding that Nigeria has a total of 23 functional store houses .


“ We have 23 reserves , comprising of 13 old and 10 new ones , while another 10 are under construction . They are located in almost every state in Nigeria except for Rivers and Enugu , which are the states I can remember for now that don ’ t have . Other states have food reserves , ” the official said .


Confirming the drop in food reserves and measures being put in place to increase the production of agricultural produce , the Project Manager, Micro Reforms for Africa, who doubles as the Abuja Liaison Manager for Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria , Mr . Gideon Negedu , told our correspondent that food prices would crash soon once the various industry -wide programmes began to have effect .


Negedu said , “ We know there are challenges, particularly with respect to food availability and cost , but I can tell you with all confidence that food prices are going to come down tremendously because the cost of production is going to fall seriously . So as far as production and input is concerned , the price of food will come down . ”


When asked to specifically state when Nigerians will start experiencing the crash in food prices , Negedu replied , “ Very , very soon. When I mean very soon, I ’ m saying very , very soon because it ’ s going to be unprecedented . ”


Similarly , the Coordinator , Nigeria Agribusiness Group , Mr . Emmanuel Ijewere , also confirmed that food prices were going to crash and agricultural produce would become available once the regulatory framework on fertiliser production and other initiatives in the industry began to take shape .


“ There is a new paradigm going on in Nigeria . We are creating a seamless opportunity for win - win outcomes for private and public sector investments in the agribusiness space . This will not only result in adequate fertiliser , but will make food affordable to many , ” he said .

http://punchng.com/national-reserves-8000-tonnes-cant-solve-food-crisis-officials/

8,000 tonnes?

We are never properly prepared for any emergency. Sometimes I wonder the number of people that will survive a natural disaster in this country, if it should ever happen.

I see no need for releasing grain from our reserve since we are not in famine yet.

The Duara pharaoh has been releasing grains to his almajiri constituents since 2015.

Grain reserves that where stored since 1999 and which peaked during GEJ have been severely depleted during the 2 miserable years of the dullard.

Now he has squandered it on his almajiri without even adding a single grain back.

Recall the fictions kebbi bumper rice harvest that they claimed amounted to one million tonnes? Well that is another brand new scam by the APC where their state governor declares bumper harvest and the Ministry of Agriculture buys fictions excess grains for storage.

This same useless govt stopped all subsidies to farmers and only knows propaganda as a harvest tool.

Well no matter how sophisticated the propaganda it can't put food on the table.

The massive looting that is going on in this useless Buhari govt is mind boggling and come 2019 these set of criminals will never ever relinquish power.

These anonymous numskulls called officials should fvcking stop creating 'panic' . When was the last time we used our food storage platforms? At least, allow this gov't to start something.

Caseless:
These anonymous numskulls called officials should fvcking stop creating 'panic' . When was the last time we used our food storage platforms? At least, allow this gov't to start something.

Buhari has been releasing grains since 2015 to cushion the effect of subsidy withdrawal for farmers.

Buhari has virtually emptied the reserves just as he is burning through our foreign reserves.

By the time this govt is audited, it will make Abacha and IBB kleptocracy look like pick pockets

FeloniousFelon:


Buhari has been releasing grains since 2015 to cushion the effect of subsidy withdrawal for farmers.

Buhari has virtually emptied the reserves just as he is burning through our foreign reserves.

By the time this govt is audited, it will make Abacha and IBB kleptocracy look like pick pockets

lies!

to be cont...

Caseless:
lies!

IDPs in the NE are now reported to be eating grass that Baba Chair refused to clear after collecting 270 million


Serious hunger is ravaging the core north

Caseless:
lies!

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/hunger-buhari-orders-release-10000-tons-grains/

In early 2016, your pharaoh ordered t release of 10.000 tonne of grains.


Am amount far greater than the remaining reserves being declared

Caseless:
lies!

The same thing Obama did to Haiti rice industry by ensuring that th Haitian puppet government cancels all subsidies to rice farmers in order to flood the Haitian market with US rice imports is what Buhari was ordered to do in Nigeria by Washington.

We saw all this coming early in Buhari's govt when he cancelled fertiliser subsidy to farmers.

But you zombies where cheering your US controlled puppet Buhari saying fertiliser subsidy is a scam.

Well the subsidy removal has seen massive harvest declines that necessitated Buhari to release grains to cushion hunger in the north

Emekamex:
We are never properly prepared for any emergency. Sometimes I wonder the number of people that will survive a natural disaster in this country, if it should ever happen.

I see no need for releasing grain from our reserve since we are not in famine yet.

The north is facing acute famine and hunger

FeloniousFelon:


The north is facing acute famine and hunger

But we get reports daily that they are producing huge amount of food. Where does all that food go to?

You cant be a major food producer and also be in famine and hunger. Something is definitely not right.

Emekamex:


But we get reports daily that they are producing huge amount of food. Where does all that food go to?

Big scam.

The state govt and federal ministry of Agriculture release these bogus claims to which the FG will later buy off excess non existing grains.

Oldest subsidy scam that the Northern governors in conjunction with dubious agents in the Ministry of Agriculture have been using to scam the FG.

If there was bumper harvest then why are food prices still soaring high?

Take the Kebbi rice production claim of one million tonnes. This should translate to one billion kg of rice. Divide the by 50kg (standard bag of rice) and kebbi would have produced 20 million bags of rice more than enough to feed 180 million Nigerians.

And this they claimed was in just on year harvest (2016).

Is this feasible to you?

How much does China (biggest rice producer) produce in a year?

FeloniousFelon:


The same thing Obama did to Haiti rice industry by ensuring that th Haitian puppet government cancels all subsidies to rice farmers in order to flood the Haitian market with US rice imports is what Buhari was ordered to do in Nigeria by Washington.

We saw all this coming early in Buhari's govt when he cancelled fertiliser subsidy to farmers.

But you zombies where cheering your US controlled puppet Buhari saying fertiliser subsidy is a scam.

Well the subsidy removal has seen massive harvest declines that necessitated Buhari to release grains to cushion hunger in the north

when did buhari remove subsidy from rice?

Joseph did it inthe land of Egypt
Then Pharaoh said to his officials, “Isn’t this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God’s spirit in him like this?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You’re the man for us. God has given you the inside story—no one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. From now on, you’re in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you.” So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph: “I’m putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph’s hand. He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal, and as he rode people shouted “Bravo!” Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt.
Genesis 41:38‭-‬43 MSG
http://bible.com/97/gen.41.38-43.MSG


God in His infinite wisdom, programed that, ahead of scarcity he places men in place, to save and store in time of abundance, so that in scarcity people won't die of of hunger.
If men were able to save for seven years at that time, with little knowledge of modern storage and agricultural storage processing , we shouldn't have a problem storing with modern silos and food processor for 20 years....But our problems is not knowledge but lack of men like Joseph who has the spirit of God's and integrity such that, he pays for grains bought by his brothers from his pursue, when he has powers to add it to miscellaneous expenses

Caseless:
when did buhari remove subsidy from rice?

To pave way for US rice imports.

Read on Haitian rice industry collapse and the role played by Clinton foundation, Melinda and Bill Gates and the Obama White House and you will see your Buhari (who lifted tariffs on rice imports) as a mere puppet

Obama led govt deliberately sabotured a poor black Nation in the northern hemisphere

In January 2010, all eyes were on Haiti. A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the tiny nation, leaving scores of people dead and homeless and nearly the entire country in ruins. The international community rushed to provide aid and offer relief during Haiti’s unimaginable crisis.

And as the story was reported around the clock, the refrain repeated by every TV host, journalist, pundit, activist and advocate became “Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.” With four out five people living in poverty, this is true. However, little attention was given to to how Haiti became such a poverty stricken nation. A combination of outlandish and unjust foreign debts, owed mainly to France, and political corruption, chiefly among the Duvalier regimes, have left Haiti’s economy ravaged. But even where there has been hope, outside forces have conspired to block much needed progress.

Wikileaks, the non-profit whistleblower organization founded by Julian Assange, in partnership with The Nation magazine and the Haitian weekly newspaper Haiti Liberte are publishing a series of reports based 1,918 documents from a seven-year period, starting 10 months before the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, that reveals the United States’ interference in the Haitian government and essentially bullying President Rene Preval to align Haiti’s interests with those of the U.S.

