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Food crisis imminent as population growth outpaces food production –Report

BABAJIDE OKEOWO

Nigeria faces a food crisis as population growth is fast outpacing food production in the country. This is according to a report by one of the leading professional services firms, PriceWater House Cooper, PwC, which disclosed that feeding Nigeria’s current and future population is a critical challenge. According to the report, with a sustained growth rate of 2.7% annually and a fertility rate of 36.9% births per 1,000 people, Nigeria’s population will continue to increase in the foreseeable future. However, as Nigeria’s population continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging for food supply to meet demand.

The report noted that the impact of climate change alone could reduce crop yields by half over the next 35 years, compounded by the fact that in Nigeria, the agricultural sector continues to be impacted by weather hazards, restricting access to food and increasing food insecurity.

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“Nigeria’s agricultural sector is largely underdeveloped with cultivation largely done on a subsistence scale and very low mechanisation. Unfavorable weather conditions in some years also weigh heavily on output growth. In addition, locally – grown crops are more vulnerable to viruses. This was the case in recent years as tomato cultivation was regularly crippled by the spread of a virus, Tuta Absoluta. Last year, flooding across major farming belts ruined crops and damaged a significant percentage of farmland in the affected areas. We expect an increase in severe weather conditions owing to climate change, necessitating the need for advanced farming methods” the report stated.

The report further stated that the agricultural sector which employs 48% of the labour force and contributes 25% to Gross Domestic Product, GDP grew by an average of 3.42% in 2017, which is lower than the average of 4.05% recorded in 2016 when the economy was in recession. Despite the spate of intervention funds and policies introduced by the government, the agricultural sector saw only a marginal growth of 1.91% as of Q3 2018.

“Socio-economic/structural issues ranging from insecurity in some northern parts of the country (evidenced in Fulani-Herdsmen clashes), inadequacy of infrastructure- especially power and good road networks amidst the use of crude implements that have hindered the productivity of the sector need to be tackled to fully, not only to unlock the productivity of the sector but also to build resilience in order to feed Nigeria’s growing population” the report concluded

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