The spiraling prices of basic food items and the increased importation of some staple food into the country are indicative of a situation of food insecurity that should provoke the concern of not only governments but all segments of civil society.
The recent alarm raised by Abdullahi Adamu, the president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN) on the threat of food insecurity for about 90 million Nigerians, if government refuses to invest properly in the agricultural and rural sectors of the nation’s economy, dramatises and puts in perspective the imminent danger Nigerians may face.
The Federal Government, in its typical hasty and cosmetic fashion, has recently approved the disbursement of N200 billion as agricultural development fund which is to be made available in the form of loans to farmers towards the boosting of food production in the country. While this response is welcome, as it will especially help furnish rural farmers with much needed finance that would further enhance their food production capacity, it however does not address in a holistic and permanent manner the food crisis situation in the country. It is remarkable that some of the basic challenges facing the food sector which are yet to be properly addressed by governments include: poor storage facilities which should enable the producers to properly store produced food items beyond seasons and prevent damage and attendant losses; poor rural roads and attendant high transportation costs of moving food items from the rural areas to urban centres; the increasing unattractiveness of the agricultural and rural sector to youths who rather flock to cities in search of white collar employment and the continued dependence on subsistence, low-scale agricultural activity rather than large scale commercial farming for the production of food for a very large population such as Nigeria’s. These problems must be tackled appropriately and decisively if food insecurity will cease to be a dangerous spectre in the country.
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The critical role of the food sector in any economy explains why certain countries awash with huge financial resources but with unfavourable land and weather situations are seeking clement environment where they can ensure that they guarantee a good supply of staple food for their populations. In recent years, Libya, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have made agricultural investments in Ukraine, Kenya and Tanzania respectively. No responsive government should be at ease in the face of the threat of food insecurity in its territory.
The Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has noted that a country is said to be experiencing food security when its peoples at all times experience unhindered access to safe nutritious food which enables them to maintain a healthy and active life. Also, it is pertinent to emphasise that food security does not border solely on the production of sufficient and appropriate food but also on the distribution, a population’s access to such food and its utilisation. The Nigerian food and agricultural sector is in crisis going by this food security index. Thus, the sector requires the deserving attention of government with a view to rejuvenating it and making it contribute adequately to the country’s GDP as it did in the 1960s, and create the multiplier effect that can help generate employment and provide appropriate linkage with the industrial sector.
The country’s colossal expenditure on food and agricultural material imports estimated to value about N22.5 billion monthly is a horrendous waste that can indeed be avoided. The panels on Vision 2020 and relevant government agencies should begin to brainstorm on the panacea to a food crisis that may swallow not only this generation but hinder the wellbeing of succeeding generations.
The time to begin is now especially considering that agriculture is part of the present administration’s Seven-point Agenda. This nation is blessed with arable land and good climate, which are pre-requisites for bountiful food production. There is no reason why Nigerians should go to bed hungry or the government spending scarce foreign exchange importing food items that can be produced in Nigeria. A country that cannot feed herself is a country that cannot have control of her destiny.
