FG Budgets N4.1bn For Grains

The Federal Government has appropriated the sum of N4.1 billion to buy grains for strategic food reserves. There are 33 silos scattered across the country.
According to a press release obtained by The Tide at the Federal Secretariat in Port Harcourt yesterday, the measure is also expected to cushion the prices of food commodities.
The amount represents 5.4 per cent of the total budget (N76.16 billion) appropriated to the main Agriculture Ministry of which N69.2 is for capital expenditure in the 2017 fiscal year.
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the silos have a total capacity of about 4 million metric tones of grains.
The money is expected to fill the 33 silos across the country with rice, maize, beans, sorghum, millet and other grains which will be released back to the market to cushion the effect of soaring food prices later in the year.
Also in the 2017 agric sector budget is the provision of N4.1 billion to get agricultural mechanisation requirement to farmers through Service Provider Operators (SPOs).
Similarly, extension services support to farmers, value chain actors, youth and women in agricbusiness is expected to gulp N3.01 billions.
On grazing reserves, which has been the subject of heated debate, the key question is: would N1.86 billion budgeted for National Grazing Reserves development grass up to 50,000 hectares of land, with infrastructure such as water for animals and people and schools across the northern belt and even develop new ones.