NIGERIA IS NOW DUMPING GROUND – MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE
Lokpobiri made the assertion during a
press conference at the weekend, where he stated that African countries
had suffered serious setbacks in the agricultural sector as most food
exporters in Europe and Asia have taken advantage of the food crisis,
poverty in Africa to ship in food not healthy for human consumption.
He also maintained that the
Buhari-led administration will not accept that again in Nigeria, rather
will massively invest in the sector and depend on local food producers
and processors, because it will be good for the health of Nigerians and
save huge money spent on food importation.
The Minister charged young people in
the country to embark on agribusiness, because of the huge market and
population of people, and also pledged support from the government and
development partners to achieve it. He said: “Africa over the years have
become a dumping ground for poisonous food imported from Asia and other
continents. Nigeria alone is spending $20 billion annually on food
importation.
“The food that passes through the
border between Benin Republic and Nigeria are mostly deadly food. Benin
Republic people don’t even eat them but allow those commodities to come
into our country.
“The frozen chicken contains
formalin preservation used for corpses, and the bags of rice from Asia
have been in their warehouses for more than 15 years, and have lost
nutritional value, which they ship down to Nigerians and other African
countries to eat.
“Those countries where these
commodities come from are intentionally frustrating our agricultural
policies, programmes and farmers. It is an act to kill our economy. We
cannot allow these things to continue because is killing our people.”
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