By Dada Ahmed.
Every year, more than 150 countries around the globe, including Nigeria; a country with the largest population of black race in the world, commemorate World Food Day on October 16.
The Day provides an ample opportunity for countries to unite and raise awareness of the issues surrounding poverty and hunger.
The World Hunger Statistics,says no fewer than 785 million people across the globe lack adequate food to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
The 2021 World Food Day Celebration, has as theme:”Our actions are our future, better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.”
Residents of Kogi State, the capital of the Confluence State, believe they joine the global community, not to mark the Day alone, but also reflect on their state of existence under the burden of high cost of living with the attendant hunger.
Some use the occasion to appreciate God for His provision of means of livelihood in the mist of harsh economic reality that has thrown many house holds off the balance in the cause of ensuring the functionality of hands and mouth to cope with the unfavourable economic mood of the country.
To others, the Day also serves as a reminder on the imperative of charting away forward in ensuring sufficient food production with a view to stemming the tide of skyrocketing prices of food stuffs in state, particularly Lokoja, where prices of stuff are continually exceeding the purchasing capacity of the common man on daily basis.
October 16 and what it represents in the life of the world population also marks the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 as well another to governments the world over, to tackle global hunger tormenting millions of house holds most of who go to sleep with empty stomach.
Most families in Kogi State, particularly Lokoja,the state capital would not hesitate to tell any inquisitive mind desirous of knowing the nature of cost of living in the historic town, that it is a tough task feeding an average of three family members in recent time.
They bemoan a situation of paying through their nose to feed children and other dependants, as prices of food stuffs unabatedly hit the roof.
A cursory market survey in Lokoja markets and commercial outlets shows an unprecedented increase in the prices of food stuffs, starting from the common consumable items such as salt, tomato, pepper, red oil and garri and so on attracting over 100 per cent.
As concerned Nigerian citizens pull intellectual resources to delibrate on high cost of living, to ensure victory against hunger, concerned indigenes and NGOs have called on the Kogi state government to increase its budgetary allocation to agricultural sector.
They argue that with a sense of optimism that, that will the starting point toward achieving a successful fight against high cost of living in the state.
KOGI NGOs NETWORK (KONGONET), in its 3rd QUARTER 2021 REPORT, expressed worry over persistent increase in the prices of food commodities across the state
Addressing Journalists in Lokoja on the issue of grave concern, Idris Ozovehe Muraina, the Chairman, KONGONET, calledfor state government’s agricultural Intervention with renewed vigour particularly in the area of adequate budgetary allocation to all this important sector of the economy of the state.
He cited the Analysis of the 2021 Agriculture Budget by the Budget Committee Group (BCG) with support from PIBCID/ActionAid Nigeria which shows a decline in the allocated funds to the Agricultural sector to butress his point.
In their contribution, members of Small Scale Women Farmer Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) Kogi State branch, during a Press conference, called for implementation of disbursement of funds to women in agriculture as contained in the budget, to boost their involvement in large scale farming. This they said became necesary in view of the numerical strength of women in agriculture.
“In Kogi State year 2021 budget, Agriculture sector yet again got the least allocation, compared to other major sectors that drive the social-economic development of the State such as Education, Health.
“Agriculture received the least, at 6.58% compare to 28.89% for Education, 31.14% for Health.
” If Agriculture is to serve as a means of diversifying the economy of Kogi State,as promised in the new direction blueprint of the Government of the State, then allocation to the sector is grossly inadequate and needs to be reviewed upward,” the SWOFON said.
The group, therefore, recommended urgent need for the state government to focus resources, to enable it achieve greater value for money, adding that there might be need for rationalization and streamlining of mandates of Kogi State Ministry of agriculture.
This SWOFON said became imperative “so that resources do not get wasted in just paying salaries and overheads alone with little capital allocation to carry out the much-needed programmes.”
The women farmers also drew the attention of the state government to the fact that, whereas rains were gradually subsiding,there was need for tangible investment or releases made to the Ministry of Agriculture to support farmers and farming activities.
The need for enhanced farming activities in kogi state has continued to attract the attention of other agriculture related organisations as Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) has also joined efforts in ensuring food security in the state .
