Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has advocated pragmatic policies to boost food security due to food shortages in the country.
Obaseki, who spoke in commemoration of World Food Day on Wednesday in Benin said government at all levels ought to boost food production and address systemic challenges to food security.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that World Food Day is observed on Oct. 16 by the United Nations.
“As we mark World Food Day, it is imperative to reflect on the rising spate of hunger in the country.
” Recent decisions to remove fuel subsidy and float the naira have had adverse effects on the economy and measures to curtail inflation and rising food prices have not yielded expected results.
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“As a result, many Nigerians are finding it difficult to feed. It is therefore expedient to take a step back and seek out more pragmatic solutions to the problems at hand, ” he said.
Obaseki stated that the state government had set up initiatives like the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), a two-phased 120,000-hectare oil palm production scheme, to address issues of food shortage.
He added that such localised large scale schemes were the kind of solutions that would provide raw materials for production and check the current food crisis.
“The theme for this year’s World Food Day, ‘Foods for a better life and better future’ is apt as it calls for inclusive and pragmatic policies to provide food that can sustain livelihoods.
“It is such pragmatic approach that government at the Federal and state levels should adopt to address the rising hunger in the land.
” it is important to prioritise commercial food and agriculture programmes that will address the current spate of hunger, ” he added.
According to him, in Edo, we have to adopt a more holistic approach to producing food in Nigeria, providing more nuanced support for commercial agriculture.
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