Author: omoike mercy

Intervention

By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 28, 2024 (NAN) Some agriculture stakeholders have called for equitable distribution of the Federal Government’s support programmes  to address food insecurity in the country.

The experts made their call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

They spoke against the background of President Bola Tinubu’s meeting with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on the need to address food crisis in the country.

The President at the meeting approved immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme to cover all geo-political zones in the country to boost agricultural productivity.

Under the programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, is prioritised.

Mr Segun Adebayo, the Deputy Director, Centre for Food Safety and Agriculture Research, urged the Federal Government to address the security issues in local farms.

“We have not dealt with the underlying issues, these palliatives is like trying to cut a tree from the top.

“If farmers who are supposed to handle the food security issues in our country are at risk, how do solve the food inflation issued.

“This palliative by the Presidency is cosmetic solution and it is not sustainable. Palliatives have never been a solution to problems like food insecurity. They are short term measures.

“Even the challenge with these palliatives again is that if we take a random survey to find out how many people are beneficiaries, you will hardly find the beneficiaries.

“Most times the people sent to share these palliatives divert  it into their families, friends and people they know,” Adebayo said.

He, however,  noted that, “Food is a bio-fuel. It is like giving palliatives to buy fuel for your car. If they buy tomorrow, what will happen tomorrow?

“If the government provides food palliatives at the cost of N155 billion, the question is how sustainable is it? Will the food continue to multiply itself?

“If we do not solve the foundational problem of security in our farms, then the food inflation will persist,” he said.

Mr Charles Idonije, an ecosystem enabler and agriculture analyst, commended the government’s effort for sustainable road network for agriculture logistics.

“The coastal highway road network constructions proposed by the Presidency to address the food insecurity issues is the right way moving forward.

“It is commendable as it will open up more inter-state trade relationships and improve more of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across all states,” Idonije said.

Idonije who commended the initiative stressed the need for effective implementation.

“In terms of the N155 billion for agri-food purchases and distributions nationwide, is commendable but how effective will it be implemented?

“We do not have the problem of having right policies in the country but the problem is that the implementation and the execution of the policies that are faulty.

“Now, is the distribution of food palliative going to be seamless and transparent? So, that it can reach the most vulnerable in the society.

“Is it going to reach down to the poorest of the poor? A case study is the distribution of food during the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not get to the bottom of the prism.

“It is just a policy thing, it is the implementation and the execution that matters. If we can have a system where this fund is shared across all key stakeholders in the sector, it will alleviate the food crisis we are currently experiencing,” he said.

Reiterating the essence of an even distribution of the palliatives, Mrs Anthonia Amakwe, the Chairperson, Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture, called for the right modality.

“What strategies are being put in place to disburse these palliatives rolled out by the Presidency?

“Are the food interventions going to be shared through associations, groups, local governments, or states?

“It is not just about releasing the palliatives and interventions but the modalities that will be applied in distribution of these interventions must be well spelt out, so it can go round.

“Otherwise the interventions will still remain in the hands of few people and this has been the order of the day in this country. The government will release interventions and at the end it does not get to everyone,” Amakwe said.

She called for the adoption of urban farming to quell the effects of the food crisis.

“Nigerians are resilient and even without these palliatives, we have been improvising to survive.

“Urban farming of vegetables and peppers are springing up in local residences due to the high cost in the market.

“If everyone embarks on urban farming, it will also help cushion the effects of food crisis in the country,” she said. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Beans
By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 23, 2024 (NAN) Canteen and restaurant owners have decried the rising cost of beans as they seek Federal Government’s intervention over the staple food.

The food vendors said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.

NAN reports that in recent times the price of beans has tripled in the market nationwide.

A 40kg bag of beans, which sold for N26,000 in January, now sells for N115,000, while a 100kg bag which sold for N55,000 at the beginning of the year, now sells for N230,000 to N280,000 per bag depending on the species.

Mrs Kemi Adebayo, a restaurant owner in Alagutan, Alimosho area, lamented that food vendors are not making profit from the sale of beans owing to the price hike.

“We do not know how to do it anymore, we are just selling to be in business. We are not making profits at all. Beans has become gold.

“If there is anything the government can do to help us,  it will go a long way to help. We sell beans now for N300 per spoon.

“This is the highest we have seen since I started this cooking business. There are no alternatives to beans, we have thought of any alternative to beans. In fact, the price of all food items is on the increase.

“Even people that ask for spaghetti to mix with their rice have no choice but to buy beans. It is a necessary dietary requirement,” Adebayo said.

A trader of mashed beans locally known as ‘Ewa Agoyin’ at the Folarin area of Alimosho, Mrs Titilayo Oremeji, said they can no longer buy the produce in large quantities since the hike.

