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FG: Tackling food insecurity post-COVID-19

The Federal Government has disclosed that it is currently addressing food insecurity, by battling food inflation, changing consumption patterns and climate change, amongst other things in a bid to improve food security in the country. TAIWO HASSAN reports

There is no gainsaying that the country’s alarming challenges facing her agricultural sector and currently posing risk to the attainment of food security needs urgent fiscal and monetary policy attention at a period hope is already fading among Nigerian populace in the area of guaranteeing food security. Indeed, the worsening security risk in Nigeria’s agriculture space has been a cause for concern to the country’s policymakers, tier of governments, agric stakeholders, the international community and Nigerians in general. There is no doubt that threat to food security is currently ravaging Nigeria’s agriculture, with affordability of eating three square meals daily becoming elusive and a thing of the past. Moreover, many Nigerians are still in doubt as to how the economy got to this frightening stage in a country that is blessed with enormous mineral resources potential. However, amid the situation in agriculture sector, the government of the day has promised to address the challenges driving food inflation.

Osinbajo’s remarks

Speaking at the virtual preparatory meeting of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 in Abuja, recently, the country’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stated that the Buhari administration was complementing existing development plans and sectoral strategies as well as prioritising investments in innovations and technologies to transform food systems in the country. He said that transforming Africa’s food system was an obvious task requiring the active mobilisation and prioritisation of both public and private investments. According to him, the specific aim of Nigeria’s recently launched National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy is to address hunger, malnutrition and poverty as part of the country’s target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade. He explained that at the heart of Nigeria’s post-COVID- 19 response was the Economic Sustainability Plan. Hie said: “The Nigerian government is committed to addressing the drivers of food insecurity such as food inflation, changing consumption patterns and climate change, amongst other things. “At the same time and as an outcome of 40 different food systems dialogues in which up to 5,000 people participated, Nigeria is prioritising investments in specific innovations and technologies to scale up and transform food systems. “These actions complement existing development plans and sectoral strategies such as our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, the National Policy on Food and Nutrition and the National Policy on Food Safety.”

Food security impediments

Pointing out factors that impede food security in Nigeria and several other countries, Prof. Osinbajo said: “In our country and several others, population growth exceeds growth in national income, food supply would not meet the needs of people, especially when distribution systems are inequitable.” He said the rate of post-harvest losses in Africa and particularly in Nigeria, was more than 20 per cent of production for several food groups. “And this is due mainly to poor storage, poor rural infrastructure and non-automation of food processing, amongst other things. “The situation in many African countries is given increased urgency with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to growing levels of acute food insecurity. “This is of great concern to all of us, especially if we recall that prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of severe food insecurity was as high as 22 pee cent,” he added.

Economic Sustainability

Plan Speaking on the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP)’s role in the country’s agric development, Osinbajo noted that the “ESP has a major component, which is the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Programme (AFJP) where we seek to leverage suitable technologies to build a resilient food system for Nigeria nutrition policy addresses the issues of sustainable and nutritionsensitive food systems – and the country has prioritised key nutrition actions that are impactful, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable. “An integral part of our food systems’ transformation strategy is to create an enabling and supportive environment to implement these policies in a participatory manner involving farmers, investors and state governments.”

Sustainable food system

In her remarks, United Nations Deputy Secretary- General, Amina Mohammed, acknowledged the work done by Nigeria in developing food systems. “Let me commend the effort of my home country, Nigeria, especially the vice president, for leading six ministers including the minister of finance, in the dialogues and other efforts aimed at building sustainable food systems in the country. “Food unites us all, as families, as communities, as cultures and as humanity, now let’s use it to unite around the urgency and the actions that are needed to transform our world by 2030,” she said. Mohammed explained that the summit was designed to guide national governments and other stakeholders to leverage their food systems to support the SDGs, and noted that food systems play a central role in building a fairer, more sustainable world.

Last line

Following the food insecurity challenges confronting the country, availability of food production has become the most critical issue many Nigerians are praying for solution post-COVID-19. This can only happen when Nigerian farmers get guaranteed security in agric sector.

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