Head of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Olam Agri, Ade Adefeko, has emphasised the need for Nigeria to address its food security challenges.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS, Adefeko highlighted the mismatch between population growth and food production, with the former growing at a geometrical progression and the latter at an arithmetic progression.
Adefeko noted that Nigeria’s budget allocation to agriculture has been inadequate, ranging from 2.1% to 1.3% in the last three years, which is insufficient to address the country’s food security challenges. He attributed this to competing priorities such as healthcare and education.
“Nigeria’s budget allocation to agriculture has been alarmingly low over the last three years, ranging from 2.1% to 1.3% of the total budget. Instead of increasing, the allocation has remained unstable and extremely poor, neglecting the critical needs of the agricultural sector,” he said.
With Nigeria’s population projected to reach 229 million, Adefeko stressed that food insecurity affects over 226 million people, making it a critical national security issue.
He identified three key challenges facing farmers: limited cultivable hectares, inadequate inputs, and poor infrastructure.
To address these challenges, Adefeko recommended that the government take a strategic, intentional, and cohesive approach to supporting the agricultural sector.
This included providing fertiliser inputs, improving seedlings and seed varieties, and accurate soil mapping.
“The private sector in Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem needs to be engaged to address key challenges.
“Specifically, improvements are needed in seedlings and seed varieties, as well as accurate soil mapping to determine the suitability of different soils for various crops.
“Currently, Nigeria’s average yield per hectare ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 tons, significantly below the global average of 14-16% for certain crops,”he said.
He also emphasised the need for large-scale mechanisation, nucleus farms, and outgrower schemes to improve farming practices and techniques.
“Nigeria should enhance its farming practices and techniques. large-scale mechanization, are needed and can only be achieved through partnerships with large multinationals.
“But it must have nucleus farms and outgrower schemes, where local farmers are provided with seedlings and supported to grow crops in their own areas through cooperative arrangements which would ensure that local farmers are empowered and assisted to increase their productivity and efficiency,” he added.
Additionally, Adefeko called for physical incentives, subsidies, and policies that support production and consumption.
Regarding rice production, Adefeko noted that Nigeria consumes between 6.5 million and 7 million tons annually, with a deficit of 3 million tons.
He advocated for increased production and improved post-harvest preservation to address this challenge.
In conclusion, Adefeko stressed that Nigeria needs to be deliberate and thoughtful in formulating policies to address its food security challenges.
Boluwatife Enome
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