The Federal Government has denied reports by some United Nations agencies that there’s imminent famine in Nigeria.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh denied the reports when he featured at a News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja.

Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Food Programme and International Fund for Agricultural Development had said Nigeria would experience famine and malnutrition.

But Ogbeh said Nigeria is a major source of food for other African countries such as Algeria and Libya.

He said the reports are exaggerated.

He said, “I think there’s a danger of mixing the situation in the North-East with the situation nationwide; I have seen that on CNN, starvation in Somalia and Nigeria, and then they go on to talk about the civil commotion in the North-East

“I don’t think that the rest of Nigeria is facing any threat of famine. That is not true and I think these agencies have to be a little more careful in their prognoses.

“I think there are challenges in the North-East because this is a huge part of Nigeria which for five years has not engaged in food production.”

He added, “That’s not the same in the North-West or North-Central or South-West or South-South.

“So, I think there is some degree of exaggeration and a mixture of situations, there’s no threat of starvation because we have been feeding Africa.

“People come down from Algeria to buy food in Nigeria, they come from Libya, they come from Sudan and they come from Chad.

“So, to suggest that this country that is feeding the rest of Africa is almost to go totally hungry is not true.”