As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the World Food Day, stakeholders in the agricultural sector have expressed fear that Nigeria may suffer a setback in its quest for sufficiency in food
They claim that the impact of the Russia/Ukraine crisis, climate change, rising fertilizer prices and flooding, which has caused a sharp increase in food prices, is likely to worsen the country’s food crisis and Many will starve if urgent measures are not taken. the government and other stakeholders.
World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 to promote global awareness and action for those suffering from hunger and to highlight the need to ensure healthy foods for all. The date was designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in 1979.
This year’s theme: “Leave Nothing, Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Lives,” highlighting that the production and consumption of safe foods has immediate and long-term benefits for of people, the planet, and the economy.
The co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CATO Foods, Osun State, Mr. Pelumi Abisala, who said that the impact of climate change has greatly affected food production, warned that the incident of recent flooding will further increase the price of food because the small results from the intervention in the sector was affected by more than 30 percent.
He said: “Nigeria which is an import dependent country will further suffer a setback in its quest for food sufficiency. The aspiration of food sufficiency in Nigeria has been hit hard and unfortunately, the chain of agricultural value does not enjoy the right support because most of the intervention programs are difficult to access or fail to make the desired impact on value chain actors such as small farmers.”
For its part, the FAO says that the analysis carried out at the beginning of this year shows that approximately 19.4 million people face food insecurity in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT).
The Representative of FAO in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero, said, “As food insecurity worsens, so does the risk of malnutrition. It is estimated that about two million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, as well as, climate extremes, such as ongoing floods that greatly affect lives and livelihoods.
“There is a long-term conflict in the North East, in the middle belt, we see the continuation of climate-induced conflicts between herdsmen and farmers over natural resources – land and water, in the Northwestern region, criminality and banditry.
“All this has seriously affected the productive activities of many states, and factors that drive hunger in that part of the country. As if it were not enough we have witnessed the increase in food prices and production costs.
Kafeero, who described the fight against hunger and malnutrition as a daunting task, appealed for joint action from all stakeholders – government, international and national research systems.
The Chief Executive Officer of Green Sahara Farms, Suleiman Dikwa, said that climate change has a double impact on rural farmers by denying them economic returns, thus suffering environmental problems. , social and economic.
“The pandemic, the war in Ukraine and similar events have come to prove that we need to rethink and rethink our approach to food security. Exporting without knowledge of its ecological footprint will lead to of destruction for all.
“We need to completely review our agricultural and economic policies to reflect this reality through a buttoned-down approach to talk about uncertainty. While export dollars look good, we need to answer the question of the peasant who remains poor. With very scarce resources, it presents an opportunity to create strong communities as a building block of a new economy where well-being starts at the bottom.
“When communities become strong, the majority will be fed and then produce premium healthy and natural products for premium prices. It is important, therefore, that we rethink our search for widespread mechanization and commercialization. We failed miserably and played to our strengths.
Dikwa, who said that food insecurity is a global issue, noted that the main role that a government can play is to offer palliatives, saying that the destruction of the climate across the country will affect the produce from the fields.
“We need to come up with short medium and long time solutions. Comparatively, Nigeria has not done badly in managing inflation, but our cry is that we know we can do a better good economy. The issue is more than the farmer but a global economic issue that cuts across sectors.”
While speaking on the theme, Abisala said the country is blessed with a wide range of nutrient-enriched crops and through effective and innovative value added, nutritious food can be made affordable to Nigerians.
He said: “Our company, Cato Foods is happy to celebrate world food day this year because our focus is to make more nutritious food available, accessible, affordable and safe. It is important to remember that you are what you eat and food is not food if it is not nutritious and safe.
“Man’s productivity is directly related to the quality of their food more than the quantity. So producing and consuming safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people. “
Abisala said that despite being blessed with a wide range of nutrient-enriched foods, Nigeria has a very high rate of malnutrition, and a high rate of micronutrient deficiency, which affects its productivity as a country. Every year, “Nigeria loses more than $1b due to malnutrition, about 33 percent of children under five are affected and women of reproductive age are also affected. All this has a huge impact on the economy.
“Most agricultural practices today are not eco-efficient thereby affecting the health of the planet. Nigeria should embrace and promote the consumption of nutrient-enriched crops such as biofortified crops so that we can guarantee a safer that is the future of food for people and the country.
