A recent report by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), an agency of the United Nations, says that a total of 24.8 million people, or 1 out of 8 individuals, are experiencing acute hunger this year in Nigeria’s 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The report said the more people in need of urgent food assistance who go unassisted, the greater the risk of starvation and death among the most vulnerable, and the more people will be forced to resort to coping mechanisms such as survival sex, selling possessions and child labour.”
Although WFP based its report mainly on the impact of armed conflict in some parts of Nigeria, particularly, the Northeast, which has forced many farmers out of their farms, the price of the available food items is also making it difficult for families to eat nutritious meals.
On assumption of office in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari had promised that one of his priorities was to make sure Nigeria produces what it eats and eats what it produces. Based on that promise, importation of many food items especially rice, were banned and Nigerians were forced to depend on local alternatives.
But eight years down the line, the price of food items are still on rooftop far beyond the reach of the average citizen.
Prices of staple foods have quadrupled in the last eight years, forcing many families to review their lifestyles.
Many more families are relocating to the villages from the cities over the worsening state of the economy.
The country’s food production has been drastically affected by the unchecked attacks by herdsmen and bandits across the country, which has frustrated agricultural activities.
With the ever-increasing inflation rate, which has impacted every aspect of the economy, amid daily increase of prices of products and services, and even social life, the average Nigerian family is experiencing real bad times.
The worst still is the hyper increase in food prices, which is making ‘one square meal a day’ difficult, and many who cannot afford it, starving today.
The recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), shows that there has been a consistent rise in the price of staple food items, pushing more families into poverty and starvation.
According to the report, “The average price of 1kg of Beef (boneless) stood at N2,479.61 in March 2023. This indicates a rise in price by 25.05 percent on a year-on-year basis from the price recorded in March 2022 (N1,982.92) and a 1.38 percent rise in price on a month-on-month basis from N2,445.96 in February 2023. The average price of 1kg of Tomato increased by 13.81 percent on a year-on-year basis from N409.96 in March 2022 to N466.60 in March 2023. On a month-on-month basis, the average price of this item declined by 0.32 percent in March 2023.
Also, the average price of 1kg of Beans brown (sold loose) rose by 13.13 percent on a year-on-year basis from N527.66 in March 2022 to N596.96 in March 2023. On a month-on -month basis, it increased by 0.47 percent from N594.15 in February 2023. Similarly, the average price of 1kg of Onion bulb rose by 17.37 percent on a year-on-year basis from N378.59 in March 2022 to N444.37 in March 2023. On a month-on-month basis, it declined by 1.27 percent from its value in February 2023.
The average price of 1kg of Yam tuber rose by 25.30 percent on a year-on-year basis from N353.56 in March 2022 to N443.02 in March 2023. On a month-on -month basis, it increased by 1.51 percent from N436.41 in February 2023.
In addition, the average price of Vegetable oil (1 bottle, specify bottle) stood at N1,220.62 in March 2023, showing an increase of 25.80 percent from N970.29 in March 2022. On a month-on-month basis, this rose by 2.00 percent from N1,196.68 in February 2023.
The Guardian market survey found that a kilo of average size shawa fish rose from N1,200 to N1,400, while kote rose from N1,200 to N1,500 and Titus fish rose from N1, 800 to N2, 200.
A kilo of Turkey rose from N2,800 to N3,800, while chicken rose from N1,700 to N2,400. A 50kg bag of yellow garri rose from N11, 500 to 18,000, while white garri rose from N12,000 to N18,000. A bag of brown beans rose from N36, 000 to N50, 000.
For 25 litres of groundnut oil, the price jumped from N22,000 to N32,000. A cartoon of indomie smallest size rose from N2,800 to N4,000, while bellefull rose from N4,000 to N7,000.
A derica of Egusi rose from N1,100 to N1,400, Ogbono rose from N4,000 to N6,000, while a derica of dry pepper rose from N900 to N1,300.
A foodstuff seller at Iyana Oba market in Lagos, Rejoice Edwin, said foodstuffs are very expensive, adding that people now buy just about half of what they used to buy because that is what their money can afford.
The founder of a catering service, Meals by Peace catering Services, Mrs Peace Adewale, told our correspondent that the price of making food has increased by 100 per cent due to the hike in prices of commodities in the market.
She said a 2.5 litres bowl of Egusi soup rose from N8,000 to between N15, 000 and N18, 000, while Ogbono and vegetable soup rose from N10,000 to between N20,000 to N22,000 depending on the ingredient.
Adewole said for a 2.5litres bowl of stew, which cost between N8,000 to N10,000 in the past, now goes for N15, 000, noting that with the continuous hike in commodities, there might be possible increase in the prices.
“People are opting for what their money can afford and unfortunately, because of the cost of these food items, people are having to take sub-standard stuff from caterers who have no conscience.
“In all sincerity, the salaries of some of the people who patronise me has not changed, they have not increased and they are still expected to patronise me. It even becomes more difficult for them to bring out that large chunk of money to spend on a soup bowl,” she stated.
Stakeholders are of the view that the promises of a better life for the people made by the Buhari administration have remained a pipe dream, insisting that instead of a respite, the country is being mired in socio-economic quagmire to the chagrin of the citizenry.
In their view, there is no policy direction in the agricultural sector and so the nation has been groping in the dark.
President All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc. Kabir Ibrahim who spoke with The Guardian in a telephone interview said the situation is a pitiable one.
According to him, though food inflation is a global one because of the unabated effects of COVID 19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Nigeria’s case is exacerbated by the weak purchasing power of the National currency and insecurity that has made farmers to abandon their farms.
In his words, “The threat to food security from the days of COVID 19 is still there and it is global, but more importantly, the purchasing power of our currency is still very low, and of course we had flooding last year that swept away many farmlands.
“Let us not forget the war in Ukraine because the price of fertiliser has gone beyond the reach of an average Farmer. Again our infrastructure like power to preserve perishable food items is a problem. There is also high cost of transportation of the agricultural produce from where they are produced to the market. All these add to the cost of the produce in the market.”
He said the rising food prices has increased the pressure on families as they struggle with other socio-economic challenges.
According to him, “There is increasing fragility among the people because the majority of our people are really poor and no one farmer can produce everything that he needs, so they still go to the market and if they cannot exchange what they have with what they need, that means deficit.”
He advised that the way out of the problem is to revamp the entire economy and make more investments in the agricultural sector to encourage more people to go into farming.
“Again we must subsidise inputs especially seeds, we must also go into mechanisation because the cost of Labour is too high,” he said.
For the National President, Oil Palm Producers Association of Nigeria, Comrade Alphonsus Inyang, everything centres on policy. “If there is no target, and no policy, you are going nowhere,” he said.
Inyang noted that after the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), of the Jonathan administration, which was dumped by the Buhari administration, there has been no policy that gives direction to the agricultural sector.
According to Inyang, “Everything concerning agriculture under this administration has been politics. The Governor of the CBN became the Minister of Agriculture who made so much noise about rice and Maize pyramids and how Nigeria now produces more rice than Thailand and how rice milling factories in Thailand are closing shop because of the milling factories in Nigeria. All those were politics. Until we have an agricultural policy that focuses on developing the small holder farmers, taking inputs directly to them and empowering them to produce for everybody, we go nowhere.”