Farmers in Jigawa State said they are threatened by multiple factors including insecurity, climate change and increasing prices of farm inputs.
The farmers’ concerns were part of the factors the International Monetary Fund (IMF), predicted in its report, could worsen food insecurity in the country.
The IMF report released about two months ago noted that Nigeria’s food security crisis has become an alarming reality for millions of farmers whose livelihoods have been severely impacted by various factors.
“A decade of limited reforms, muted growth, security challenges and now high inflation have contributed to food insecurity, poverty, and macroeconomic weakness,” the report stated, noting that these factors have rendered about 19 million Nigerians food insecure as of November 2023.
A screenshot from the IMF report shows estimated figures of Nigerians who have been food insecure since 2020.
Travails of Jigawa Farmers
Late last month, clashes erupted between farmers and migrant herders in Jigawa State, resulting in the death of more than five people as others sustained injuries.
The clashes which started on June 26 unsettled four villages — Kalai, Waza, Baranda and Katanga — in Dutse, Kiyawa and Birnin Kudu local government areas of Jigawa State.
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The violent clashes added to the tense climate of harsh realities faced by farmers in the state.
Last month, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), alerted 19 out of 27 local government areas in Jigawa State to prepare for high-risk flooding in this year’s rainy season.
Aliyu Liman Sarmawa, the chairman of the Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) in Jigawa, said the predicted flooding in the state has caused panic among his colleagues.
Sarmawa added that increasing prices of agricultural inputs are also making things hard for the farmers.
Muhammad Gudeto, a rice seedling farmer, shares a similar plight.
“The recent flood prediction has not helped matters,” he said. “Considering the huge investments we have made in our farmlands this year, we are concerned about potential damages.”
Gudeto told WikkiTimes that flooding had destroyed his farm several times, causing him to lose about N15 million.
According to the farmers, a bag of fertilizer now costs between N38,000 and N40,000.
Impending Danger
The IMF report warns that food insecurity, external risks, and oil production shocks as well as reform pauses and policy reversals may further worsen the situation.
“Continued naira depreciation and food price inflation, weaknesses in the agricultural sector — including from deteriorating security or another weather shock — or a renewed spike in global commodity prices could worsen food insecurity, giving rise to higher social spending needs amidst limited fiscal space,” the IMF warned.
Explaining what it means by reform pauses or policy reversals, the IMF noted that sustaining the reform momentum could become challenging if food insecurity becomes worse or growth declines sharply.
“Rolling out the social protection system can mitigate this risk,” it advised.
In addition, an adverse oil production or price shock of the commodity, according to the IMF “would hit fiscal revenue, inflation, and the exchange rate.”
On external risks, it noted that the intensification of regional conflicts such as Russia’s war in Ukraine or tensions in the Middle East could disrupt trade flows, affecting critical supply chains, and financial flows. Increases in non-fuel commodity prices could fuel inflation.
Currently, Nigeria is experiencing all the risks highlighted by the IMF, leading to more hardship.
The sudden removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of naira by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have caused jeopardy to many Nigerians.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s inflation rate jumped to 33.2% in March 2024.
This shows an increase of 1.5% when compared with the 31.7% recorded in the preceding month.
Food Inflation on the High
The food inflation rate reached 40.01% in March 2024, an increase of 15.56 percentage points from 24.45% in March 2023. The increase in prices was attributed to rising prices of bread, cereals, and yam tubers.
On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in March 2024 stood at 3.62%. This, when compared to the 3.79% rate in the previous month, declined by 0.17%
With this reality, many families could not afford the daily three square meals.
Fatima Musa, a Jigawa-based mother, narrated to WikkiTimes how she struggles to feed her children.
“Sometimes we have to eat only once so that the children can have some leftovers later,” she said.
A similar scenario has forced Malam Abdullahi, a civil servant in Dutse to reduce the food portions for his family.
Food inflation has significantly impacted the standard of living globally, said Simon Ibrahim Achi, an economist and researcher based in Abuja.
“Nigeria’s food inflation has risen above 40%, driven by several factors,” Achi said in an interview with WikkiTimes.
He attributed the issue to supply-side effects and noted that the monetary efforts to address this have not yielded the desired results.
“Increasing the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 18.69 to 25.67 has made it difficult for manufacturers to secure bank loans, hence hindering production, a major concern for Nigerians,” he said.
Achi advised that interest rates be lowered and loans be made available to farmers while ensuring their safety and making the markets more accessible via roads.
His advice aligns with the IMF’s recommendation to address the ongoing food insecurity in Nigeria through multi-faceted approaches such as enhancing security, promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices, and reassessing import policies to support local production while meeting immediate food requirements.
