Benue floods threaten food prices

The adverse effects of floods currently ravaging several communities in Benue state, with several hectares of arable land now submerged under water is likely to result in a spike in food prices, which have been relatively stable for some months.

The domestic commodity price movement by the Financial Derivatives Company, shows that at the end of August, prices of essential food items such as Rice, Flour, Sugar, Garri, Beans, Old Yam, and Tomatoes have been largely unchanged in the course of the month.

The stability of food prices in Lagos and other parts of the country could however, be short-lived as a result of the devastation caused by floods in Benue, regarded as the country’s food basket.

BusinessDay reached out to Kabiru Ibrahim, President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) to get an assessment the impact the Benue floods have had on farming. Ibrahim said even though he is yet to get a full report of the flood, food prices are expected to take a hit, due to farms which have been submerged or washed away.

“If there are floods and some crops are lost as a result, then it will definitely affect the food system of this country. As you know, Benue contributes a large percentage of the food basket in Nigeria,” said Ibrahim.

Andrew Njie, Director-General, Benue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told BusinessDay by phone with more certainty, that the floods have “definitely had a great effect on agriculture.”

According to Njie, over 1,000 hectares of arable land which were cultivated around the Benue River Basin have now been flooded.

“Tomatoes and other vegetables are cultivated along the river banks, and there are other people cultivating rice. In fact, many of our members (at the chamber of commerce) have seen their rice farms going under, as well as other people doing businesses within the flooded areas,” Njie said.

Njie further explained that the floods have taken over areas where hitherto, nobody thought would ever be flooded, asides the river basins. The areas include the Media village in Achusa, and areas close to the airport. There have also been unconfirmed reports of flooding in other local government areas, and even though Njie says he has not personally visited these places, heis informed that flooding has been experienced in at least six local government areas, such as; Gwer West, Agatu, Logo, Buruku, and parts of Tarka LGA.

The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) also says over 110,000 people in 24 communities, including Makurdi, the state capital, have been displaced by floods in recent months.

The floods now ravaging parts of Benue had been forecast in June, when BusinessDay reported that farmers across the country are to be on high alert to avoid catastrophic losses in food production, following a flood warning by the National Hydrological Services Agency, which suggested that 35 states in Nigeria would experience severe flooding attributed to a rise in water levels of eight major rivers across the country.

The warning, which advised residents in flood prone areas to relocate, was to affect Benue and other states such as Anambra, Ogun, Osun, Niger, Imo, where according to the hydrological agency, severe flooding will be experienced this year. The trend started manifesting then in June, as some parts of Oyo and Imo states experienced flooding over the course of some days, with loss of properties recorded.

Emmanuel Ijewere, vice president, Nigeria AgriBusiness Group (NABG), told BusinessDay at the time, that “It will be very said if losses happen eventually (this year) as it will be a disaster for farmers who may be at risk of going for a year without any source of livelihood. It is important that there is collaboration between the meteorological services and the agricultural family in Nigeria.”

Ijewere added that, “the meteorological department needs to be more specific in its statements and indicate particular areas in states expected to be affected by flooding, so that those at risk can make timely response.

“If necessary, they should alert the ministries of agriculture in each of those places. The sad part is that the meteorological services sees itself as doing its job when it makes the announcements, but this in itself becomes so remote and vague,” Ijewere said.

As recorded in Oyo, Imo, and now Benue, the floods have eventually started gushing through communities, ravaging the properties and sources of livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people.

CALEB OJEWALE