- The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, says there is no threat of food insufficiency in the country
- Ogbeh states that the outbreak of armyworm does not have the threat of food insufficiency
- The minister advises Nigerians not to panic, but keep working to improve production
The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, has said Nigerians will experience the rise in the cost of food items in the market with the outbreak of armyworm that has affected most of the states in the country.
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The minister however, noted that there is no threat of food insufficiency in the country.
He said this in a chat with journalists on the sidelines of a Capacity Building Training for ECOWAS member states to control and manage armyworm outbreak in West Africa in Abuja on Tuesday, September 5.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the training was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which brought together stakeholders from 15 West African countries to proffer solution to the pest.
According to him, in spite of the outbreak of armyworm that has affected most of the states; the country does not have the threat of food insufficiency, but high cost of food items in the market.
Ogbeh said: "Eventually, every state is affected by the armyworm outbreak in the country. Armyworm outbreak began from Oyo State and spread very quickly to Ondo, Edo and other states two years ago. Right now, there is hardly any state that is not affected by this pest.
“The problem with armyworm is that, it hides right deep in the stem that even if you spray ordinary spray crop, it won’t stop it.
“They come out at night, so, farmers have to be at alert at night or very early in the morning to spray the chemical, which is difficult and the spray is done vertically and not horizontally.
“Some of the chemicals we used are not very safe. We have to find organic chemical, lime which is good. Some professors have started developing how to manage this; then, we can deal with it in no time.
“That is why this seminar is very vital. We have to train the trainees, who will be going to states to teach farmers on how to spray their farms.
"We do not have the issue of food insufficiency threat now with this challenge, but the problem we have is the high price of food items. We are not happy that many Nigerians cannot buy food.
“We have no shortage of food anywhere in the country. The prices are a bit high. Farmers won’t lose, but those who do not farm have to eat food as well.”
He explained that some factors that led to the high price of food items in the country included; bad roads network to transport food items from one point to another.
“Roads are bad and transporters will tell you that it costs high to move food from one place to the other.
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“I was in Ekiti recently. A tuber of yam I saw that was sold for N300 was sold for N1,500 in Lagos.
“There is no reason for that kind of hike. We should all be reasonable and know that not all have to be farmers. Those that are not farmers played higher role in the country’s development too,” he said.
Ogbeh, however, advised Nigerians not to panic, but keep working to improve production, adding that the country was already getting support from experienced organisations to mitigate the problem.
“This issue happened in Europe and they were able to curtail it. Our own climate encourages the development of all kind of pests because it is so warm here, but we shouldn’t be scared,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Ondo state police command has reacted to reports that the farm of former SGF, Olu Falae was attacked again. T
The Ondo state police public relations officer, Femi Joseph, told Premium Times that the report was untrue.
The police spokesman was reacting to the claims by the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, that Falae's farm was attacked again.
Afenifere had in a meeting in Akure, Ondo state last week, faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for his silence over the herdsmen’s repeated invasion of the farm of Falae and other farms in the South-west region.
Spokesman of the group, Yinka Odumakin, said the herdsmen came and destroyed crops at the farm before they were chased out by policemen on guard at the farm.
But the police spokesman in the state dismissed the allegation, saying the incident was a case of theft in a farm owned by one of Falae's tenant.
Watch how the Ebonyi state has implemented its agricultural policies.
ROSY CREST
Wednesday 6 September 2017