The 42,000 metric tons of grains that President Bola Tinubu approved for distribution to underprivileged Nigerians, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, are currently being bagged.
In an interview with the media in Abuja, Mr. Sule Haruna, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security's Food and Strategic Reserve Department (FSRD), revealed this.
He reaffirmed the presidency’s statement that the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains it promised for nationwide release were being bagged for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians.
“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 that the grains to be distributed included millet, sorghum, maize, and garri, as well as other commodities from silos in the country.
On when the distribution of grains would commence, Haruna said the minister would decide.
“If I tell you this is the time or day that the distribution will commence and the minister says otherwise, what then?” he said.
He, however, said that newsmen would be invited to witness the commencement of the distribution of grains.
The director said that the beneficiaries of the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains were ordinary Nigerians from each of the 774 local government areas of the federation.
On February 8, President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to release about 42,000 MT of maize, millet, and other commodities from the national strategic reserves to address the rising cost of food in Nigeria.