February 14 (THEWILL) – The Dawanau International Grains Market, Kano, says it supplies about 85 percent of the foodstuff consumed at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across Nigeria, through the World Food Programme (WFP).
Alhaji Muttaka Isa, President, Dawanau Market Development Association (DMDA), disclosed this during an interactive session with newsmen at his office in Kano, on Wednesday.
He said the market, situated at Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, had become a food basket of Northern Nigeria and by extension, sub-Saharan Africa.
“This market is very big and operates beyond imagination. I can tell you that we supply the World Food Programme with 80 to 85 percent of the foodstuff it supplies to IDP camps across Nigeria,” he said.
Isa, therefore, encouraged Nigerians to engage in the exportation of cash crops such as sesame, hibiscus and groundnuts.
According to the President, the exportation of such crops is profitable and boosts the government’s revenue.
He noted that the exportation of such crops would also aid in reviving the value of the Naira against the dollar, which by extension, he said, would strengthen the nation’s economy.
He, however, cited the lack of adequate power supply as one of the major challenges bedevilling the market.
According to him, the lack of a steady electricity supply had caused the management of the market to spend a lot of money on diesel to power the machines and equipment used in processing foods at the market, forcing them to engage other firms to do the work for them.
“Again, rising prices of goods and services is also a major challenge to us. For instance, the cost of transportation of goods supplied from the Southern part of this country has been skyrocketing. It is now above N1 million per trip. This gives rise to the prices of commodities against our wish,” he said.
The President then expressed the need for the provision of enough and qualitative farm inputs to farmers at subsidised rates.
He said Nigeria is blessed with vast land for farming but that the high cost of farming inputs and inadequate utilisation of the vast land resources were part of the major challenges hampering the development of agriculture in the country.
He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, provide adequate and modern farm implements and inputs at subsidised rates to farmers to ensure food security.
About the Author
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
