The Federal Government declared on Monday that foreign merchants’ directly purchased agricultural products from local farmers had been outlawed.
It said that the choice was made because most international traders who bought agricultural products in Nigeria at farm-gate pricing underpaid local farmers for their goods.
In response to inquiries during the 4th Women Enterprise Alliance Conference, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abubakar Mahmood, claimed the Federal Executive Council has authorised the restriction.
He said, “On allowing foreigners to buy produce from farmers at farm-gate prices, about a month ago or two, we were able to get a memo approved by the Federal Government through the Federal Executive Council on this issue.
“So no foreign merchant will come and buy at farm-gate prices. That memo has been approved. And why is this so, when they (foreign merchants) buy at farm-gate price, the farmer gets much less than what ordinarily he or she should receive.”
Mahmood promised that the government would not permit insecurity to cause food production in Nigeria to stop when asked about measures to help farmers return to their farms without being abducted.
He said, “The government is doing whatever it can and is at the top of the issue. I can assure you that the government will not allow insecurity to stop our food production.
“And as a result of that, our farmers are given some protection using the agro-rangers, but honestly, the root of the matter is to collaborate and find ways to solve the problem, not just temporarily.
“As you can see, food is being produced across the country and we will make sure it does not stop.”
Mahmood listed the states where the government has approved for creating special agricultural processing zones, citing Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Nasarawa, and four more states.
He emphasised that the programme would help process agricultural products suited for export while pointing out that the SAPZs would be developed in other states.
