Nigeria borrows $134 million to boost farms as famine looms

Lagos: Nigeria has secured a 134 million dollar (127 million euro) loan to invest in farming, the government said on Thursday, as Africa s most populo...

Lagos: Nigeria has secured a 134-million-dollar (127-million-euro) loan to invest in farming, the government said on Thursday, as Africa's most populous nation faces a hunger crisis of staggering proportions.

According to a statement, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari said the money would support an ongoing plan to boost staples like wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, soybean and cassava.

With Nigeria's fast-growing population now at least 220 million, strengthening the role of agriculture in the oil-exporting nation's economy is a key goal of President Bola Tinubu's government.

But Nigeria is still facing a terrible food crisis, according to a stark recent warning in a report from UN agencies, aid NGOs and Nigerian government experts.

Last week's update from the "Cadre Harmonise" team said 25 million Nigerian already face "acute food insecurity" and the figure is expected to rise to 33 million in 2025.