Border Closure: Price Of Foodstuffs Will Soon Drop, FG Tells Nigerians

FG Optimistic About Effects Of Border Closure

The federal government of Nigeria has told citizens that the nation has achieved food sufficiency which will result in cheaper prices of foodstuffs soon.

Director, Projects Coordinating Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Maimuna Habib, made the submission on Thursday in Abuja during an interview with NAN against the backdrop of the 2019 World Food Day.

In her submission, she said with the attainment of food security, the country had gone into value addition of its commodities.

“We have attained food sufficiency; all we need to do is to blow our trumpet because no foreigner will tell anybody what is happening in the country.

“Looking at all that is happening in agricultural sector, we have gone into value addition of all our commodities from the North to the South, all over the country we have added value to all our products,” she said.

Dr Habib added that the border closure was done in the interest of the country and this as brought happiness to the farmers they can now make money from crop production.

“Most of the farmers are women and youths, we have trained them, we have empowered them and they are happy.”

“When we bring imported food into the country our own foods go nowhere, there is no market for us but now there is market, farmers are making more money.

“I am a farmer and I know how much I sold my maize and cowpea seeds recently,” she said.

Commenting on the high prices of goods, she stated that it was expected and a normal occurrence resulting from the border closure adding that prices would soon crash as local produce floods the market.

“The prices will soon crash, it’s just because people are feeling we do not have enough food to have closed the border, but we have enough food in the country,” Habib said.

Naija News recalls back in August, President Muhammadu Buhari had given approval for the partial closure of the nation’s borders to curb smuggling and boost productivity.

However, last week, Hammed Ali, Controller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service announced the closure of the nation’s land borders to all forms of imports and exports until neighbouring countries agree on the kind of goods entering and exiting the country.

After the closure, recent reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics has already seen Nigeria’s inflation increase to 11.24%.