Nigeria has restated commitment to increasing wheat production in order to cut import by 60 percent
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, unveiled the plan with the apex bank taking the lead in achieving the goal.
He also urged Nigerians not to panic over the current prices of major food items as the prices will soon fall.
Emefiele made the commitment at the launch of the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and dry season input distribution for the North-east region under the CBN-RIFAN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), in Gombe State.
He added that the apex bank is also positioned to ensure the integration of farmers into the federal government’s Economic Sustainability Programme, aimed at providing five million homes with electricity using solar energy.
He said under the arrangement, every farmer in the ABP would be eligible to get a solar home system to provide electricity to power their essential home appliances. They will also use produce from the farms to offset the amount of electricity consumed.
He commended the resilience of farmers who continued to farm to ensure food sufficiency despite the challenges of insecurity in some parts of the country.
He also warned hoarders and smugglers of agricultural products, particularly rice, to desist from the malpractice.
