Cost of food transport too high ― FG

THE federal government has blamed the skyrocketing prices of food in the country on the high cost of transporting produce to the market.

Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh made the assertion while briefing State House correspondents on the preliminary report submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC)on Wednesday by the Task Force on Food Security.

He said although there was no shortage of food in the country, the committee noted that Nigerians were groaning under high cost of purchasing food items because of the nation’s virtual dependent on trucks as the only means of transporting food items.

Ogbeh observed that because of the rising cost of diesel, it was becoming more expensive for transporters to move produce.

The minister revealed that the federal government was therefore considering alternative means such as as rail wagons transportation of food items.

He said: “We identified the causes of food price increases. The good thing is that there is no real shortage of food. There is food but the prices are a bit too high and Nigerians are groaning under the pain.

“One of the things we found out is that the cost of transportation is becoming extremely high especially because most of our transportation is by road and diesel prices have gone up and trucks are finding it difficult to move from place to place at old prices.

“So, we considered the following alternatives: using railway wagons along the current railway network as we did before when we moved cattle from North West to Lagos

“We brought down the cost and avoided the multiple taxation on transporters by local governments which delay movement.

“We have decided to work with the state governments and the police to reduce delays.

“We are going to adopt what they have in Ivory Coast. Trucks carrying foods are given labels. In fact, in Ivory Coast, they cannot be stopped for more than 10 minutes anywhere.

“Even if something serious has happened, the security agencies will follow them to their destinations and come back to investigate whatever has happened.

“Finally, 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 again at the end of March.

“There is really no starvation in the land. The other factor is what you know already. There is a lot of pressure on Nigerian food from West, North and Central Africa.

“Our food production is very robust and we are doing pretty well.”