By Adelola Amihere
Nigerian farmers have raised an alarm that the country may experience shortage in food supply going by the flash floods being experienced around the country
In a statement signed by the National President, All Farners Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arch Kabir Ibrahim, despite the windows of support to the farming communities from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and other sources which have been impactful, getting a bountiful harvest is already been threatened by the floods
The statement read: “As one traverses the nation from Dankama in Katsina State to Dutse In Jigawa State, Birnin Magaji in Kano State, Osogbo in Osun State,Ogbomosho in Oyo State, Nkwere in Imo State,Calabar in Cross River State etc. it’s all green signifying a potential bountiful farming season.
“The floods in June upto early August all over the nation have washed away burgeoning crops and livestock enough to make the farmers apprehensive of imminent food shortage, though!
“For those of us living in the fringes of the Sahara our large ruminants are mere skeletons because animal feed is very costly and very hard to come by.
“Wheat offal is going for close to 5000 per 50Kg”.
Lamenting further, the AFAN President further added that “the poultry industry is in distress because of the scarcity and prohibitive cost of the energy component of poultry feed!
“The skyrocketing prices of staples and grains such as maize selling for 18,000 per 100Kg scare the living day lights out of us.
“All these compounded by the COVID-19 still around us as much as when it impeded access to our farms during the complete lockdown portend a serious disaster to the food system”.
According to him, several measures can be taken to mitigate the effect of a worst case scenario.
“The GMP (guaranteed minimum price) for produce should be
re-established; the Bill for the reestablishment of the NFRA( National Food Reserve Agency) should be signed into law immediately and the NADF(National Agricultural Development Fund) should be established as soon as possible.
Other measures include, “the establishment of a seed fund as soon as possible, the immediate appointment of a Special Adviser on Food Security as well as the of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reappraisal through a PIVA (Partner Institution Viability Assessment).”
