Amid escalating hunger and food insecurity, Nigeria has received a 32-ton shipment of rice from Thailand, offering temporary relief as the nation grapples with a worsening food crisis.
The shipment, the first of its kind in a decade, has arrived in Lagos, according to DUCAT, the logistics company that facilitated its delivery.
The rice from Thailand was exported following Nigeria’s decision to implement a tariff moratorium on wheat, corn, rice, and other food crops last year, DUCAT revealed.
Although the duty waiver was introduced, purchases have largely been cautious, driven by concerns about its potential harmful impact on local producers.
“Nigeria has been working hard to find solutions to broaden and strengthen its food supply accessibility,” DUCAT Chief Executive Officer Adrian Beciri said in a statement.
Several months ago, Nigeria unveiled a set of measures to combat soaring food inflation, which is rising at its fastest rate in three decades.
In a country where nearly half of the population of over 200 million lives in extreme poverty, the government is making urgent efforts to ease the strain on its citizens.
