The Minister of Agriculture, Mohammad Abubakar, said bandit attacks on farmers haven’t affected the level of food production in the country, and blamed COVID-19 on the rising cost of food, IgbereTV reports
Abubakar stated that the attacks on farmers have prevented access to farms in the north-west and north-central regions in Nigeria, but the government had deployed security agents, known as Agro-Rangers, to improve security.
There have been speculations that the rising insecurity bordering on bandit attacks in Nigeria has increased prices of food stuff, however, Abubakar said food inflation is driven by the COVID-19 outbreak and the war between Russia and Ukraine.
He said the insecurity is a concern for the government, but production has not dropped to any significant level. The minister disclosed this on Thursday during a ministerial briefing.
“Truly, if they cannot completely access farms all over the country, you will expect a drop in production, but right now we are doing everything possible to make sure both production is maintained through that security provision.”
