As FG completes 33 Silos to boost food security

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Muhammad Nanono, has threatened to revoke non-performing licenses of silo concessionaires who have failed to operate in accordance with concession agreements.

This was stated by Nanono during an inspection tour to one of the silos with a capacity of 250, 000 metric tonnes in Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

He also emphasized that the government is serious about the issue of food security and would not take anything for granted, especially with concessionaires who are not meeting terms of the agreement reached with the Ministry, hence they risk revocation of their licenses.

He said: “I am here to see some of the silos leased to the companies and see whether they are doing the job in accordance with the concession agreement.

“We will review all the concessions to see if they met the necessary conditions. If they do; we allow them to continue and revoke those who do not comply.

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“The silos were provided in different parts of the country for strategic reserves and enhance  the food security programme of  the Federal Government which is in line with Mr. President’s s agenda for the agricultural sector.”

He also added that “The silos were designed and constructed to mop up excess grains during harvest in order to void post-harvest losses and also to supply food as cushioning effect when the need arises at cheaper price Nigerians could afford, and to serve as a way of price stabilisation.”

Also during the tour, the Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who was represented by the Secretary to the Jigawa State Government, Alhaji  Adamu Abdulkadir Fanini, maintained that the State Government would always be part of the federal government’s agricultural policies and programmes for the benefit of farmers and other stakeholders in the State and Nigeria at large.

Meanwhile, the Regional Director, North-West,  in the Ministry, Engr. Olusegun Owolabi, in his briefing, told the Minister and his entourage that, “All the activities at the site were being handled by the concessionaire, Matrix Ville Company, from staffing, maintenance, and purchasing of grains for storage under the supervision of  the Ministry.”

Similarly, the Minister also was on inspection at one of the silos in Gusau, Zamfara State, where he said the government has prioritized its silos across the country as part of its programmes for the sector that would further boost food security through its various intervention projects in the country.

He said, “Government is interested in the programme, it is a means of price control and guarantees food security.

“It will arrest disaster or any crisis situation that may arise from draught and also serves as a bridge to cushion inflation and stabilize the prices at all seasons for the benefit of Nigerians.

“The Buhari administration is not here for failure but serious about ensuring food sufficiency and the mop-up is an ongoing process as long as there are enough silos to store them.”

The Minister who earlier paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, made it known that the federal government is currently embarking on a massive agricultural mechanization programme that will galvanize the sector and position it for economic growth and food security.

According to him, the mechanization programme will be largely driven by the private sector as the government will provide 242 tractors across the country with service centers and workshops to store finished goods.

He also added that “It will have a workshop and a store for finished goods as well as fertilizer and seeds and this is going to be owned by the private sector”.

He also hinted that the government will guarantee loans for financing the tractors and equipment, therefore urged the local government councils in the state and across the nation to take advantage of the agricultural revolution in the sector by taking ownership of the service centers.

“We want the local governments to own the projects, this will go a long way to enhance agricultural development in the country”, he said.

Also responding was the Governor who was represented by the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Bala Maru, commended efforts made by the federal government to revolutionise the agricultural sector and for siting, the silo project in the state including other projects expressed optimism that the mechanization programme will also be of enormous benefit to farmers and investors in the State, despite insecurity challenges.

He aid, “Zamfara State needs the support and assistance of the federal government because we are a victim of banditry, kidnapping, rustling, and people have lost a lot of money in paying the ransom.”

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Also speaking was the Director, Strategic Grains Reserves in the Ministry, Engr Sule Haruna, who disclosed that “33 silos have been largely completed across the nation and put to use to mop up grains that give Nigerians hope of food security.

“It was the food scarcity in 2009 that gave birth to an additional 18 silos that brought the total to the 33, and Zamfara is one of the States that benefited. The Silos are automated in line with international best practices and explained that each silo stores the equivalent of 166,000 trailer loads of grains.

“The silo had storage of 23,000 metric tonnes of mop up excess grains under the special intervention programme in 2019; 9,000 metric tonnes of maize and 14,000 metric tonnes of Sorghum, which 20 Gusau silos have a total capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes.”

The Minister was also on inspection at the 25,000 metric tonnes capacity Gaya Silo Complex in Gaya Local Government Area, of Kano State.

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