The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has identified flooding, insecurity, low mechanization, and difficulty in accessing credit as some of the factors responsible for the country’s food shortage.
The farmers warned that Nigeria could face severe food shortages if the government fails to address these challenges.
This was disclosed in a statement by the National President of AFAN, Kabir Ibrahim, on Monday.
Ibrahim called on the Federal Government to intervene urgently to prevent the country from slipping into a worse situation.
He revealed that measures such as food importation, support for smallholder farmers, and the distribution of palliatives and agricultural inputs should be implemented.
He urged the government to adopt seamless agribusiness practices, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Ibrahim also encouraged the government to offer incentives and affordable credit to small and large-scale agribusiness farmers, noting that this would boost food production and distribution.
However, Ibrahim pointed out that palliatives and mass importation are only temporary measures.
He urged the government to consider long-term solutions, especially sustainable agribusiness practices that support smallholder farmers.
He said, “Various efforts such as the importation of some food items for a given period in defined quantities, support to smallholder farmers or small-scale producers, and distribution of palliatives and agricultural inputs are works in progress.
“These should be implemented transparently and dispassionately for them to impact the food system by immediately bringing down prices.
“The most probable respite can come by encouraging seamless agribusiness practices through AfCFTA and other available windows.
“The engine room of food production in Nigeria still revolves around the smallholder farmers, who should be encouraged to scale up by enabling them to get real value for their produce, among a myriad of other incentives.”
