Monday, 25 July 2016

Food shortage’ll cease by 2018 – FG




Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
Food shortage problems in Nigeria will be over in the next two years, the Federal Government has said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, disclosed while playing host to the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, in Abuja.
Ogbeh, in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday, assured Nigerians that the food shortage problems in the country would soon be over.
On measures to achieve this, he said the FMARD was willing to help state governments to ensure that the target is met, adding that one of the specific areas of assistance to Anambra State was in fish fingerling production, as well as in other aspects of the sector that would help in boosting food production across the country.
Ogbeh explained that the ministry was considering the need to add 10 per cent soya beans into cassava to enrich it with more protein and increase its nourishment for children.
He added that about 15,000 broken down tractors, out of the 30,000 available in the country would be rehabilitated to support farmers in Nigeria as the government works hard to meet its food sufficiency target by 2018.