The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has revealed that the first batch to receive the 50kg bag of rice to be sold at N40,000 will be the civil servants in the country.
The minister attributed the modality of distribution to the availability of data in the sector, which he said would ensure proper documentation of the sale of the food item.
Recall that the federal government in a bid to stop the ongoing ten-day hunger protest, announced the immediate distribution of an additional 10 trucks of 50kg rice to each state to be sold at designated centres for N40,000 per bag.
According to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, “The President has listened to the voices of all those who are planning this protest. And the message is that there is no need for it. Indeed, the President is already protesting on their behalf by doing those things that they want the government to do.
“At the last Council meeting, we announced that 20 trucks had been given to each state governor for onward distribution to those who needed them, to the poorest of the poor in society.
“But the government did not stop. Rice is also being sold at about 50 per cent of its cost; a bag of rice is being sold as we speak. This rice has been taken to various centres across all the states of the federation and is being sold at N40,000. Centres have been created so that those who need this rice can go there and buy this rice at N40,000” Idris had said.
But speaking on the development, Kyari during an interview on Channels TV said public servants have an accurate data system that will ensure proper documentation of the sale of the food item.
Kyari said, “The bag of rice that Mr. President has directed to be sold at N40,000 will go to the public servants, especially in the first instance where you have proper data, NIN and once you buy at that, you won’t come back to buy again.
“It’s out there. For the first instance, the civil servants will be prioritized. Then there will be some that will be given to the state. You must give it to somebody, after all. This one is the first instance. It will go first to the civil servants”.
Speaking further, kyari noted that the earlier suspension of import duties on food items into the country will end in November this year.
In his words: “The season that we find ourselves now is a cyclical issue that you have in agriculture. This is what you call the lean season and this is between June, July and August before the next harvest.
“That is why Mr. President has decided to import rice, maize, wheat and other staple foods.
“We are talking about an importation level of 300,000 to 400,000 metric tonnes per month for all the five crops. it will only last till harvest.”