The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security says the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains approved by President Bola Tinubu for distribution to poor Nigerians are in the bagging process.

Sule Haruna, the director of the Food and Strategic Reserve Department (FSRD) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.

He reaffirmed the presidency’s statement that the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains it promised would be released nationwide for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians.

Mr Haruna said, “Bagging of the grains is in progress; it has to go through a process before distribution to beneficiaries; if you do not bag, how do you distribute? You have to bag them before distribution.’’

He said the grains to be distributed included millet, sorghum, maize, and garri, as well as other commodities from silos in the country.

Mr Haruna said the minister would decide when grains would be distributed.

“If I tell you this is the time or day that the distribution will commence and the minister says otherwise, what then?” he said.

Mr Haruna, however, said journalists would be invited to witness the commencement of grain distribution.

The official said beneficiaries of the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains were ordinary Nigerians from each of the 774 LGAs.

Mr Tinubu had on February 8 directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to release about 42,000MT of maize, millet and other commodities from the national strategic reserves to address the rising cost of food in Nigeria. 

(NAN)