EMERGENCY DECLARATION ON FOOD…Poor Implementation Mars 19-month Exercise

Govt is unserious, say experts | Want state governments’ buy-in | Impact not felt – Prof Amalu

Nearly two years after the federal government declared a state of emergency on food security, experts say the food crisis has worsened rather than improved.

In July 2023, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security, promising swift interventions to combat rising food prices, insecurity affecting farming communities, and low agricultural productivity.

The administration outlined several policies to increase crop production, accelerate livestock transformation, subsidise inputs for farmers, implement mechanisation programmes, and enhance security in the farm areas.

However, nearly two years later, food prices continue to soar, and many Nigerians struggle to afford basic meals.

The latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) projections in November 2024 forecast that about 33.1 million Nigerians will face acute food and nutrition insecurity by mid-2025.

Despite the state of emergency declaration, the report noted that persistent insecurity, food inflation, floods, and high fuel prices continue to undermine government efforts to achieve food security.
In July 2024, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari announced a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities as a component of the State of the Emergency declaration on food security. However, the policy time frame has expired without implementation.

According to the experts, the food crisis will continue to worsen unless the government shifts from rhetoric to practical, grassroots-driven solutions and improves budgetary allocation to agriculture.
They insist that more needs to be done regarding policy implementation, monitoring and stakeholder inclusion.

In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, Professor Uche Amalu, an agronomy expert from the University of Calabar, expressed concerns about the level of food security in Nigeria.
He criticised the federal government for failing to back its policies with concrete actions, stating that “the government appears to be paying lip service to the food crisis.”

According to Prof Amalu, food security is more than just food production, but involves ensuring food is available, accessible, and affordable to all Nigerians, while maintaining environmental sustainability.

He noted that Nigeria had not prioritised food security in its budgetary allocations, with agriculture receiving far less than the 10 per cent benchmark set by the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security.

“So much of this administration’s budget has not shifted to improving allocations for food and food security.

“Our government does not appear to be interested in the safety of the food we produce. Instead, it is focused on imported foods, many of which are genetically modified. We must shift our focus to eating what we produce and producing what we eat.

“Since the declaration of the state of emergency on food security, instead of improvement, we are seeing more challenges, food is becoming increasingly unaffordable, yet no significant action has been taken to change the situation,” Prof Amalu told LEADERSHIP.

He argued that the government had failed to translate policy announcements into real action, urging President Tinubu’s administration to “walk the talk.”

To address Nigeria’s food security crisis, Amalu advocated the adoption of Low-Input Agricultural Technology (LIAT), which prioritises cost-effective farming methods that to cater to resource-poor farmers.

He stressed that the government must actively support rural farmers through extension services, training programmes, and access to more affordable agricultural inputs.

National president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc Kabir Ibrahim, acknowledged the government’s commitment to achieving food security through various programmes but emphasised that the journey remains a work in progress.

He stressed the need for closer collaboration between federal and subnational governments to ensure success.

“To attain sustainable food security, we need to curb insecurity, reduce post-harvest losses, mitigate climate change-related incidents and provide subsidies on all inputs,” Ibrahim stated.

He also highlighted the importance of adequate food distribution and the role of government support in achieving these goals.

Ibrahim said the state of emergency on food security declared in 2023 had yet to produce the desired impact.

The declaration should be amplified with proper implementation, consistent monitoring, and prompt evaluation of all food security programmes,” he said.

On his part, the national president of the Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor, in a more critical assessment of the government’s approach, acknowledged that the government’s policies were well-intended but pointed out significant flaws in their execution.

Okafor lamented that while farmers were carried along in policy formulation, they were often excluded from the implementation process.

He also raised concerns about the continued food insecurity despite the state of emergency declaration.
He said, “The policy is okay, but implementation is terrible; we are struggling with challenges such as climate change, Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, double taxation, multiple roadblocks, and a lack of innovative agricultural technology.

“Many Nigerians still go to bed hungry, yet food is a fundamental human right. The government must do more to ensure food is available for every citizen,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Okafor acknowledged that government had made some efforts. He, however, urged governments to allow farmers greater participation in decision-making and policy implementation.