Farmers under the aegis of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) have raised alarm over looming hunger across the country and urged the government to intervene urgently to avert this.
In a statement on Monday, the National President of AFAN, Kabir Ibrahim, said food inflation and severe pressures on Nigeria’s agricultural system, including low mechanisation, difficulty in access to credit, veritable and affordable seed, manageable transportation, insecurity, and flooding were driving hunger.
Ibrahim warned that unless urgent and focused action is taken to address agriculture and agribusiness challenges, Nigeria could face devastating food shortages.
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.
“They should be implemented transparently and dispassionately for them to impact the food system by immediately bringing down prices,” he stated.
The AFAN president called for transparency and efficiency in the distribution of palliatives, importation of essential food items, and support to smallholder farmers, stating that these efforts must be managed effectively to bring immediate relief to Nigerians.
