Food Scarcity: Treating the challenge as an emergency

Inflation of food prices in Nigeria continues to pose a great challenge to society serenity. The records have assumed a state of unsavoury narrative becoming utterly unbearable for the poor masses. The attendant effects of the deficit have its impacts resonating on socio-economic aspects of life in the Country. The preponderance of the profile of social ills in the Country most recently, may not be unconnected to this trend of uncontrolled hike in the prices of food items. The political impacts these bear in the Country, is  found manifest in the pressure on the Government in striving to perform its duties amidst an atmosphere of chaos and overwhelming criminal activities.

It has now dawned on the Country that the years of neglect of Agriculture have their harmful effects. It is lamentable that despite the human and natural resource strength of Nigeria, the inability of the Government to coordinate and exploit these potentials, has continued to place the Country at the precipice of misfortune and underdevelopment. Food prices most recently have soared beyond reasonable doubt. Some food staples have recorded over 200 per cent increase between the space of January 2020 and January 2021. The increasing hike has become a subject of concern which demands the attention of the Government.

Statistics released last Friday by the  National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  in its ‘Selected Food Price Watch’ report for December 2020, reflected nothing but the troubling increase in the prices of food items. As contained in the report, “Selected food price watch data for December 2020 reflected that the average price of one dozen of agric eggs medium size increased year-on-year by 9.12 per cent and month-on-month by 0.98 per cent to N499.55 in December 2020 from N494.72 in November 2020 while the average price of piece of agric eggs medium size (price of one) increased year-on-year by 11.49 per cent and month-on-month by 1.43 per cent to N45.40 in December 2020 from N44.75 in November 2020. The average price of 1kg of tomato increased year-on-year by 17.51 per cent and decreased month-on-month by 1.92 per cent to N310.10 in December 2020 from N316.16 in November 2020. The average price of 1kg of rice (imported high quality sold loose) increased year-on-year by 19.80 per cent and month-on-month by 0.17 per cent to N550.94 in December 2020 from N549.98 in November 2020.

The report further disclosed that: “The average price of 1kg of yam tuber increased year-on-year by 12.89 per cent and decreased month on month by 1.17 per cent to N233.48 in December 2020 from N236.25 in November 2020.  The consumer price index, which measures inflation increased by 15.75 per cent (year-on-year) in December 2020.This was 0.86 per cent points higher than the rate recorded in November 2020 (14.89) per cent. On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 1.61 per cent in December 2020. This is 0.01 per cent rate higher than the rate recorded in November 2020 (1.60 per cent). The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending December 2020 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 13.25 per cent, representing a 0.33 per cent point increase over 12.92 per cent recorded in November 2020. The urban inflation rate increased by 16.33 per cent (year-on-year) in December 2020 from 15.47 per cent recorded in November 2020, while the rural inflation rate increased by 15.20 per cent in December 2020 from 14.33 per cent in November 2020. On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.65 per cent in December 2020, same as the rate recorded in November 2020, while the rural index also rose by 1.58 per cent in December 2020, up by 0.02 per cent above the rate that was recorded in November 2020 (1.56 per cent).”

The report of food inflation, particularly within the period of the last annual year is much disturbing. Recall that in a projection Editorial giving warning of the food scarcity threat that the Country risk to suffer in the first quarter of 2021, Nigerian NewsDirect in a  Publication last year July, (2020) had written thus: “The fact that Nigerians at the local level are crying en masse over inflation in food prices, is no gainsaying. However, the status quo may heighten to unbearable situations if swift actions are not taken. The fact that the Government must jump into the stage is an understatement here. Speculations that Sub-sahara Africa risks acute famine over food shortages has been ringing since the COVID-19 pandemic traced its steps into the region. In its June CPI and inflation report released last Friday, (17th July 2020), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed that the consumer price index which measures inflation increased to 12.6 per cent (year-on-year) in June. According to the report, the increase is higher by 0.16 per cent  comparatively to the rate recorded in May 2020 which was placed at 12.4 per cent. Increases were recorded in all Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose divisions that yielded the headline index.