In 2006, Preval visited Venezuela in hopes of striking a deal with PetroCaribe, the state-run oil company that deals with only state-run entities, and in order “to negotiate a[n] energy deal that would bring electricity to more homes and save the Haitian people millions.” When the U.S. learned of this, it blocked the deal for years, enlisting American oil companies Chevron and ExxonMobil to refuse to transport PetroCaribe oil, which would have been necessary for Haiti to sign the deal. Eventually Chevron signed the deal in 2008, but after two years of negotiations the new arrangement served little benefit to Haiti.

Preval also led a campaign to raise Haiti’s national minimum wage by 150 percent — up 37 cents from 24 cents to 61 cents per hour — and caught the ire of the Obama administration. The increase would have had an impact on American companies, such Hanes and Levi Strauss, who contract Haitian laborers to sew their clothes. They insisted the wage increase not exceed 7 cents per hour, while the U.S. Ambassador persuaded Preval lower his target wage of $5 per day for textile workers down to $3 per day. Raising the wages by two dollars would cost Hanes about $1.6 million dollars more in wages to their staff of 3,200 Haitians. The company made $221 million last year on $4.3 billion in sales.

Foreign aid is not a sustainable model for economic growth, but so long as the U.S. undermines Haitian efforts to establish economic independence through sound trade ventures and fair wages that will save money and increase cash flow that could in turn lead to building of infrastructure, the Haitian people suffer. Instead of looking out for the interests of Haiti and the millions in poverty, the U.S. has protected its own political and business interests.

Haiti has experienced what Naomi Klein describes as the “shock doctrine,” where desperate times caused by political unrest or natural disasters have given way to the implementation of neoliberal capitalist economic policies that initially sound as if they will benefit a society as a whole, lifting it from abject poverty, but in application only serve to line the pockets of those already in power and the foreign companies looking to take advantage of poverty stricken nations for cheap labor.

Again and again, the U.S. has used its influence as the world superpower to exploit Haiti’s political uncertainty and ensure a safe haven for its global corporations to operate in ways that bypass American laws regarding labor and fairness. And because we see only the bottom line in personal pocket books, the American public turns blind eye towards these global injustices.

The U.S. does not want Haiti to become another Cuba or Venezuela, two socialist countries with unfriendly attitudes toward America and American business interests. But in pursuit of this goal, it has prevented Haiti from establishing any progressive economic policies that could help the country solve some of its own problems immediately. This is particularly cruel considering that oft repeated refrain that “Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.”

We can simply can not say we have Haiti’s best interests at heart and simultaneously work diligently to ensure those interests are not fulfilled. The U.S., and all other Western powers, needs to step aside and allow Haiti to chart its own political and economic future.

http://thegrio.com/2011/06/08/wikileaks-exposes-how-america-still-hates-on-haiti/

FeloniousFelon:
The Duara pharaoh has been releasing grains to his almajiri constituents since 2015.

Grain reserves that where stored since 1999 and which peaked during GEJ have been severely depleted during the 2 miserable years of the dullard.

Now he has squandered it on his almajiri without even adding a single grain back.

Recall the fictions kebbi bumper rice harvest that they claimed amounted to one million tonnes? Well that is another brand new scam by the APC where their state governor declares bumper harvest and the Ministry of Agriculture buys fictions excess grains for storage.

This same useless govt stopped all subsidies to farmers and only knows propaganda as a harvest tool.

Well no matter how sophisticated the propaganda it can't put food on the table.

The massive looting that is going on in this useless Buhari govt is mind boggling and come 2019 these set of criminals will never ever relinquish power.

endtime nonsense, i dont know were to start answering you.
Just get the point.
Your ineffectual buffoon never add one grain to the store house, did he even plant one seed of rice?
Did he even construct one store house even in his 6yrs of boom. Now, in recession, 10 was built and another 10 wil soon be completed.
The idp camp issue is the effect of his bad govt that sponsor boko haram.
The question stil remain unanswered, that, how can a govt that crave for foreign things bother to store food.
Again, which subsidies? The fertilizer subsidies he was owing to the tune of 56b naira, which buhari also paid,
You dont really know what you are saying.

[s]

Jesusloveyou:
endtime nonsense, i dont know were to start answering you.
Just get the point.
Your ineffectual buffoon never add one grain to the store house, did he even plant one seed of rice?
Did he even construct one store house even in his 6yrs of boom. Now, in recession, 10 was built and another 10 wil soon be completed.
The idp camp issue is the effect of his bad govt that sponsor boko haram.
The question stil remain unanswered, that, how can a govt that crave for foreign things bother to store food.
Again, which subsidies? The fertilizer subsidies he was owing to the tune of 56b naira, which buhari also paid,
You dont really know what you are saying.

