Tougher Days Ahead As Farmers Predict Worsening Food Crisis In Nigeria

Farmers have predicted tougher days ahead for Nigerians concerning the ongoing food inflation crisis in the country.

This is as the farmers blamed subsidy removal which increased the cost of transporting farm produce, and insecurity, which has continued to hinder farming as some of the reasons for the food crisis.

The farmers, while urging Nigerians to brace up for more price hikes of food produce, noted that the food crisis may continue till August.

In recent times, Nigerians have been voicing their concerns over the hike in the prices of food.

While the food crisis is not new to the country, the ongoing crisis has caused so much uproar with the Nigeria Labour Congress making it a major argument for its demand for increased minimum wage.

According to a report by The PUNCH in 2022, the National Human Rights Commission, raised concerns over the rising food crisis in Nigeria, saying that it had worsened access to healthy and nutritious food, especially among Internally Displaced Persons and vulnerable groups, leading to an increase in widespread hunger and low quality of life.

The commission also attributed the situation to several factors, including “insecurity chasing farmers from their farms, coupled with many farmlands submerged in water due to flooding in some parts of the county.”

In solidarity, the Federal Government expressed concern over the continuous rise in the prices of food and other commodities, which has resulted in protests in Niger and Kano states.

In 2024, Northern traditional rulers and the Nigerian Bar Association decried the hardship in the country, which was said to be precipitated by the fuel subsidy removal and had resulted in higher transport costs and food inflation.

Also, as Nigerian workers commemorated the 2024 May Day, Organised Labour expressed concern about the rising food prices and fuel scarcity in the country, saying that the current situation threatened the survival of workers.

They equally lamented the harsh economic situation which had been compounded by the twin burdens of the electricity tariff hike and high fuel prices.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, said tougher days were ahead for Nigerians concerning the food crisis.

He, however, cautioned the Federal Government against the knee-jack reaction of opening the borders and flooding the market with imported foods, warning that such a decision could erode the little gains recorded in the agricultural sector.

Ibrahim also explained that the hikes in prices of farm produce such as tomato, pepper, and yam may not be unconnected with the seasonal variations, noting that the prices of some food items usually went up around this period.

He said, “Vegetables, characteristically, will be sold for higher prices at this time, because this is not the season. For those who do open production, the rains will not allow those to germinate very well. So, there is always a scarcity around this time and September. After that, the price will start coming down, because some people who do open production can also bring some.

“So November through January, February, and even March, you’ll find very good prices, but don’t forget the challenges of the exchange rate of the naira. That is also happening. Don’t also discount the cost of transporting the produce. All these farmers will have to factor in selling to the middlemen, and the middlemen also buy to make profits. Those are some of the reasons.”