The Federal Government has dismissed claims that it imported grains to crash food prices, explaining that the recent drop in food costs is due to increased domestic production.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, made this clarification during a press conference in Abuja to mark the 2025 World Food Day celebration. He said the government had scaled up agricultural productivity through several ongoing programmes aimed at ensuring food availability, accessibility, and affordability.
Abdullahi stated that since the start of the current administration, efforts have been focused on reducing food prices by boosting production of key commodities such as wheat, maize, and cassava.
“From 2023, the government embarked on massive food production under the Agricultural Pocket Scheme, through which we injected about 500,000 metric tons or more of various commodities,” he said. “The large volume of food produced was responsible for the drop in prices.”
He explained that while the government approved a limited importation window in 2024 to bridge the demand-supply gap, the imported grains have not been released.
“I will tell you for a fact that the imported grains have not even been released,” he said. “So all these claims about the government bringing in food to crash prices are not true. What happened was that when people heard about possible importation, hoarders rushed to offload their stock, which naturally led to a fall in prices.”
Abdullahi noted that several state governments have also contributed to the national strategic grain reserve to help stabilize food supply and affordability.
“States like Niger, Kaduna, Kano, and Jigawa have stocked grains to serve as buffers during lean periods,” he added.
To support smallholder farmers, he said the federal government is distributing farm inputs to help them stay productive and resilient. He also revealed plans to institutionalize the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s “Every Home a Garden” initiative as part of the National Agricultural Programme.
The initiative, according to him, is designed to promote gender inclusion, boost food production at the household level, and encourage sustainable urban farming practices.
He further explained that the government is promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices such as drought-tolerant crops, efficient irrigation systems, and agroforestry to address climate change impacts and strengthen national food security.
Additionally, the ministry is implementing pest and disease control programmes, including aerial pest management, to protect crops, minimize yield losses, and safeguard farmers’ livelihoods.