THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said the government will soon release grains into the market if the prices of food stuffs continue increasing.
The Minister also said there is no need to worry over food shortage in the country because another harvest of rice has started in about 4 states, adding that wheat farmers have also started harvesting.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on the current high prices of food stuffs, Ogbeh said “We have some (grains) now but am not sure of the quantity, we should not have any fear because another harvest of rice is starting now in about four states, the stock from the last harvest is all over there millers, and we are harvesting wheat now.
“The grain reserve will be opened in the next one or two weeks if we find out that the prices are not coming down. Already the prices of maize are falling, and even Sorghum and millet are beginning to drop.
“With the quantity of food that West Africa have carried from here this year, we still have a lot in the store, the prices are too high, the farmers are angry that we want to cut down prices, that we are spoiling their business, but we are trying to persuade them that there must be synergy between the farmers profit and the city dwellers survival.
Speaking on the mode of transportation of the grains, Ogbeh said “We are going to use railway coaches, we are already moving 8,000 tons of soybeans from Katsina to Lagos because we are exporting the soybean.
“The railway system is helping, they don’t have enough locomotive but the Minister of Transport is bringing in some, the railway will be cheaper, avoiding all the checkpoints, tax on the highway and breakdown of truck”.
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