Nigeria has been urged to halt exportation of maize in view of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine
Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote made the call on Thursday in Lagos.
He told TheCable at the fourth Annual Nigerian Food Processors and Nutrition Leadership Forum on Thursday, Dangote that Russia and Ukraine are the major producers of ingredients used in making fertilizers.
Dangote said the shortage of these ingredients as a result of the war will also lead to a shortage of fertilizers, wheat and maize.
“There would be scarcity of food generally, we would not be able to access fertilizers going forward, we would not see the effects now, but in the next two, three months. The US will not be able to do same number of tonnage they did last year because of this.
Also speaking, the CEO of Flour Mills of Nigeria, Boye Olusanya, said the crisis in Russia and Ukraine will affect Nigeria, and the country needs to start discussing solutions.
“The reality is that Russia and Ukraine are number one and number five in wheat production, and if you take that volume, which is almost one-third of global production, there would be an immediate impact on prices,” he said.
“Today, the prices of wheat have gone up. There is a lag that comes because of inventory control, but it is something that we need to sit down with the government to say what measures can we put in place to alleviate what is coming.
“The impact is not just on wheat alone; Ukraine is one of the largest producers of maize, which will also have a significant on maize, which is an alternative to wheat.
minister of health,
Minister of Health with his Trade and Investment Osagie Ehanire and Niyi Adebayo, with Olusola Idowu, representative of the minister of finance, were all in attendance
