10 Effects of FG Ban on Food Importation in Nigeria

Currently, the federal government of Nigeria has banned the importation of food into Nigeria. Nigeria, one of the countries with the richest soil, has been importing food. It does this because it depends on oil.

The effect of such a ban has both negative and positive effects. Looking at the ban very critically, the positive effects far outweigh the negative effects. We shall look at both of them together in this post.

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Effects of the Ban on Food Importation

Nigerian federal government ban on food importation has the following effects:

1. Boost to Local Agriculture

The reason the federal government decided to ban food importation into Nigeria is to boost its local agriculture. Nigeria has one of the richest soils in the world. For this reason, Nigeria has no justification whatsoever to import food.Information Guide Nigeria

Apart from having very rich soil, Nigeria also has a very vast land. Northern Nigeria has forests that Nigeria can cultivate for years. Looking at the topography of Nigeria, Nigeria can produce various crops around the year.

Before oil became the gold mine in Nigeria, the world knew Nigeria for producing cocoa, groundnut, and palm oil. Western Nigeria was producing cocoa. The North was producing groundnut while the East was producing palm oil. All these products died for oil.FG Ban on Food Importation in Nigeria

Nigeria can produce all food items. Therefore, the federal government has done Nigerians the highest favour in banning food importation into Nigeria. The ban will force Nigerians to look inward for their food supply.

The federal government, on its side, should invest more in local agriculture. It has invested enough in oil. It should now look into the agricultural sector. It should revive Operation Feed the Nation. Let us feed ourselves instead of others feeding us.

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2. Self-Reliant in Food Production

Another reason why the federal government banned food importation in Nigeria is to make Nigeria self-reliant in food production. Self-reliance is our policy. We must mean what we profess. Our self-reliance should be in all aspects.How to Check MTN Bonus Balance

We cannot exclude food production from our self-reliance. Depending on other countries for our food supply does not make us self-reliant. There is no type of food that other countries are producing that we cannot produce in Nigeria. We have the land. We also have the right soil. We can procure every piece of equipment that we need. We need to be self-reliant in food production.

3. Protection of the Nigerian Economy

Nigeria involves itself in international trade. If it continues to import food from other countries, it will run into a deficit in trade. This is why it sometimes borrows money from other countries to meet its internal demands.

Nigeria cannot survive in such a practice. Instead of importing food, Nigeria should begin to export food. It has the capability to do so. The land is there. It has people and the soil is rich enough. Therefore, nothing stops it from exporting food. It is by so doing that its economy will become stable.

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4. Inflation in Food Prices

The ban has no doubt caused inflation in the prices of food items in Nigeria. 70% of Nigerians eat foreign rice. With the ban, marketers have to increase the price of the little they have in stock.

Let us face facts. The taste of foreign rice is quite different from local rice. I do not know where the stones in local rice come from. Does rice produce stones? Yet, after a good Nigerian woman has carefully selected the local rice, it competes with foreign rice. The problem lies in the processing.Npower Recruitment

What Nigeria should do is steal the way other countries process their rice. Now that there is a ban on foreign rice, there will be an improvement in the local one. It is because we depend on the foreign ones that we do not border to do ours well. Without alternatives, we shall bring our own to standard.

5. Job Creation

Necessity has always been the mother of inventions. The ban is a great opportunity for Nigerians to engage in food production. Invariably, the ban has created jobs for Nigerians.

Agriculture is a great lucrative business all over the world. Countries that cannot depend on technology depend on agriculture. Nigerians are poor because they neglect agriculture. One great advantage of agriculture is that food producers eat to their satisfaction.How to Identify NYSC Certificate Number

Good farmers cannot be jealous of company workers. There is no time that people will not buy food. There are farmers in Nigeria who sell food products all seasons of the year. Many of them have decent houses to live in. Some of them are property owners with a great number of tenants. Therefore, the ban has only created jobs for Nigerians.

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6. Protection of the Local Farmers

Imported goods compete with those of local producers. With the ban on imported food, the federal government is protecting Nigerian local farmers. Nigerian local farmers will now make higher profits from their sales than they had been making before the ban.JAMB Form

7. Foreign Food Smuggling

Nigerians are very smart. Now that the federal government has banned the importation of foreign food items, the smuggling business has opened for smugglers. They will now like to smuggle in the banned food for an exorbitant price.

8. The Making of Exporters

To wise and industrious Nigerians, the ban is an opportunity for them to become exporters. They now have the chance to produce more food for more money. They no longer have competitors to contend with.

By the time they produce more than they can sell in Nigeria, they will now think of exporting to outside countries. When this happens, the federal government will be ready to support them. What the federal government is against is importation, not exportation. While the federal government is not happy with importers, it will be very happy with exporters.JAMB Result

To ban food importation is one thing, to help the local farmers to produce more than enough food that will warrant exportation is another thing. The problem of local farmers is the money to buy modern equipment for farming. If the federal government is ready to help, there are farmers who are ready to produce more than enough food for exportation.

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9. Poverty Alleviation for Nigerians

The ban on food importation is an opportunity for every Nigerian to engage in food production. Those who know the value of agriculture have been calling on all Nigerians to, at least, have a small garden.

It is now time to heed that call. Agriculture can alleviate poverty in Nigeria. Food production is very costly now. Despite the fact that even some government workers engage in farming, people still buy food. Food selling gives money.WAEC Result

There is money in food production because no matter how difficult things are, people must eat. This equally means that people must always buy food. It equally means that food sellers must always sell. Therefore, going into food production can alleviate poverty in Nigeria.

10. Multi-Economy for Nigeria

That Nigeria is practising mono-economy is not a good practice. Depending on only oil is no longer good for Nigeria. The federal government should now go into food production and sales to diversify its economy.

It is only the multi-economy that can save Nigeria from its debts. Owing to other countries as an oil producer is a signal that only oil cannot make Nigeria survive as a country. The federal government has to plan how to export food to earn money for the country.

Bottom Line

Every problem is an opportunity. The ban on food importation is an opportunity to explore other areas of life in Nigeria. It is when you manage a problem well that you get a solution to it. Nigerians should not see the ban as a problem. Instead, let them see it as an opportunity to do more in agriculture.

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