The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has maintained silence on the details of where and how Nigerians affected by hunger and starvation in the country could access the 600,000 bags of rice to be sold at the discounted rate of N40,000 per bag.

On September 5, Abubakar Kyari, the FMAFS minister, launched the sale of discounted rice in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with a promise that the sale would take place “across the country”.

Even though the discounted product might not go around to reach enough people, Nigerians expected that the sale would be decentralised to make it accessible in every state and local government area.

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FG FLAGS-OFF OF THE SALES OF 30,000MT MILLED RICE TO NIGERIANS AT SUBSIDIZED RATEIn a bid to cushion the effects of high cost of food commodities, Federal Government has flagged- off the sales of 30,000MT of milled rice at subsidized rate of N40, 000 per 50kg to ameliorate the… pic.twitter.com/wcTkheYXMO— Nig Federal Ministry of Agriculture &Food Security (@NGfmafs) September 6, 2024

According to a statement signed by Eremah Anthonia, a chief information officer at the ministry, the criteria for the sale were the buyers’ National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers.

“This includes one man and one 50kg of rice, others are the verification of intending beneficiaries using relevant identification mediums such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers to forestall multiple access to the food commodity by fraudulent individuals at the detriment of other citizens,” the ministry said.

“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each) of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives.”

The statement, posted on X, further stated that “the exercise would also be carried out across the country”. The ministry mentioned that the 30,000 metric tonnes of rice had been dedicated for that purpose.

A metric tonne is 1000kg and a bag is 50kg. This means that there are 600,000 50kg bags in the said 30,000 metric tonnes of rice announced by the government.

Twelve days after the launch, however, the ministry had not said anything about how it intended to implement this food supply intervention in every part of the country.

EQ had attempted to inquire about the sale of the rice from the ministry on September 7. The only email address (info@agriculture.gov.ng) posted on the ministry’s website was invalid.

An email response about the ministry’s email address.

No response was also given to a request EQ submitted via a form available on the “get in touch” section on the website on the same day.

‘THE SALE WAS ONLY DONE IN ABUJA’

A report by PUNCH stated that the sale of the rice to buyers who were not civil servants had commenced on Monday.

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While the first phase of the sale targeted civil and public servants, the second phase was meant for non-government workers, said an unnamed senior official at the ministry.

However, the source said the sale only took place at two places in Abuja contrary to the promise by the FMAFS minister that the exercise would be conducted across the country.

“We started with civil and public servants because they have the necessary credentials,” the source stated. “Before purchasing, you must present your identity card and National Identification Number. Sales points were set up at the Head of Service office, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.”

It remains unclear how and when the FMAFS would get the discounted rice sales to local areas across the country.
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