Government says despite the revolution witnessed in the agricultural sector, the
cost of food items is still high because of infrastructural deficit and export
demands.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
said this on Tuesday when he featured in a Current Affairs programme “Focus
Nigeria” on a Television station.
“Despite the fact that the production of staples like
rice, grains, yam has increased with the agricultural revolution of the
government, food items are still on the high side.
“There are many reasons why the prices are still up
there but principally, I think it is an infrastructural deficit.
“By this, I mean what it takes to bring the produce from the
farms to the farm gates and from the farm gates to the city centres and this may
not improve until various road and rail projects are completed.
“The good
news, however, is that from October this year, the General Electric, which has
the concession for the 3,500 narrow gauge rail routes will commence
work.
“The Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail project and the Lagos to
Calabar rail lines which will crisscross all the South Eastern States are
priority projects of the government.
“That will help in the
transportation of goods and services including agricultural produce at a far
cheaper fare and that will percolate to the common man,” he said.
The
minister said that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that
the Lagos to Ibadan, Kano to Maiduguri and other critical roads across the
country were completed.
He also explained that “there is so much demand
for our grains and cereals from other parts of Africa.
“You cannot stop
the farmers especially with the ECOWAS Protocols that allows for free movement
of goods and services.
“There is also a lot of demand for our grains from
other parts of the world and as a matter of fact, we got over N30 billion from
agricultural export in the second quarter of this year.
“I believe that
with the economy picking up and the various infrastructural development coming
up, Nigeria will very soon start to feel some relief.
“Also the
Presidential initiative to employ 10,000 people from each state in the
agricultural sector will bring succour and a lot of relief,” he said.
