Olusegun Dada, a Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, has replied the President of the Africa Development Bank (Afdb), Akinwumi Adesina, who faulted the move by the Federal Government to lift ban on food importation.

Adesina had during a recent event in Abuja stated that lifting the ban will be detrimental to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

Reacting, Dada revealed that the policy will only last for 180 days and aims to ameliorate the sufferings brought about by the hike in food prices.

He shared on X, “It is important to clarify that the planned 150 days of duty-free importation of food is ONLY a part of a series of measures to be implemented within 180 days to tame the spiralling prices of food items across the country.

“Simultaneously, the FG will start ramping up production for the 2024-2025 farming cycle with the Green Imperative Initiative. These are some of the measures and inputs to be implemented during the time frame:

– 2000 tractors(amongst other equipment) are expected to be delivered within this period as part of a plan to procure 10,000 tractors over the next 5 years.

– The Renewed Hope National Livestock Transformation Committee was also set up last Tuesday to coordinate policies that will maximize potentials in the sector.

– There are ⁠ongoing engagements with the Nigerian military to rapidly cultivate arable lands under the Defence Farms Scheme to put secured available arable lands for cultivation.

– ⁠Engagement of youths and women across the federation for immediate greenhouse cultivation of horticultural crops such as tomatoes and pepper to increase production volume and stabilize prices.

– Engagement with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to rehabilitate and maintain irrigation facilities under river basin authorities across the federation.

“Also, the dry season farming is expected to be strengthened and accelerated across the country so the nation can transit to an all-year-round farming method.

“All of these, among others, are to be implemented within the next 180 days as the President continues to fulfil his promises of ensuring we feed ourselves as a country.”