Nigeria will not have famine in 2013 – Agric Minister

Amidst rumors that the country might be plunged into deep food crisis come 2013, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has assured Nigerians that the country will not suffer any food crisis as a result of the flood disaster in some parts of the country.

The minister pointed this out in a statement on Sunday, noted that though the flood presented a huge challenge on food security in many parts of Nigeria, the country would not experience food shortage. He said, “Let me assure you that the Federal Government is taking all measures to mitigate the impacts of the flood. Nigeria will not have famine. We will not have a food crisis. We will recover from the flood.

“From our efforts this year alone, from maize, rice, cassava, sorghum, we are adding a total of 8.1 million metric tonnes of food to our domestic food supply. That is 70 per cent higher than the target of five million metric tonnes we set for 2013; and 41 per cent of the total target that we set for 2015… If we had not added the 8.1 million metric tonnes of food to the domestic food supply, which provided a significant buffer, Nigeria would have seriously felt the impact of the flood. We will continue to work hard.”

He urged Nigerians not to panic, stating that the International Water Management had been invited to help use sophisticated remote sensing and satellite imagery to determine the extent of the flood for effective control.

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