“On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 1.21 per cent in June, which was a 0 .04 per cent rate higher than the rate recorded in May 2020 which stood at 1.17 per cent. The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12-month period ending June 2020, over the average of the CPI for the previous 12-month period was 11.90 per cent, representing a 0.11 per cent point increase from 11.8 per cent recorded in May 2020. On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 1.23 per cent in June 2020, up by 0.05 from 1.18 per cent recorded in May 2020, while the rural index also rose by 1.19 per cent in June 2020, up by 0.03 from the rate recorded in May 2020 (1.16) per cent. The corresponding 12-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index was 12.50 per cent in June 2020. This was higher than 12.4 per cent reported in May 2020, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in June 2020 was 11.4 per cent compared to 11.3 per cent recorded in May 2020. The urban inflation rate increased by 13.2 per cent ( year- on- year) in June 2020 from 13 .03 per cent recorded in May 2020, while the rural inflation rate increased by 11.99 per cent in June 2020 from 11.83 per cent in May 2020.

“The ticking times of Nigeria’s self determination profile is hitting over six decades. The experiences of these times however, have been marked with controversies and vagaries. Amidst the clustering of enormous challenges bewildering the Country, the most worrying to the common man in recent times has been the rising acute economic hardship with continuous abasement of purchasing power. The attendant effects of this one problem among a cluster of others now constitute itself as a hold that is ravaging the Country. The acute hunger offshooting from this deficiency, now apparently stands as the firstborn of all challenges to the common man in Nigeria.

“Amidst this experience, the call for interventions on the part of the Government have been rife most recently. One of such calls has been anchored on the need to strengthen and revive the agricultural sector in the Country. This, it has been posited, is essential to cushion the rising spate of hunger profile in the Country. The recommendation has been premised on the significance of food as a basic human need, and secondly, its potency in the part towards diversifying the economy. The necessity for diversifying the economy from the mono-centric oil navigations, calls for the significance of focusing on, and developing the potentials of the Agriculture sector in the Country. The abandonment of the erstwhile nerve-centre of the Nigerian economy had been reduced to the precipice, owing to the years of administrative recklessly and economic insensitivity.”

Most recently, the challenges bewildering the agricultural sector have clustered to complicate the challenges of its working patterns. Such challenges as insecurity, poor mechanisation, unstable government policies, poor linkage transportation networks, inefficient market chain system, human-driven and natural disasters among others, have clustered to render the sector in shambles.

It is essential that the Federal Government take the lead for a revolutionary move to resuscitate the Agriculture sector. The need to institute reforms to revamp the sector demands sustained impetus and navigating force premised on plausible policies virile enough to push the workings of the sector to the echelon of efficiency and profitable productivity. This move however, demands all hands to be on deck. Thus, it should be a drive encompassing the support of other levels of governments, particularly the  State Governments to corroborate efforts from the Federal level. In the long run, the Government should prioritize the necessity of shifting from the traditional to mechanized agricultural system. Economic hardship has been discovered in studies and experiences to be catalyst to various forms of ugly developments and adventures that may lead to anarchy which the Government may find difficult to curtail. To forestall such situation, the need for the Government to (among other measures) look into investing massively in agriculture promptly is alarming.

It is imperative for the Government to wade in with full overarching modalities towards addressing the network of factors responsible for the hike in the prices of food items. Such efforts should be anchored on embracing approaches that move from the macroscopic coverage of the economy at large, towards the peculiar workings of the agriculture sector in particular. Addressing issues bearing threatening impacts on agricultural productivity and output, such as matters bordering on infrastructure decay, insecurity, and environmental factors among others, are key to changing the present prevailing narrative of food scarcity. Matters relating to terrorism, herders attack on farm settlement and banditry, are troubling security challenges the Government needs to pragmatically address with utmost alacrity if the  narrative of food scarcity would wear a new face.

The challenges in insecurity which have crumbled farming activities in several farm settlements across the Country, is bearing its effects with manifestations of the prevailing food scarcity. The hold of environmental challenges, such as flooding and draught among others,  demands keen attention from the  Government. Infrastructure decay has continued to frustrate the productivity and supply of agricultural inputs and outputs. It is paramount for the Government to come up with an overarching policy which embraces the extension of addressing the clusters of prevailing challenges bewildering the agriculture sector. It is therefore imperative for the Government to treat, address, and approach the prevailing situation with emergency.