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Federal Authorities Expands Subsidised Rice Programme to Lagos, Kano, and Borno
Abuja, Nigeria – The Federal Authorities is increasing its subsidised rice programme to Lagos, Kano, and Borno states to alleviate meals insecurity, an official on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Meals Safety revealed on Monday.
This transfer follows the latest launch of the programme in Abuja, the place a 50kg bag of rice is being bought for N40,000 as a part of the federal government’s efforts to sort out hovering meals costs. The market value for the same amount of rice at present hovers round N90,000 to N100,000 in some areas.
The programme will distribute 30,000 metric tonnes of rice, equal to 1,000 vehicles every carrying 600 luggage. The federal government stays dedicated to making sure that low-income Nigerians, significantly in these three states, profit from this very important initiative, geared toward making important meals staples extra inexpensive throughout these difficult financial occasions.
Regardless of challenges, together with points with public cooperation and makes an attempt to take advantage of the system for profiteering, the Ministry assured that the programme would proceed, with gross sales ongoing within the Federal Capital Territory and different places to comply with shortly.
The enlargement comes at a time of heightened meals insecurity, with the newest information from the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics exhibiting that meals inflation hit 37.52% in August 2024. This alarming rise has been exacerbated by the naira’s depreciation, affecting the buying energy of many Nigerians.
According to the federal government’s financial restoration plan, Finance Minister Wale Edun additionally emphasised the necessity for Nigeria to finish its reliance on meals imports, specializing in boosting native manufacturing to fulfill home wants.
