COVID -19 Dialogue – Communique

DANGER OF FOOD CRISIS IN NIGERIA

The fear of an impending food crisis prompted SENCE Agric Limited to hold an online town hall meeting on Wednesday, 22^nd April 2020. The meeting was to discuss the challenges facing the agriculture sector now and, in the coming months, and to find solutions that will enable us to avoid a food security crisis. The town hall meeting was attended by stakeholders from various areas of the value chain and participants shared their experience of life during the Corona Virus pandemic.

ISSUES UNDER DISCUSSION

During the dialogue the issues under discussion were;

1. The effect of COVID-19 on the agriculture sector thus far
2. Activities that can reduce the impact of the pandemic
3. Recommendations

HIGHLIGHTED CHALLENGES

During the dialogue, it was clearly demonstrated that the COVID-19 virus and the measures taken to contain it have had a heavy impact on the agriculture sector. The participants discussed the challenges that they have faced in the past weeks and how it has impacted their businesses.

Some of the problems have been summarized below.

• Wastage: The wastage rate for harvested products has increased significantly because of the inability to gain access to markets and very few buyers. Farmers estimated that they were losing up to 70% of their harvest. Some farmers are selling at giveaway prices to reduce their losses.
• Demotivated farmers: As a result of the losses suffered by the farmers, they are reluctant to plant anymore, and, in some cases, they do not have enough resources to enable them to plant new crops because of the lack of patronage.
• Migratory laborers: This pandemic arrived at the beginning of the planting season. Most farms rely on the services of migratory laborers who come from different parts of the country and neighboring countries. As a result of the lockdown, these laborers are unable to make the trip meaning that the farmers do not have enough farmhands.
• Financial problems/ Demand: The pandemic has impacted many businesses resulting in the loss of jobs for many Nigerians, even those that still have a job are very cautious about spending because of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, The effect of this is that many people are no longer able to spend as much as they usually would result in a significant drop in demand.
• Logistics: The cost of transporting the produce from one location to the other has gone up significantly. One of the retailers of fresh fruit from Jos informed us that a J5 bus with a load capacity of 2.5tons which usually costs between N120k and N140k  to Lagos now charges N280K. This has a knock-on effect on the price of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the security personnel on the road are continuously extorting money from the transporters adding to the costs and delays in transporting produce.
• Inputs: Most farmers in the interior are unable to gain access to the inputs they need due to the lockdown. This is bound to affect their ability to plant on time. This point was buttressed by a participant from one of the leading input suppliers who explained that they face constant harassment in a bid to get the inputs to their customers. This is because the government did not include input suppliers in the list of essential services. He further stated that they have enough stock for the next 2 months but that there was a danger that after the next 2 months they might not have enough. The reason is that the manufacturers who are international, may not be able to supply in sufficient quantities because of a reduction in production caused by the lockdown.

CONSEQUENCES

It is obvious that there is a looming food security crisis. Food production is likely to decline both locally and internationally because of the so many factors affecting the agriculture sector. If this is not checked this will result in a more catastrophic crisis than the current Coronavirus.

The government, though trying their best to fight the pandemic by social awareness, providing stimulus packages have however not addressed the looming issue of food insecurity. If this pandemic continues to spread in Nigeria and the lockdown has to be extended this will disrupt the planting and harvest seasons. In fact, the whole agricultural value chain will be disrupted.

ACTIONS NEEDED

1. Financial palliatives: The stimulus package provided by the government is a step in the right direction, however, we have to ensure that the people that need it the most will gain access to it. This is not the time for the protocols and the time-wasting of financial institutions. This package needs to get to the farmers now.
2. Provision of inputs to core farming communities: With all the money contributed by various organizations and individuals, and the stimulus package it is important that core farming communities across the country be provided with very subsidized or free inputs to enable them to participate in this year’s planting season. The government should enter into a contract with the input suppliers and develop a system that will be thorough and effective.
3. Essential services: The list of essential services should be expanded to include the input companies and any other group that is needed to ensure that activities within the agriculture value chain remain smooth and seamless.
4. Food banks: Each state should start its own food bank and buy from farming communities to store for future use. Each state should concentrate on the crops where they have competitive advantage adaptable to their soil in order not to produce an excess of 1 type of crop across the country
5. Collection Centres: The government should set up collection centers around the country where products from different farms will be aggregated and through a partnership with private logistics companies negotiate a contract that will ensure that food gets to the places where they are needed at prices that are affordable and with little harassment from security personnel.
6. The Home gardens: States should encourage its citizens to plant what they eat through home gardens. Individual states across the country should develop an immediate program that encourages home gardening this way every home can provide at least a part of their meal.

The threat of food insecurity is a clear and present danger facing most countries especially our country Nigeria that was already hanging in the balance in terms of food security. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that this does not happen. The time to act is now to avoid a more severe catastrophe than the Corona Virus pandemic.