Nigerians are still lamenting the high cost of food commodities 180 days after the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, promised a crash in prices.
Kyari made the promise in a post he shared on X on July 10, 2024, where he unveiled measures that would bring down food prices in the course of 180 days.
One of the measures included the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders.
The minister listed the commodities to include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas, adding that the Federal Government would import 250,000 metric tons of wheat and 250,000 metric tons of maize.
He also promised an engagement with relevant stakeholders to set a GMP and purchase surplus food commodities to restock the National Strategic Food Reserve.
The minister said production in the 2024/2025 farming cycle would be ramped up with aggressive agricultural mechanization to reduce drudgery, lower production costs, and boost productivity.
However, 180 days after unveiling the measures, implementation has yet to kick off, and food prices have increased beyond what most Nigerians can afford.
A bag of rice that sold for N85,000 in July 2024 now costs nothing less than N110,000, while a bottle of groundnut oil that sold for N2,000 now costs N6,000.
The Christmas and New Year celebrations were bleak for many households due to the price of chicken and other food items.
In December 2023, a live chicken sold for N15,000, with many complaining about the price. Sadly, December 2024 saw a price increase, with families forking out as much as N30,000 to buy a live chicken.
As of the time of filing this report, no reason has been given by the Federal Government for why the measures it promised have not been implemented to ease the hunger in the country.
