With the commencement of the rainy season, the Nigerian Army says it has deployed troops in several of the northern states, to protect farmers.
A statement by the Director Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said the deployment was made particularly in the Northwest and the North Central states.
According to him, the move has since “enabled several farmers access to farmers for a hitch-free planting season towards a bumper harvest.”
This is as the country battles food shortages which have worsened the food inflation put at over 40 per cent by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Nigeria’s inflation figure reached a new high, hitting 34.19 per cent in June 2024 before declining to 33.40 per cent in July, according to the data from NBS’ Consumer Price Index.
The Federal Government had in the wake of the galloping prices of essential commodities reeled out a raft of measures to address the challenge.
It recently suspended duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas through the country’s land and sea borders, for 150 days.
It also approved the procurement of 2,000 tractors, and 1,200 trailers and set up a committee to help in proffering solutions to the food crisis rocking the nation.
