Nigeria, a giant in agricultural business may not be in her best of state, in the agro produce distribution network at the moment. The sympathetic state of some crisis thorn regions of the country has skyrocketed prices of goods and commodities, and has even made an emergency scarcity of some basic produce, in areas where they are needed most.

Ever since the insurgency in the North East of Nigeria began several years ago, there has been a sharp decline in the agricultural revenue of states that where known for most crop produce. For example, the once bubbly green fields in Borno, which were synonymous with large scale production of tomatoes, onions, carrots and other fresh produce, are in a comatose state. Several of the villages that supplied these produce toother parts of the country have either become war zones or have been wiped away, with many of the once enterprising farmers hiding as refugees and struggling to feed themselves and their families. A trip to some regions to buy fresh produce in bulk would only amount to an attempt at suicide. This situation, according to Mallam Ibrahim Ahmad, a farmer and native of Bama in Borno State, is responsible for the high cost of fresh produce at markets around the country, especially in Lagos State.

hausa EXIT

“I used to be based in my village in Bama, until the insurgents attacked us one early morning and swept the whole village. Those that were lucky escaped. They carted away most of our properties, including money. My own farm, which is not too far from my house, was an escape route for them. “As I speak with you, I am currently riding okada(motor cycle) to make ends meet, as I still feel it’s unsafe to go back home”.

Despite the efforts by the government in calming the troubled North East, a mass exodus of big investors from there, especially Western expatriates has, been witnessed. So far, Nigeria’s economy appears to be shaky, especially as the year draws to an end. Stocks have dipped since the crisis got to its peak, though Western companies have not announced plans for a mass exodus.

According to Ernst & Young, more than $21 billion of foreign direct investment was attracted into Nigeria in 2013, up 28% from the year before. The country has attracted the most foreign direct investment in sub-Saharan Africa since 2007. The current security situation has dealt a heavy blow on the nation’s GDP, which is now $490 billion.A trader who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity decried the high handedness of security operatives on highways, especially the military.

TRANSPORTING GOODS

“As long distance travelers, we always cover our heads and noses against the cold. This kind of dressing has been labeled as ‘Boko Haramic’, because of their similar appearance. When these soldiers sight us on trucks with our goods, they cork their guns and position and make us come down from our vehicles. Sometimes, we spend the whole day in detention, even when they know we are just long distance farm produce marketers. They ransack our trucks and scatter them, in the guise of searching for hidden arms inside our baskets.In the process, we lose bags of produce and spend hours or almost a day in detention, especially if we don’t meet their financial demands. Imagine keeping tomatoes in the sun for hours and taking them to the market when they have started to rot from the heat. It’s terrible.”

A cross border source also revealed a sharp decline in trans-border trade of agricultural produce, especially into countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Even when these countries need the produce from these terror-plagued areas, they prefer to buy from very expensive sources, to prevent infiltration by terrorists.