[/s]

I have gone through your past posts here and hardly do you make your sensesless zombie summations without mentioning GEJ.

If you doubt it then go through the rubbish you have posted here for 5yrs and see how Goodluck is your obsession.

Zombot

Caseless:
when did buhari remove subsidy from rice?

Subsidy removal in question is on fertiliser not on rice.

FeloniousFelon:


To pave way for US rice imports.

Read on Haitian rice industry collapse and the role played by Clinton foundation, Melinda and Bill Gates and the Obama White House and you will see your Buhari (who lifted tariffs on rice imports) as a mere puppet

you dont even know what you are saying.
Or you must be kid.
Buhari lifted tarriff on rice, and you ipods are wishing him to die,
Or is it not your ineffectual buffoon that wasted our hard earn 20b dollars from foreign reserve to import rice by granting waivers to his dubios cronies to import rice?
That money is enough to feed 180m people for 4yrs for free.

freeze001:


Subsidy removal in question is on fertiliser not on rice.

the same fertiliser subsidies ineffectual buffoon could not pay.
If ineffectual buffoon could not pay in his time of economy boom.
And a man of grace, sent by God, clear the the debt even in recession, construct 10 storage house even in recession, and he wil build more 10 store house this year and to double fertilizer subsidies, and fertilizer plant is coming on board this .
building more 3 dam for irrigation purposes and for power.
All this wil end the suffering cause by ineffectual buffoon.

https://www.nairaland.com/1479839/fg-completes-20-new-silo

http://www.channelstv.com/2014/08/26/food-security-nigerias-new-silos-aid-maize-storage/

for 'those' who say the previous government didn't do anything about food security.

Jesusloveyou:
you dont even know what you are saying.
Or you must be kid.
Buhari lifted tarriff on rice, and you ipods are wishing him to die,
Or is it not your ineffectual buffoon that wasted our hard earn 20b dollars from foreign reserve to import rice by granting waivers to his dubios cronies to import rice?
That money is enough to feed 180m people for 4yrs for free.

Your useless Buhari lifted ban of rice from land borders and reduced tarriff on imports through sea ports.

These policies which buhari reversed in 2016
Where put in place by GEJ to encourage local rice production and stem rice smuggling through land borders but your Buhari cancelled it when he got to power

Jesusloveyou:
the same fertiliser subsidies ineffectual buffoon could not pay.
If ineffectual buffoon could not pay in his time of economy boom.
And a man of grace, sent by God, clear the the debt even in recession, construct 10 storage house even in recession, and he wil build more 10 store house this year and to double fertilizer subsidies, and fertilizer plant is coming on board this .
building more 3 dam for irrigation purposes and for power.
All this wil end the suffering cause by ineffectual buffoon.

You will soon have a massive heart attack over GEJ and return back to life as a dog.

the biggest problem with most followers of politics in Nigeria is that they do not know when to draw the line between administrative governance & partisan politics...

I do not abide lying zombies on my mentions so just buzz off and bleed out elsewhere not around me please.

https://www.nairaland.com/1479839/fg-completes-20-new-silo

Read that link n see that the current silo storage capacity we have was brought about by the GEJ administration. Stop taking it from the arse or at least demand some protection lest u completely 'loose' it please!

Jesusloveyou:
the same fertiliser subsidies ineffectual buffoon could not pay.
If ineffectual buffoon could not pay in his time of economy boom.
And a man of grace, sent by God, clear the the debt even in recession, construct 10 storage house even in recession, and he wil build more 10 store house this year and to double fertilizer subsidies, and fertilizer plant is coming on board this .
building more 3 dam for irrigation purposes and for power.
All this wil end the suffering cause by ineffectual buffoon.

Meanwhile enjoy the below gist...



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FeloniousFelon:

IDPs in the NE are now reported to be eating grass that Baba Chair refused to clear after collecting 270 million


Serious hunger is ravaging the core north

Chaiii! Why you get mouth l naaaike this

FeloniousFelon:

IDPs in the NE are now reported to be eating grass that Baba Chair refused to clear after collecting 270 million


Serious hunger is ravaging the core north

Chaiii! Why you get mouth like this naaa!

U can't pity someboryy