“I mainly sell beans because the locals prefer the ‘Ewa Agoyin’ delicacy but the price hike is crippling business.

“I usually buy a bag of beans for business but I can’t afford to buy it now. I just bought a few ‘derica’ to cook for my customers this morning.

“Presently,  a cup sells for as high as N1,700, we bought a derica for N500 early in January.

“I was told to go to the Agege Market, that I would get a bag of mixed species of beans at N220,000 as against N260,000 to N280,000 for the regular beans,” Oremeji said.

She noted that “food vendors have started selling beans for N200 per serving spoon, so as to break even.

“There are indeed no alternatives to beans, though to feel satisfied, some of our customers order fried plantain, yam and bread with the beans they can afford.

“We just want the government to wade into this situation and make things easy for the average Nigerian,” she said.

On her part, a cooked food trader popularly known as Iya Adetoun, at Apatira Street, Alimosho, decried the situation and how they have cut down on the volume they cook daily.

“The rising price of beans is biting hard on our business, but we have no choice but to sell as we buy.

“We have increased the price of beans per serving. Before the price hike, we used to sell a spoon at N50 but now, we sell at N200 per serving spoon.

“There are no alternatives to beans, though some customers combine their meals with spaghetti, most still insist on beans.

“We have reduced the quantity we sell because not everyone can afford the usual staple food,” she said.

A civil servant, Mrs Ada Okoye, a mother of three,  told NAN that the price of beans has become very alarming and beyond the reach of many Nigerians.

Okoye said she had to look for other alternative to beans like pigeon peas popularly known as ‘fiofio’ in Igbo.

“I had to look for other seedlings in form of beans to buy which are lesser in price, like pigeon peas.

“I do also buy beans but I have reduced the amount and frequency in cooking it so that we at least eat it,” she said.

Mrs Iyabo Bello, a mother of three, said that it has become very difficult to eat balanced diet in Nigeria.

“The hike of beans price is worrisome, owing that the commodity is one of the major source of protein that people commonly consume.

“It’s over two months that I ate beans last because of the hike in price, as my salary cannot afford extra cost because everything is costly in the market.

“Even other sources of protein are costly and people are now struggling to have balanced diet in this country,” Bello said.

She called on the Federal Government to tackle the persistent rising food inflation and food insecurity in the country to prevent imminent hunger.(NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

LASG
By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 21, 2024 (NAN) The Lagos State Government has tasked all heads of agriculture and social services across its 57 local councils on improved agriculture practices to tackle food shortage in the state.

The Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-olu on Rural Development, Dr Nurudeen Agbaje, gave the charge at an interactive session held at the ministry in Alausa, Ikeja.

He reiterated that the food shortage in the state was a result of few people venturing into agriculture.
Agbaje also harped on the importance of agricultural revolution in the state, noting that the agricultural sector can only be improved and enhanced when adequate attention is given to it at the grassroots.
Hence the need for Heads of Agricultural Departments at the Councils to equip farmers in the communities with requisite skills needed for farming all year round.
He disclosed that the state government would continue to invest and improve agriculture sector to tackle the dearth of food production and distribution in Lagos.
He enjoined the participants to engage farmers in their domain to identify areas where government can come in to help increase agric production.

Agbaje noted that the goal of achieving food security in the state is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, urging everyone to partner with the agriculture sector to fight food shortage in the state.
Also, Mrs Kikelomo Bolarinwa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, commended the HODs for ensuring that the efforts of the governor in cascading development to rural farmers was achieved.

Bolarinwa was represented at the event by the Director, Rural Agriculture, Mrs Tawakaltu Kosoko.

She reiterated that the interactive session was a move by the state government to foster agriculture development across the state, especially at the grassroots.

Bolarinwa revealed that there would be subsequent meetings targeted toward equipping rural farmers on improved methods and tools that would engender increase in agriculture productivity amongst farmers in these communities.

Responding, Mr Rasheed Bada, the Chairman, Body of Heads of the Department of Agric. & Social Services, applauded Sanwo-Olu’s administration for ensuring that the Office of Rural Development in the Ministry becomes a rallying point where rural farmers across the state can access information and opportunities that would help improve agriculture production.

