Food security: NCX, others move to tackle looming hunger
Following several warnings from international organizations like United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that hunger crisis is looming in some parts of the country; the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and AgriFin Nigeria have begun strategic moves to tackle the situation headlong. Daily Trust reports that the federal government established NCX to provide a national trading […]
Following several warnings from international organizations like United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that hunger crisis is looming in some parts of the country; the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and AgriFin Nigeria have begun strategic moves to tackle the situation headlong.
Daily Trust reports that the federal government established NCX to provide a national trading platform for the organized trading of agricultural commodities and solid minerals products to ensure quality assurance of commodities and realistic price discovery.
A statement by the NCX’s spokesperson, Chris Echikwu, disclosed how NCX, AgriFin Nigeria, among other international institutions would tackle the problem in line with the objectives of the Buhari administration.
The Chairman of AgriFin Nigeria, Chief Goodie Ibru, was quoted to have said that the private sector in Nigeria had a responsibility to improve the wellbeing of the common man.
He noted that the organization and NCX would invest in the provision of adequate warehousing network across Nigeria’s geo-political zones to assist farmers properly store their produce to reduce wastage.
Reacting, the Managing Director/CEO Mrs Baba-Ari noted that the visit coincided with the Exchange’s acquisition of a network of 25 warehouses from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development across the country, adding that several of them were nearing complete rehabilitation in readiness for trading operations.
“The warehouses, which are located in all the six geo-political zones, would be equipped with laboratories as well as Market Information offices to facilitate commodity trading,” she added.
She called on similar organizations within and outside the country to partner with NCX in supporting the Federal Government’s effort to diversify the economy and create employment.