ABUJA — An agriculture firm, Jet FarmsNG, has called on President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on essential food items for 150 days, arguing that this policy undermines local farmers' efforts and investments in expensive farm inputs.
In an interview with Vanguard, Jerry Tobi, Chief Farmer of Africa and CEO of Jet FarmsNG, criticized the policy, stating that there is no need to rush into opening land and sea borders for food imports when local farmers are nearing harvest.
Tobi acknowledged the intention to alleviate food inflation but described the execution as poorly calculated, necessitating a review of the Federal Government’s Duty-Free Import Policy on Essential Food Items.
“As the Chief Farmer of Africa, I am deeply concerned about the recent announcement by the Federal Government to suspend duties, tariffs, and taxes on essential food items for a 150-day period.
While the intention behind this policy to alleviate food inflation and enhance food security is commendable, the approach appears to be poorly calculated and raises several critical questions that demand urgent answers,” Tobi said.
He emphasized the need to understand the root causes of food inflation, pointing to inadequate support for local farmers, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent agricultural policies as contributing factors.
Tobi stressed the importance of learning from past mistakes in agricultural policy and implementation to avoid repeating them.
Tobi questioned the rationale behind importing food despite Nigeria’s vast farmland and large agricultural workforce, urging the government to enhance local production capabilities and support farmers adequately.
He also called for transparency and accountability in assessing the effectiveness of measures taken to ensure food security, such as the management of national food reserves and support for farmers during the upcoming harvest season.
Tobi expressed optimism about reversing the policy, noting that proactive measures could still be taken to boost local production and address food insecurity.
He suggested securing loans from international financial institutions to invest in agriculture, advocating for a reduction of the duty-free period to 90 days to minimize negative impacts on local farmers.
“While the Federal Government’s policy aims to provide immediate relief from food inflation, it risks undermining the local agricultural sector, particularly small and medium-scale industries that are thriving and on the verge of scaling up.
This approach could inadvertently increase dependence on imports, thereby weakening the local economy,” Tobi added.
He concluded by urging the government to adopt a more sustainable approach, focusing on long-term food security without harming the agricultural sector.
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