SUNDAY PUNCH
21
JULY 3, 20 11
Achieving self-sufficiency in food production The continued ri se in global food prices poses a great threat to food importing countries , in c lu ding Nigeria, EMEKA EZEK IEL examines the issue and how to achieve selfsufficiency in food production HE latest Repo rt on Global f-ood Pricn released by the Food and Agricutural
Organisation
month
last
shoo..ved that the world's food imporl bill Is e>l petled 10 reach a new record o f
S1.29Otn (N2001nlthi$ year. This amount represents a 20 per cent increase, higher
thM the g1obl1l food imporb in20lQ And gomg by this repen t Nigeria is expected to spend about N802bn on the i;nporWlion of food items in 2011. 01l0I11'19 to the spiral ing lood prices lICfOSS the world Currently. NIgeria spends about NI\OObn on food imports annually
or
this
amou nt, about N155bn is spent on the imporlplion 01 lice. the mini popUlar food in Nigeria.
SpeclOcaliy, stated.
~In
Ihe
FAG
International food
trad e. Ihe global lood imporl bill is expected 10 feuh a new record o f $1 29tn In 2011 - 21 pel cenl mOle than in 2010
Low-Income Food Deficit Counlnes and u ,ul Developed Countries ....,ouk! be hlIrdest· hr' since !hey would likely have to spend respectively 27 lind 30 per cent mOn! on food imports than last year, the organisation noted. MExpeoditu res on imported foodstulls fOf vulnerable countries could account for roughly 18 per cent 01 their tolat import bills compa red to a ",oorld a~rage of around seven per cent. "Ilgh and volatlle agricultural commodity prices are likely to prevail for the rest of this ye"r lind inlo 20 12 .MIt said It lurther noted. ~Th e next few months will be critical In determining how tile major Cl ops will fare \hls
Firsl Bank as at M",y 25 , 20 11
Buying year. Although prospecls are encouraging in some coun tries. weather conditions. featuring too liltle, and in some cases too much rain. could hamper maize and wheat yiekb in Eu rope and Nor th America. MlnlerMtioniil food prien. which earliel this ye"r soared to levels seen in the 2007 and 2008 food cri'iis. dropped by a modes! one per ce nl in May. The FAO Food Pnce Index averaged 232 points in """y from a r~d estimate of 235 points in April bul was still 37 per cenl aOOve May 2010 " HO\\.'eVer. the Director of FAO's Miukcts and Tr3de Division, Mr. DlIvid Hallam, said the rise in global food prices was a great threal to food importing countries !\Jch as Nigeria. He said , -The general situtltion for agricultural crops and food commodities is ligh l with \vorld prices lit stubbornly high levels, posing a threa t 10 many low-income food delicit countries.The Federal MinisllY of Agrkulture put the amount the counlJy spen t on lood rrnports. mainly rice. wheat. sugar and nsh products in 2009 al N5S5bn. According 10 investigations. more than N400bn was injected into Ihe seclor in 2009. while In 2010. agricultullL' accounted lor only 3 .7 per cent of budgetary allocation (llL'currenl N34.4bn ",nd ctlpital N49.9bnl. HO\vever. belwoeen 1977 and 2005. the government's fu nd ing for the sector was characterised by inco nsi!;tency. In 1977. lor Instance. agriculture's share of the national budget was less th",n one per cent; in 1980. it was 1.3 per cen t: 1982.4.2 per cent; 1983. six per cent; 1984, two per cent: 1985, rIVe per cenl: 1993. 3.2 per cenl; 2()(x). one per cent; 201)1, 4 2 per cent and 2005. 1.6 per cent. But the Naliofla,[ Project Coord inator. National Programme for AgricuJlullL' ilnd Food Security. Mr. Bukar TijO\ni. lold our correspondent that given the Intrellse in globallood pnces, there _ need to strengthen Ihe Nationiil Programme for Agriculture ",nd Food Security "'5 well as the F."diIlT\C) III projects in order to ensu re thaI Ihe country ",chleves self-suFnciency in food produdion. The NPFS was set up by the Federal Government in July 2009. with the mandate of coordinating all dono rassisted agricultura l i'md rural development projects in Ntgeri'" as ",ell as cooperaHng
$ £ €
