Editorial- COVID-19: A call for deliberate food action plans.

We wish to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his directive to the task committee on COVID 19 that 6,000 metric tons of food from the National Grains Reserve in the strategic silos be released to cushion effect of scarcity and increasing food prices in at least the three states of the federation namely, FCT, Lagos and Ogun that have been officially locked down, with movement restrictions for 14 days;


The Secretary to the Government of Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha also made us to understand, during one of the press briefings, that the same privilege would be extended to other states disclosing that 70,000 metric tons of different grains food would be forwarded to other states with immediate effect.

As laudable as this directive is, we are concerned about the feasibility of the grains in the national reserves being enough to meet this demand, in view of many challenges that have faced the agricultural sector for a long time now, among which are inadequate inputs and seeds supply, absence of or inadequate mechanization, coupled with herdsmen/ farmers clashes that have led to destruction of farmlands, produce and animals; desertion of farms by farmers due to insecurity.

Added to this is the impact of climate change that has resulted in unprecedented flooding and submerging of produce and millions of naira worth of investment being washed away cum infrastructural dilapidations in the country. We still remember losses suffered by members of the Rice Farmers Association from the flood disaster experienced in the recent past.

 With all these, we are compelled to ask where the grains like maize, sorghum, millets, rice and even garri (whose producers’, Cassava Growers Association had once offered to supplying into the silos during gluts few years back was turned down by the Government) come from, when it is obvious there was no real preparation for a moment like this in our food productivity action plan? Also a great challenge is inadequate and untimely funding of the sector.

Also lacking are infrastructures and other processing facilities that will ensure a consistent productivity from farms to tables. If we may ask, what is the total figure of the grains in our national reserve silos that are presently on concessions to the private individuals for management? It is obvious that no measure has been put in place to tackle any eventuality of this nature even at the Ebola experience and other animals’ diseases in the past years. 

What we have in our hands have shown that both the States and FG programmes for agricultural development have not been able to stand the test of time as a result of lack of pragmatic preparations in terms of processing facilities and other infrastructures that will ensure a smooth productivity from farm to table, as no measure is put in place to checkmate an eventuality  as in a time like this  even with the country’s Ebola and Lassa fever and other animals diseases experience.

It is our opinions that from farms to tables processes of agricultural value chains in Nigeria need to be overhauled as we must be fair to ourselves to know that our food security system is already heading towards an avoidable disaster and that something proactive need to be done to put it right for efficient food supplies just in case this stay at home order persists more than necessary.

We need to mention that our inputs distribution system has collapsed in the last four- five years thereby negatively impacting on farmers’ increase production.

Also the policies summersault of Government after Government is a very serious challenge to the national food security, and this is the more reason why we feel a deliberate National Plan for Agriculture that will span 15 to 20years without any interruption must be developed for foods supply consistency as competent people are deployed to man strategic positions for implementation and process for service delivery.