Federal Government has harped on the adverse effect of over dependency of Nigerians on imported food, saying that plans are on the way to boost domestic agricultural production and increase food security.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun who disclosed this said Nigerian government has deployed mechanisms to drastically reduce its dependence on food imports.
Edun, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday to mark the country’s 64th Independence Day declared that the era of heavy food importation must end, positioning this shift as a cornerstone of the government’s economic recovery plan.
“We should not be importing food,” Edun stated, stressing that Nigeria’s future lies in self-sufficiency.
The government, he said, was committed to supporting small-scale farmers by providing critical inputs like seeds and fertilizer under schemes such as the Nigerian Agricultural Growth Scheme.
The support will focus on enhancing both the wet and dry season harvests, reducing the need for imports in the short term while boosting productivity in the long term.
As an immediate measure, the government has ordered maize and wheat imports to stabilise the food market.
Edun also stressed the importance of balancing this with domestic production.
“It is critical that we do not disrupt domestic production of food. It is critical that we do not disrupt farming in Nigeria by flooding the market with imports,” he warned.
He explained that shift from food imports is not just an economic necessity but a critical step toward Nigeria’s future self-sufficiency.
“This is not where we should be,” he said of the country’s reliance on imported food.
The new strategy, he argued, will put Nigeria on the path to economic independence and food security.
Edun’s remarks came as Nigeria grapples with rising food prices and a struggling agricultural sector that produces significantly lower yields than global standards.
Speaking also, the National Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, highlighted the country’s growing population as a critical challenge.
Bagudu noted that with Nigeria’s population doubling from 119 million in 1999 to 230 million today, the demand for infrastructure, education, and healthcare has surged.
He said, “There are 230 million of us. Not surprisingly, demand for government services, infrastructure, financing for education, and health services has grown significantly.