THE Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has selected Nigeria to act as a hub for the storage of food and grains for its member nations.
Abdullahi Abubaka, the director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, confirmed the report and stated that the OIC Secretariat will mobilise resources, food items, and grains, and store them in Nigeria’s numerous silos.
The OIC Secretariat is expected to gather the funds, purchase the grains, and store them in Nigeria “so that we may ship them out of Nigeria to other locations if there is ever a food shortage. The nation already has more than 36 different strategic grain reserves. Even though some have been concessioned, we have seven that are under the supervision and control of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture,” said Mr. Abubaka.
“In Nigeria, we have been handed the cassava centre of excellence. We are looking at how we can also develop rice, palm oil, and other commodities. We have done our research and are simply waiting for the go-ahead. The National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike, has been contacted, and we have already chosen sites. All of these requirements and benchmarks were things they wanted us to identify, and we have sited the station in Kuru, Jos,” he continued.
About 23% of Nigeria’s GDP is derived from agriculture. The nation is a global leader in the production of a variety of agricultural products, including sorghum, cocoa, pineapple, and palm oil.