Sellin g
153 .50 247 .47
153 .50 247 .47 203 .00
1 99 .00
VEN
1.8686
WAUA 24 1.8697
$
153.59
SAR
40 . ~497
0 .318
247 .9096
INSIDE
wi th the IKhniCllt line departments of the Federal Mimstry of Agriculture to harmonise aU activities towards boosHng agrICUltural production. On the olhoi!r hand, Fadama is the Hau$ll word for i'm lnigable land. usually nood plains found along Nigeria's rm.Jor rivers. Such land i5 suilable for irngated farming; Hshing. trad itiona l feed and water for live.stock. Tija ni, who is cunentl y coord ina ti ng donor. projects In over 8 .500 sUes across the country, said, "Nigeria ha.s the natuRd lind human resou rces to attain self-sufficiency in food production. And one o f the surest ways 01 achieving this ob,iective is by slllL'ngthening the ClIPlIcity of the National Programme for Agriculture and Food Security and the Fadama III projects. "Currently. we ore implemenhng the NPFS programme in 327 sites across the cou ntry. 10e main ob;echveistoimprovenctlional food security and reduce poverty on economically a lld environmentally sustainable basis. Already. we have mllde significanl progress in Ihe "'rea 01 crop production involvIng a lotal 11 2,425 hectllres of land o f rain-fed crop modules and 855 hecmres of inig"' ted crop modul es .~ He stressed Ihe need for the country 10 seek techniCC)1 a ssistance from developed countries as part of renewed efforts lawards boosting food
the cooperation with China. the NPFS has a lready facilitated lhe deployment 01 53 Chinese experts ",nd lechnkians 10 diffeT\'Tlt itgricull uriil projects across the country. ~Also. under Ihe NER1CA Rice DissemlMtion Project. we have mobilised 13. 495 farmers f('r seed production. yielding 2.2 11 metric tonnes and8,3J4 hectares, cultivated lor gra in production, yield ing 15.956 40 melric tonnes. ~ And ",s parI 01 the eflorts to boost food producllon. Tij",ni said , "We are currently working on a nu mber of mlljor proposals like the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme and the Support to Small Scale Irriga tion Infrastructure for Acttieraled Rural ",nd Agricullural Development in selected st",tes in Nigeria. We have already !iUbmilled the proposills 10 major for lunding nna nclers 1he lIim is to oodress key aspecI5 01 agricultullL' and food security. including productivity enh",ncement, linkages 10 markets and pro;ect manllgement in the agricu ltural sector. ~ As regards the Fadama 111 pro;ect, he stated that the intervention would go a long Wily in supporting Ihe government's drive towards achieving sell-suffi ciency in food production for the country. He said, "The World Bank ~Under
implemented Fadama I cmd II Projects in Nigeria. The Fad;,una I Project focused basicaUy on ClOp production through supplementary water supply. which resulted in connict amongst common resource users. Mfoda,ma I[ Project was implemented 10 ",ddress the problems identirled in fMlama I by involVing all the stali:eholders in the common resource uUlisalion and some downstream activities !\Jch as value add ition lind mllrkellng ~ He also said. ~ But Flidama If[ Is a 10110w up to the Fadama II , which is now implemented in 35 sta les and the Federal Capita! Territory. The objective 01 the project is 10 Increa.se the Income of users of rural illod and waler resources on a susta inable basis. It will support Ihe govemmenl's strategic objecti~ 01 increasing food security. reducing powrly; creating employment opportu nities as wen as improving the slandard of living in Ihe rural areas ~The Mtda.mll li l Projecthcas a Mtiona! coveRlge int ended to operate in 7/ 101) Fadama Community Assoclllhons in 560 local govern ment areas oul of 774 LGAs 10 be covered in 36 slales and the Federal upital Territory. The project will directly Impact 2.2million households wi th an indirect impact on 16 million households ~
-' Flood sacks residents of highbrow Ikoyi, VI ' - p, 24
-Aldnteye
Foreign contractors can' t d evelop our economy -
NSE Cha irman
- P, 27