Bada said the body would continue to work in tandem with the T.H.E.M.E.S. Plus Agenda of Lagos State until the dream of making Lagos State a 21st Century economy is achieved. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Food
By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 18, 2024 (NAN) Some agriculture experts have proffered solutions in addressing the rising food inflation in the country.
The experts said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, while reacting to the May inflation figure.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Nigeria’s headline inflation rate increased to 33.95 per cent in May 2024.
The NBS said this in its Consumer Price Index  and Inflation Report for May released on Saturday.
According to the report, the figure is 0.26 per cent points higher against the 33.69 per cent recorded in April 2024.
It said on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate in May 2024 was 11.54 per cent higher than the rate recorded in May 2023 at 22.41 per cent.
The report said the food inflation rate in May 2024 increased to 40.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis, which was 15.84 per cent higher against 24.82 per cent recorded in May 2023.
The NBS said in May 2024, food inflation on a year-on-year basis was highest in Kogi with 46.32 per cent followed by  Ekiti with 44.94 per cent and Adamawa with the lowest figure of 31.72 per cent.
Mr Akin Alabi, an agriculture analyst, said the subsidisation of farm inputs to local farmers would help in crashing the growing food inflation.
“The rising food inflation in the latest NBS report  indicates the need for an urgent action by the government.
“There is an urgent need for the government to begin to subsidise farm inputs for smallholder farmers.
“Subsiding farm inputs for local farmers will help reduce the growing food inflation in the country,” he said.
Alabi also called for the set-up and implementation of a commodity board price.
“The government needs a monitoring agency to monitor the prices of food as it leaves the farm to the market.
“Sometimes, middlemen intentionally inflate the price of food items, and exploit the average buyer with exorbitant prices.
“For example, they should target major markets to monitor the prices, but again you cannot dictate food prices when you have not subsidised the inputs for farmers.
“As a country, we must involve inter-state partnerships, each must recognise their crop strengths and exchange with lacking states,” Alabi said.
On his part, Mr Omotunde Banjoko, an agriculture analyst and farmer, explained that the reasons for persistent food inflation were multifaceted.
Banjoko noted that high cost of transportation was a factor to increase in food prices.
“It costs a lot to transport agro-produce from where they are being cultivated to the markets.
“Even petrol sells as high as N600 per litre in some states and N800 and above in other states. All these logistics cost are also factored into the cost of cultivation as well as sales.
“The cost of crop cultivation is going up on a weekly basis, hence food inflation is imminent.
“For instance, in poultry and animal farming, the cost of feed is rather unpredictable and increasing on a daily basis.
“Currently, a lot of poultry and animal farms have shut down in recent months due to these increasing costs, so it is not about making profits.
“Only those few who are able to meet up the cost of cultivation are still in business. So, we have less food production,” Banjoko said.
He explained that the cost of food items would keep increasing with closure of more farms.
“The government should help subsidise the cost of food cultivation in the country and harmonisation of taxes for agro-produce.
“We heard the government is already on it, and if implemented it will be a right step in the right direction in ending food inflation.
“Multiple taxation on farmers should be stopped to address this food inflation. Farmers sometimes incur more costs in multiple taxation,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Ismail Olawale, a strategic agriculture communication expert, said multiple taxation and adequate transportation of agro-produce must be addressed.
“We do not need economic statistics to begin to explain the effects of this inflation, it is something everyone is witnessing.
“In the northwest, farmers bring in so much produce and livestock to sell without greed.
“However, the middlemen are the major problems, they buy the produce from the farmers in bulk and middlemen sell it at exploitative prices.
“The middlemen do not only buy these items but the hoard them to increase the prices later. Some even sell these produce to neighbouring countries at the detriment of the locals.
“They sell to the highest bidders and allow the average Nigerian bear the brunt of the cost,” Olawale said.
He added that taxes collected from farmers at the border of every state during transportation of these produce were factored into the price of the produce.
“All these are underlying factors that influence the food inflation in the country. If the government can handle this illegal multiple taxations on agro-produce, the food inflation will gradually drop.
“Food inflation is not caused by the stock exchange, we must get logistics right and address multiple taxation.
“The transportation system is very crucial in determining the price of food items in Nigeria,” he said. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Hybrid

By Mercy Omoike

Lagos, June 13, 2024 (NAN) Some agriculture experts have urged the Federal Government to provide hybrid seedlings to farmers as interventions in order to ensure food security.

The experts made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Mr Rabiu Zuntu,  the Chairman Tomatoes Growers Association Kaduna State, appealed to the government to provide hybrid service to local farmers because of their disease and weather resistant nature.

“We want the government to give hybrid seeds as palliatives to farmers rather than the open pollinated seeds.

“Farmers hardly have the financial capacity to buy hybrid seeds which are most times disease and pest resistant.

“Most times, a sachet of hybrid seeds costs more than N10, 000 and to cultivate an hectare of land, a farmer needs up to N200, 000 to N300, 000 per hectare.

“Due to this, a lot of farmers cannot afford so have to cultivate the open-pollinated seeds which cannot resist pest infestation as we are currently facing with the ‘Tuta Aboluta’ on tomatoes.

