CONTAINING THE LOOMING HUNGER

Government must do more to ensure security across the country

Following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, one of the major global concerns is its impact on food security. The United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) indeed warned that the number of people at the risk of hunger may double by the end of the year. That such deprivation is already a daily reality for many of our nationals is what should be of concern to critical stakeholders. All the recent reports from both local and international organisations point to the fact that millions of Nigerian families go to bed without certainty as to where their next meals would come from as prices of foodstuff skyrocket.

According to a report released in June by the World Bank, rising food prices in the country pushed seven million Nigerians below the poverty line in 2020 alone. Titled, ‘Resilience through Reforms,’ the bank’s Nigeria Development Update (NDU), states that rising food prices are ‘severely impacting Nigerian households’ with dire consequences. The report stated further that as of April 2021, food prices accounted for over 60% of the total increase in inflation across the country. Other reports are no less grim.

Using a ‘cost of food basics’ analysis that compares the monthly minimum recommended expenses on food per adult and average wage in 107 countries, a United Kingdom-based Institute of Development Studies, last week placed Nigeria as the second poorest country in the world in terms of food affordability. The other countries where basic food is least affordable include Syria, Ethiopia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Indonesia, Algeria, Iran and Uzbekistan. The minimum recommended amount of food by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for energy needs is based on 12-14 basic items that together would account for 2,100 calories per adult per day.

The irony of Nigeria is that some of the states where food prices have gone up beyond the reach of many are in major food-producing areas of the country. Sokoto is a major producer of beans, cowpea, groundnut, garlic, wheat, sugarcane, pepper, onions, and tomatoes. Groundnut, sorghum, sesame seed, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and pepper are produced extensively in Plateau State. Likewise, Gombe is well known for groundnut, ginger, cowpea, sesame seed, tomatoes, and pepper. Plantain, oil palm and cassava are largely produced in Edo State. Also, Kano has extensive production of rice, garlic, sorghum, cowpea, wheat, pepper, onions, and tomatoes. In all these states, hunger has become a common staple.

The challenge is understandable. Insecurity in many of the rural communities has made it practically difficult for farmers to continue to engage in agricultural production optimally, thus affecting productivity and causing market disruptions with attendant food price shocks. A peaceful environment is a sine qua non for productive agricultural engagement which results in food security.

Available reports indicate that food price inflation is not likely to improve anytime soon if the predicaments facing parts of the country remain unresolved. This is despite that Nigeria is endowed with good arable land, weather and water supply and has the potential to be self-sufficient in food production. Even though farmers are becoming increasingly aware that much more can be achieved in agriculture through technologies, most of them do not have access to them. Modern tools of technology must be massively introduced as hoes and cutlasses or depending on other nations cannot effectively feed the nation. There is an urgent need to adopt automated systems which the smallholder farmers can also use without breaking the bank.

The good news is that many of our young people are already going in that direction. They only need to be encouraged and supported.