The Agriculture Ministry has directed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to strictly enforce a temporary ban on the export of grains including soya beans, maize and rice.

This forms part of measures put in place to ensure food security and increase local poultry and livestock production.

The government last year restricted the export of grains from the country to save the poultry industry.

In an interview with JoyNews, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Ministry, Tanko Bagbara, said this approach is aimed at addressing the illegal flight of grains through the country’s borders.

“Basically, you know last year we had some challenges in terms of feed for livestock - maize and soya were problems, they nearly collapsed the poultry industry. As a result of that, coupled with global issues in terms of food security, we thought it wise that we need to protect our own, what we’ve been able to produce.

“Information gathered and on the ground reveal that our neighbours, Burkina Faso, Togo are in our farming communities buying the grains and taking them out. That has necessitated for us to write to the President.

“He has given an Executive approval; in fact, it’s a temporal measure to check the export of our products to ensure our food security,” he said.

Owing to that, Mr Bagbara says the Chief Director of the Ministry has written to the Assemblies to urgently institute adequate measures for the effective implementation of the policy.