• Eat now the battle
• ‘People in government don’t think there is pain’
• Experts blame inflation, climate change, etc. for the situation
• Explore the use of innovative approaches to food security
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world tomorrow to commemorate the World Food Day amid the growing food crisis that is spreading like wildfires in the country and demand With many asking for food donations, stakeholders have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly address the situation before it escalates.
While the food crisis has affected the entire world, years of neglect of the agricultural sector and over-reliance on imported food have been particularly damaging. Nigeria’s position is better in the face of growing foreign exchange risk as the naira trades for the dollar. the same market between 1,005/$ and 1,025/$ as of last Tuesday.
The situation has seen the living conditions of Nigerians rise with many opting to migrate in search of greener pastures, now known as japa syndrome, study people who are trying to make a living in the country are wondering if the government is aware of their situation.
A few months ago, a joint report published by the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) revealed that over 24.8 million Nigerians are at risk of food insecurity. food between June and August.
“In Nigeria, food security is expected to deteriorate during the review period, driven by the multidimensional security crisis, including weak macroeconomic conditions and natural disasters.
“Over 24.8 million people are expected to become food insecure between June and August 2023, with 1.1 million people in emergency (CH Phase 4),” the report said.
There seems to be a lot of hope, especially after the removal of fuel subsidy and other policies of the Tinubu administration that increased the country’s inflation to 25.80 percent. in August this year.
A report by the World Bank on food security last June revealed that about 64 million Nigerians are at risk of an emergency food crisis due to the effects of inflation, insecurity and climate change.
According to the report, “107.5 million people are expected to fall into food crisis during the shocks from June to August 2023, mainly in Nigeria (64 million), Niger Republic (7.3 million ) and Burkina Faso (5.1). million).
The Global Hunger Index report released last year ranked Nigeria 103 out of 121 countries, a position that shows the seriousness of the nation’s hunger level.
The report, which ranks countries by severity, gave Nigeria a score of 27.3 – a level of hunger that falls below the severity level.
There are five levels of hunger in the index where each country falls – mild, moderate, severe, dangerous and very dangerous.
In 2021, Nigeria ranked 103 out of 116 countries and 98 out of 107 countries in 2020.
A farmer and founder of Menitos Farm Depot, Lagos, Toluwalope Daramola, who expressed grief over the development, said the food crisis is affecting Nigerians, especially The low income and vulnerable people are no longer able to afford the high price of food produced by other agro businesses.
“Like it or not, many people will die of hunger if there is no urgent action to alleviate the suffering of the people. Many people have survived the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, but may die of the starve before they get food. It’s a food war right now. I mean, everything is on the high side and we’re in a very dangerous situation in the country,” he said.
A market survey conducted by The Guardian revealed that the price of some foods has risen by more than 50 percent in the past three months, taking consumers out of the reach of the public.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its Food Price Watch report, released two weeks ago, showed that food prices continued to rise in August, explaining the nature of the price of rice, beef, tomatoes, beans, garri, potatoes and other food items. things have increased astronomically.
The report said that while the average price of one kilogram (kg) of boneless beef was N2, 141.18 in August 2022, it increased by 30.75 percent to N2, 799.51 in August 2023.
It added that the average price of one kilogram of local rice increased by 62.68 percent year-on-year, from N454.10 in August 2022 to N738.74 in August 2023.
During the month, one kilogram of local rice increased by 13.04 percent from N653.49 recorded in July 2023.
The report revealed that the average price of one kilogram of brown beans increased by 27 percent on a year-on-year basis from N545.61 in August 2022 to N692.95 in August 2023, adding that average price of one kilogram of. Sweet potato production increased by 42.80 percent year-on-year from N403.65 in August 2022 to N576.39 in August 2023.
“The price of garri has increased by 49.16 percent year-on-year, from N305.92 in August 2022 to N456.32 in August 2023; month-on-month, the price has increased by 6.15 percent from N429.89 recorded in July to N456.32 recorded in August 2023,” the report said.
At the state exhibition, the report showed that the highest price of one kilogram of boneless beef was recorded in Anambra at N3, 790.02, while the lowest price was recorded in Kogi at N1, 835.71 .
