Checkmating Nigeria’s Rising Food Imports

Nigeria’s over-dependence on food imports is putting lots of pressure on the nation’s foreign reserve, Gilbert Ekugbe, examines farmers’ role to reducing food importation.

Undeniably, the reason behind Nigeria’s dependence on food imports cannot be far-fetched as successive governments who lacked visionary leadership qualities have failed to put the agricultural sector on the right path of growth. In the 1960s agriculture was the mainstay of the nation’s economy before the discovery of oil and since the discovery, a lot has changed and certainly not in favour of the food sector. The agricultural sector over the years was substituted for immediate cash from crude oil which has put the sector in doldrums.

Nigeria spent a staggering amount of N464.5 billion in the first six months of 2022 to import food products amid all efforts by the federal government to achieve food security.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the value of food imports in the second quarter of 2022 stood at N464.45 billion, an increase when compared to the value recorded in the first quarter of 2022 N443.36 billion

On a year-on-year basis, the value increased by 4.76 per cent and by 13.70 per cent when compared to the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2021. The total food import accounts for 8.55 percent of the total imports for the period.

Sadly, the federal government has failed to ensure the safety of lives and property for farmers across the country. Most of the farmers who are the real actors to attaining food security have fled their farms as a result of the rising insecurity concerns especially in the North-eastern part of the country. In a country where millions of people fall into hunger net on an annual basis, priorities must be placed on empowering and encouraging farmers to produce more even as climate change is having a toll on food production across the globe.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), world’s smallholder farmers produce around a third of the world’s food where five of every six farms in the world consist of less than two hectares, operate only around 12 per cent of all agricultural land, and produce roughly 35 per cent of the world’s food.

Although, smallholders’ contribution to food supply varies enormously between countries, China has 80 per cent and Brazil and Nigeria in the low single-digits.

Disheartening to say that present day 2023, only a handful number of farmers have access to tractors or modern farm equipment to drive the federal government’s tractorisation programme in its efforts to boost production.

Relatedly, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, said that the ministry is collaborating with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to make tractors with implements available to farmers at a concessionary deferred payment terms where farmers are expected to make 40 per cent down payment while the balance of 60 per cent would be spread over a period of three years.

The move, according to Abubakar, is targeted at achieving improved quantity and quality of food per person, reduce drudgery of farmers in Nigeria as well as increase productivity of farmers. But the question is do these farmers have the 40 per cent down payment? If yes, will the tractors eventually get into the hands of the farmers or be used as negotiation tools for top key government officials to satisfy their personal interest?

Cost of farm inputs

The high cost of farm inputs has been identified as a major challenge hindering farmers’ productivity on the continent. The invasion of Ukraine over a year ago has increased the cost of farm inputs to the detriment of farmers and Nigeria’s quest to attain food security.

According to FAO’s global input price index, which covered seeds, fertilizers, energy, feeds and pesticides, reached record high with these increase largely traced to rising energy prices. Some fertilizers are derived from fossil fuels and feed and seed production is highly dependent on fertilizer and fuel.

This trend began before 2022, but the invasion of Ukraine added additional upward pressure on prices for natural gas and fertilizer, of which Russia and Belarus are major producers. These inputs are critical to food production. The urgent need to make farm inputs available to farmers at a subsidised rate cannot be over flogged.

The President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr. Kabir Ibrahim, recommended that to bolster production, processing, distribution, storage as well as marketing agricultural produce especially food, the federal government must provide incentives to the small holder farmers, who he described as the engine room of production by allowing them to access low interest credit, rapid and affordable mechanisation, subsidised fertilizers, good seeds and other inputs including access to STI (science, technology and innovation) as well as enable them to embrace year-round production by improving irrigation facilities.

Ibrahim also stated the need to improve power supply, transportation and marketing by consolidating commodity exchange platforms.

Recently, the minister of FMARD, pledged to support Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Umuagwo, with farm equipment, accessories, grants to enhance economic growth, food and nutrition security amongst others, such initiatives should be replicated in many of the food producing States in the country.

Operation Feed the Nation

The OFN programme that was implemented between 1976 and 1980 sought to increase local food production and reduc Nigeria’s dependence on food imports. With the objectives to mobilise the nation towards self-sufficiency and self-reliance in food production and encouraging the sector of the community relying on food purchase to grow its own food, it appeared that resources were not provided, farmers were skeptical of new methods and administrative officials did not do the job expected of them.

Also, the manpower to expand farming operations did not materialise and project managers also lacked necessary motivation to see the programme through. The urgent need to revisit this initiative is vital to Nigeria’s quest to addressing the nation’s alarming food import rate. The impact of climate change is having untold hardship on Nigerian farmers who still depend on rain fed agriculture.

According to the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), irrigation is almost non-existent as far as cocoa industries are concerned, maintaining that presently, there is no cocoa farm that is irrigated in Nigeria. According to reports, out of the 3.14 million hectares of farmland with irrigation potential in Nigeria, only 88,950 hectares have been developed, leaving millions of hectares of farms to depend majorly on rainfall for crop production.

Encouraging young farmers

There is an urgent need to phase out Nigeria’s ageing farming population especially with the nation’s population growing faster than the economy. Report say the West African nation’s population is expected to soar even more, from 216 million people this year to 375 million, the United Nations says, making Nigeria the fourth most populous country in the world after India, China and the United States.

Nigeria is among the eight countries that the UN says will account for more than half the world’s population growth between now and 2050 – along with Congo, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, among others, hence the move to get more active and vibrant hands to boost food production is not out of place.

The federal government must create an enabling environment to attract more youths in the sector. Rural-urban migration has been identified as one of the major reasons youths are shying away from farming. In love with white collar jobs, many youths see agriculture as an unprofitable venture and would rather seek opportunities in fast money spinning sectors.

Other factors include limited access to land, inadequate access to financial services, insufficient access to knowledge, information and education, difficulties in accessing green jobs, limited access to markets, and limited involvement in policy dialogue.

To address this debacle, the federal government should ensure that farm equipment is offered at subsidised prices to young individuals. Farm machinery such as ploughs, ridgers, tractors, cultivators, and so on should be offered at extremely low prices to encourage young people to get involved in agriculture.