The Nigerian Senate has passed a bill for a second reading aimed at establishing a National Food Reserve Agency, a move designed to tackle food insecurity and enhance agricultural development.
Sponsored by Senator Saliu Mustapha, (APC – Kwara Central), the bill seeks to provide storage and marketing services while addressing emergency food crises.
In his lead debate on Tuesday, Mustapha emphasised the importance of the proposed agency in filling gaps in the country’s agricultural coordination. “A strategic grain reserve will stabilize staple food prices for the benefits of both consumers and farmers,” he stated.
The agency would be tasked with maintaining buffer stocks of food grains and other commodities, ensuring price stabilisation and food availability. “The present hardship faced in relation to soaring prices of food commodities can be mitigated with the existence of this Agency,” he noted.
Key objectives of the bill include reducing post-harvest losses through the construction of silos and warehouses, as well as implementing a comprehensive National Food Reserve Policy. “This Bill when passed into law will fulfil the nation’s aspiration of feeding itself and attaining national food security,” Mustapha added.
Following its passage, the Senate referred the bill to the Committee on Agriculture for further legislative work, with a report expected in four weeks.