It added that Ondo recorded the highest price of one kilogram of local rice at N903.26, while the lowest was recorded in Benue at N529.72.
The NBS said the highest price of one kilogram of black beans was recorded in Imo at N1, 087.14, while the lowest price was recorded in Kogi at N480.34.
The report showed that Akwa Ibom recorded the highest price of one kilogram of sweet potato at N1, 030.71, while Adamawa recorded the lowest price at N328.71.
A 50kg bag of rice, which was priced between N28, 000 and N32, 000 between December and February 2023 has increased to between N46, 000 and 48,000, depending on the market and location .
A carpenter, Alao Kazeem, who lamented the level of hardship in the country, said: “There is no doubt that the country is hungry. I don’t know how many of us live in this age. The prices of food and other commodities are more than we can afford and we don’t have money to buy them. The stimulus packages promised by the government have not come to us, despite the noise. This is a very dangerous situation.
“Why is every situation an opportunity to exploit people? Where is the love and compassion in us? Our leaders don’t care. The people in the government don’t care that anyone is in trouble; they don’t think there is hunger in the country. They have faith that Nigerians should enjoy themselves.”
The Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, told The Guardian that the major food security challenges in the country are caused by the impact of the unstable transition, the transition to climate, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, insurgency, especially in the food producing areas of the nation. , and violent conflicts around the world.
“These problems have seriously affected the world’s food supply, requiring efforts to build sustainable food systems to increase production and food production, to reduce food wastage, provide viable livelihood opportunities for rural, peri-urban and urban farmers. ensure food and nutrition security for Lagosians,” he said.
The CEO of Green Sahara Farms, Plateau State, Suleiman Dikwa, has urged the Federal Government and other players in the food industry to rethink and adopt a new approach to ensure food safety.
While addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine/Russia war, Dikwa noted that climate change has a double impact on rural farmers while denying them a economic recovery amid the environmental issues associated with it.
“To solve the current food crisis, we need to fully evaluate our agricultural and economic policies to take into account this fact through the button to talk about security. Although funds are looking out, we need to answer the question of the farmer who lived in poverty. With very limited resources, it gives an opportunity to create sustainable communities as a building block of a new economy where quality starts at the bottom.
“When communities are stable, the majority will be raised and produce healthy and natural products for affordable prices. Therefore, it is important to rethink our search for large machinery and advertising. We dropped a lot and played to our strengths,” he said.
Dikwa, who said that food insecurity is a global problem as the climate crisis all over the world affects the yield from the farms, noted that the government has to do more that is to give palliatives.
“We need to develop short, medium and long-term solutions. In comparison, Nigeria has not done well in managing inflation, but our cry, we know we can have business good. The problem is more than the farmer but it is a global economic problem that is cutting across sectors,” he added.
At the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) in New York City, the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Dr. Agnes Kalibata, emphasized the need for a unique change plan to address food requirements. 65 percent of the population depends on agriculture and manufacturing.
Amidst uncertainties about the water crisis, food security and the impact of climate change in the country, Kalibata emphasized the important role of climate change in the increasing hunger, highlighting the importance of building sustainable food systems that can withstand its consequences.
On his part, a partner at Acre Venture Partners, Sam Kass, revealed that intra-African trade in food currently stands at 15 percent, indicating that the country is unable to meet self-sufficiency and feed the trade of food products.
Kass, who has pushed for urgent action on climate change, spoke about issues related to global food security and security, including seeing the effects of food shortages, political instability, migration and conflicts, all from the decline of basic necessities.
To solve this problem, the former chairman, Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) – Agric sector / Managing Director of Bama Farms, Lagos, Prince Wale Oyekoya, urged the Tinubu administration to provide adequate funds to native crops and hybrid crops. suited to the climate and soil of the country.
He called for the provision of warehouses for the storage of farm produce to prevent losses after harvest, the construction of farm houses among the 774 local councils and along with providing new tools to the farmers as he urged the state governments to give lands to the farmers. without name.
He also called for the provision of facilities to add value to the export of agricultural produce; the strengthening of the stock market; the appointment of indigenous farmers as advisers to the Ministry of Agric and the provision of new irrigation systems, among others.
[GNN]