“Hybrid seedlings are more climate change resistant and can endure through any weather or temperature conditions.

“Hybrid seedlings should be given to farmers as interventions; if we continue with the open pollinated varieties, the interventions will not yield any tangible results.

“Climate change is really affecting crop cultivation especially tomatoes, hence open pollinated seeds cannot survive the hardship of the weather.

“From the flowering stage, some of these crops just die off,” he said.

On his part, Dr Ismail Olawale, a strategic agriculture communication expert, called for caution in the full adoption of hybrid seedlings.

“The appeal to the government from the farmers to be provided with hybrid seeds is not going to be a one-stop solution.

“It will help increase productivity but however it comes with its challenges; the question is whether consumers more comfortable with hybrid produce.

“Will taste disparity in the hybrid produce be acceptable to the ultimate consumers?

“The farmers should not just call for improved production through hybrid seeds but should consider all factors connected to it.”

He urged lesser dependence on hybrid seedlings but sustainable solutions to ensuring food security in the country.

“The farmers should not just seek a one-time solution to problems; what is the sustainability of hybrid seeds; can it be replanted after harvest?

“If the government provides the seeds this year, will the government be willing to give for the next planting season?

“How can the farmers sustain the procurement of these hybrid seeds?” he queried. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

Eggs
By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 12, 2024 (NAN) The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has blamed the consistent hike in egg prices on low production and high cost of feed.
The PAN Lagos state Chairman, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, and other stakeholders in the sector disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the price of egg has increased tremendously, making the common source of protein in the past out of the reach of many Nigerians.
NAN also reports that a crate of egg sells between N3,800 and N4,000 from the farm gate and above N4,500 in retail shops and markets against N3,200 to N3,500 it was sold in May.
A tonne of maize currently sells for N800,000 as against N400,000 in January.
Iyiola attributed the persistent hike in the price of eggs to scarcity.
“The reason for the current hike in the price of eggs is that eggs are very scarce now.
“Most farmers have sold off their old layers, and to get new stock is very expensive as the price of a day-old chick is becoming unbearable.
“Farmers able to buy day-old chicks are considered to be well-to-do. Also, a majority of our local farmers have shut down their farms due to the high cost of feed.
“Presently, a kilogramme of maize costs as high as N850 as against N400 to N500 that was being sold for at the beginning of the year.
“The same thing applies to soya and the groundnut cake, the prices have increased astronomically,” the PAN chairman said.
He, however, said that the increase in the cost of eggs is not commensurate to the rate at which the cost of feed materials are increasing.
“In fact most farmers are running at a loss. That is why the only existing farmers are trying to keep the sector running.
“Even if a crate of egg sells at N5,000, the farmers will only be managing to get by.
“We want to liaise with the food hub at Idi-oro, our farmers are complaining that they can no longer afford to sell at a loss.
“We supply eggs at the farm gate at N3,800 per crate and with the same logistics we still sell at N3,800 at the hub. This means we are running at a loss.
“With all these incurred logistics expenses a crate of eggs should be sold for N4,500 at the food hub,” he said.
According to him, the way things are going if things are not controlled, the sector may collapse entirely.
“It seems consuming eggs have become luxury in our diets.
“We have scheduled a meeting with the government to tackle the situation because there is nothing an individual can do on this issue. We need government intervention,” Iyiola added.
Also speaking, Mr Godwin Egbebe, the National Publicity Secretary PAN, attributed the hike in the cost of raw materials to the reason for the rise in egg prices.
“Early this month, a tonne of maize sold for N720,000 but as of today 12 June, 2024, it sells at N800,000. During the former President Buhari’s administration a tonne of maize was sold at N80,000.
“The increment is over 1,000 per cent, so you can see the reasons for the hike in poultry producers.
“The way forward is that government as a matter of urgency should bring in grains in the short term.
“And in the long term, they should ensure that farmers go back to their farms secured.
“Farmers are not producing enough grains because of insecurity. Palliatives cannot solve the problem, it is like a drop in an ocean. It makes little or no impact,” Egbebe said.
He said that in some supermarkets, eggs are being sold for N5,000 and above.
“Everyday we go to buy feeds, the price changes. As we speak, farmers are actually selling at a loss.
“Most farmers are not breaking even, so they are folding up, it is not funny anymore,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Theresa Muyi, a poultry farmer in Alimosho, decried the situation and the helplessness of local farmers to the persistent hike in feed prices.
“Poultry feed has gone up and we now sell a crate of egg from the farm gate between N3,800 and N4,000. The retailers sell from N4,500 and above.
“The price is still unstable because almost every week there is an increase in feed prices.
“Eggs seem to have become luxury to the common man as a piece of egg now sells at N200 and above,” Muyi said. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma