No Forex Should Be Given To Import Food And Fertilizer, Nigerians Should Go Back To Farming – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday has declared that foreign exchange will not be made available to anyone that wants to import food or fertilizer into Nigeria.

This is as the President noted that instead of making foreign exchange available for such activity, local farmers and producers will be encouraged and empowered.

Buhari made this known in a tweet on his Twitter account on Thursday evening where he revealed that he has issued a directive to the Central Bank not to issue any foreign exchange to any individual for the purpose of importing food or fertilizer.

“I am restating it that nobody importing food or fertilizer should be given foreign exchange from the Central Bank. We will not pay a kobo of our foreign reserves to import food or fertilizer. We will instead empower local farmers and producers.”

“We have a lot of able-bodied young people willing to work, and agriculture is the answer,” Buhari wrote.

I am restating it that nobody importing food or fertilizer should be given foreign exchange from the Central Bank. We will not pay a kobo of our foreign reserves to import food or fertilizer. We will instead empower local farmers and producers.

— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) September 10, 2020

Naija News reports that the President had earlier during the day, presided over the National Food Security Council meeting which held at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.

Buhari during the meeting reiterated that food security remains a major agenda for his administration. He also promised to make inputs accessible, available, and affordable to local farmers.

In his words: “Food security remains at the forefront of our administration’s agenda. I chaired a Meeting of the National Food Security Council today, where we noted the devastating impact of recent floods on the progress we’ve made so far. Our condolences go to the victims and their families.”

“We are integrating rural communities to the formal economy by extending access to credit and inputs to rural farmers, and building feeder roads. We have also invested in building our strategic grain reserves in recent years.”

“We are grateful to all our farmers for their hard work. We will continue to do everything to support them, including those impacted by the recent flooding disaster. Already, we are working to ensure the losses from this wet season are replaced in the coming dry planting season.”