As the food crisis in the country persists, the Nigerian Army has disclosed the deployment of troops to several northern states in order to provide adequate security to the farmers.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, in a statement, said the deployment was made particularly in the North West and the North Central states.
According to him, the move has given several farmers access to farm for a smooth planting season towards abundant harvest.
This is as the country battles food shortages which have worsened the food inflation put at over 40 percent by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Meanwhile, experts have also blamed insecurity and lack of equipment as major challenges affecting food production in Nigeria.
Tribune Online reports that the country’s headline inflation rate decreased to 33.40 per cent in July 2024, down from a record high of 34.19 per cent in June 2024.
The NBS report reads, “In July 2024, the headline inflation rate eased to 33.40 per cent relative to the June 2024 headline inflation rate of 34.19 per cent. Looking at the movement, the July 2024 headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 0.8 per cent points when compared to the June 2024 headline inflation rate.
“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 9.32 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in July 2023, which was 24.08 per cent. This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in July 2024 compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., July 2023).” (Tribune)