The Federal Government has completed a 25,000 metric tonnes Strategic Grains Reserves Silos Complex in Dutsinma, Katsina State, which is one of several others being implemented across the country through the Food Security Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Briefing members of the National Good Governance Tour at the Complex on Monday, a representative of the Ministry said the Silos has the capacity to load 833 trucks with grains at a time or the equivalent of half a million 50 kilogram bags.
"It is built for the country's food reserve in case of farming, flooding or to aid neighbouring countries", the official stated.
He said the project has been completed and is awaiting commissioning. According to the Site Manager who also briefed the Team on the project, the contract was awarded at 562 million naira.
Speaking, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku observed that the Dutsinma Strategic Grains Silos is about the sixth visited since the commencement of the National Good Governance Tour.
Maku said: "We are building so many of these silos across the country for food preservation and also for strategic national food security.
"It is expected that even if this nation were in serious drought for whatever reasons or emergencies, Nigeria should be able to provide food for its citizens for a very considerable period of time without external pressures.
"That is why the President is working hard to deliver silos. It can also be used to intervene if prices of food go up. Usually beyond the capacity of citizens due to inflation or some problem, government stabilizes prices by releasing grains from the strategic reserves to stabilize the market and bring down the prices of food".
In addition to this, the Information Minister continued, "one of the greatest problems we have had with agriculture is the issue of food preservation. You see farmers rushing to sell during the farming season because there is nowhere to preserve crops.
"So there is a strategic connection between what we are doing here and food production in the country. We can also export when there is no need for it. A number of processing factories can also buy from the grain reserves".
The Minister commended the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the contractors for delivering on the various grains silos across the country speedily.
He further assured that the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal Government is on course. "We are seeing agriculture moving in a direction that is different from what we have seen in decades. Instead of government being in the driver's seat we are now having the private sector to lead the process with government's support", Mr. Maku informed.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria