No plan to buy grains from hoarders —Lokpobiri

The Federal Government has expressed its determination to ensure that the country achieves food security and sufficiency.

To this end, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and rural Development, has put several measures in place that has today enhanced increased food production, especially grains.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, positioned that high breed seeds are available to farmers, soil test and relevant fertilizers are also within the reach of farmers.

According to him, the Ministry is hugely engaged and committed to all-year-round agriculture including dry season farming and also through increased investment in irrigation.

The Federal Government’s Policy is to greatly ensure the drive towards achieving self-sufficiency in grains, to meet local demands from North to South and East to West, nevertheless, to encourage farmers in a situation where there are huge grains due to increase production, Government last resort is to buy off excess grains from farmers to be stored and released when the need arises.

Senator Lokpobiri said there was reports of the hoarding of large tons of harvested grains by some individuals who hope to sale at exorbitant price to the Federal Government.

He however affirmed and warned that the government has no plans to buy grains from any unscrupulous third part and that anybody hoarding grains is doing that at his own risk.

The minister, therefore, appeals to such individuals to put out these grains and make them available for consumers than hoarding them in conditions that will affect their quality and eventual loss both of the grains and their much desired profit in monetary terms.