When in 2015 the APP(Agricultural Promotion Policy) aka Green Alternative was unveiled by the Buhari Administration Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief hoping that the full implementation of the policy will ensure the proper diversification of the economy and therefore make Nigeria more prosperous.
The CBN keyed into the policy immediately by evolving the Anchor Borrower Scheme to ensure that the farmers remained in production because whatever they produced would be seamlessly off-taken and they were assured of support to optimize their production.
The program also provided for processors to be supported to optize their processes.
Over the last 5 years several other programs, windows of opportunity and several Bills sprouted to make Agriculture the mainstay of the economy.
A lot of money was also expended by the CBN and other institutions to make Agriculture work sustainably but a lot still must be done to attain food sufficiency.
In 2019 the COVID-19 pandemic posed a challenge for the whole world and Nigeria has suffered from the set back proportional to its level of preparedness.
The economy went into recession a few times but miraculously came out!
The current inflation especially around food is worrisome more so due to the effect of climate change and insecurity preventing the farmers to readily access their farms.
If food becomes inaccessible to a large segment of the society some form of restiveness may likely erupt which can mar all efforts to improve the economy and living conditions of the people.
This will have a more devastating effect on the stability of the country than the Banditry, Kidnapping, farmer/herder conflicts, Boko Haram and some of the agitations for restructuring the country.
There may not be any country to restructure if we do not tackle the crisis in the food system.
Recently the UN has been having dialogues all over the World about how to shore up the global food system in preparation for 2050 when the global population will be almost 10,000,000,000 with Nigeria becoming the third most populous nation on earth with nearly 400,000,000 mouths to feed.
To adequately prepare for the imminent food crisis Nigeria has to take some painful but far reaching decisions in the management of its food system:
1. Mainstream all the various efforts from the FMARD, the CBN,NALDA,FMTI, the Ministry of Environment etc.
2. Set up a Food Security Council with a Special Adviser or Director General to properly drive the FOOD SYSTEM.
3. Probe all the investments in Agriculture by the CBN and the FMARD where infractions bordering on Farmer data capture, unauthorized and fraudulent projects such as the purported 30million Naira Friday Mosque in an unnamed IDP camp, tarred rural feeder roads in Urban areas etc. abound!
4. Ensure that all institutions such as NIMET,NASC, NAIC, BOA BOI etc. saddled with supporting the food system work efficiently and sustainably.
The forecasts made by NIMET for the 2021 farming season are being proved germane and succinct due to the serious threat of famine in Northern Nigeria!
Climate Change is real and not a FAIRY TALE!
5. Agricultural inputs such as both chemical and organic fertilizers, herbicides etc. must be readily affordable to farmers and also available like
coca-cola!
6.The research system must be further supported and charged with the attainment of certain milestones such as closing deficits in food crops such as Maize, Rice, Cassava, Yam, Potato etc especially now that the PVP(plant variety protection)Bill has been signed into law.
7.The Nigerian Customs should be empowered to fine offenders and auction any contraband promptly without waiting until the efficacy of the product is completely lost as in the recently auctioned fertilizers.
8.Any breach of the law around food and food production must be dispassionately made to bear without any exceptions!
9. Nigeria must redouble its effort to dominate the food system of AFRICA through full participation in the AfCFTA because invariably Nigeria is looked upon as the food basket of a sizable portion of the AFRICAN Continent, even if informally.
A population of 400,000,000 mouths to feed is a ticking bomb waiting to explode if it is not adequately catered for therefore Armageddon is almost certain if we do not, decisively, ACT NOW!
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