Few days ago, the institute introduced three newly-invented technology-based storage equipment to farmers as part of efforts to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure effective storage, preservation and availability of quality farm produce to beat high cost of food stuffs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the largest news agency in Africa, reports that the equipment comprised airtight Hermetic steel drums for storage of grains, smoking kilns for smoking of fish and iced fish boxes for preservation of fresh fish over a long period.
Mr David Apeh, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, performed the commissioning and distribution of the equipment to nine Multi-Purpose Cooperative groups at the state Agricultural Development Project (ADP) premises in Lokoja recently.
Apeh, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Malam Sani Abdulganiyu, noted that post harvest losses had over the years posed a great challenge to the agriculture sector, culminating in food insecurity in the state, adding that such assistance would change the narrative in the loss of farm produce due to inadequate storage equipment.
He commended NSPRI for introducing Kogi farmers to technology-based devices, saying that the state government,, through the ADP, was already in partnership with the institute.
The Commissioner added that whatever would be done to enable more farmers benefit from more technological inventions, especially the facilities, would be handled by the ADP with full support of government.
On a large scale, the state government says it has taken a bold step in its bid to revitilise the agricultural sector by signing two loan agreements, totalling $72million,with World Bank,International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), for rural roads and agriculture market as well as commencement of Value Chain Development Programme(VCDP).
Feelers from IFAD office in Lokoja indicates that VCDP has kicked-off in Lokoja, Ajaokuta,Kabba/,Bunu, Olamaboro and Ibaji Local Governnent Areas of the state with the training of small scale farmers, especially youths and women, to help improve their productivity and profitability as well as boost food production.
The agreements comprise of $62m and $10m respectively, and were signed on behalf of the state government by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mukadam Idris.
Mohammed Onogwu, the chief press secreary to the governor of the state,Alhaji Yahaya Bello,in a statement said: “The IFAD assisted Value Chain Development Programme is an agricultural initiative, aimed at reducing rural poverty, enhancing food security among poor households and promoting economic growth on a sustainable basis.
“The programme is essentially on the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava in targeted LGAs in the state.
“The programme is made up of three basic components which are agricultural market development, to support value addition; market linkages and support to market infrastructure and to build a very strong agro-business and value chain orientation to farmers in rural communities.”
Onogwu says that another component is smaller productivity enhancement while the third programme borders on management and coordination of the programme.
He further stated that the World Bank loan for Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) would upgrade over 500 kilometres of rural roads, improve agro-logistics centres and enhance connectivity and access to local markets and agribusiness services in the state.
ActionAid Nigeria has also joined the vanguard of ensuring the desired improved food security by tasking actors in the Agriculture value chain in the state to chart away forward towards addressing food security challenges, head long.
The Executive Director of Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change(PBC), Halima Oiza Sadiq, gave the challenge in Lokoja as part of the activities marking the World Food Day Celebration, Organised by Small Scale Women Farmers Organization of in Nigeria in Collaboration with Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture in Lokoja.
The PIBCID Executive Director, represented by Mrs Inikpi Adejoh Momoh, called for l platform for producers, processors, off takers as well consumers to collectively engage in policies that would address food security challenges for effective market system development in the Agriculture value chain.
She called on key stakeholders in the Agriculture value chain in kogi to build synergy towards a sustainable agriculture programmes and projects, as an effective way of fighting the high cost of living and mellow down prices of food to a logical end.
Earlier Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Apeh, while declaring activities marking the Day open, assured that the State Government would continue to do much in fighting hunger by promoting food sufficiency and inecsecurity.
According to him,the State Government is building on its comparative advantages of having the ability to cultivate majority of crops,just as he promised government sustained priority in areas of food production towards fighting hunger.
The State Chairperson of Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria, Hajia Sefiya Y. Yahaya,who expressed satisfaction that women constitute 75% of the farming population in the State, commended the state government for regular payment of counterpart funding in the areas of agriculture.
The Kogi State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria,(AFAN), who disclosed that the association had secured a 5,000 hectres of land for cassava production, expressed optimism that soon, the State would be known as the home of cassava production in Nigerian.
The belief of agriculture experts is that, while kogi state should be given some kudos for striving to ensure agricultural policies and programmes to will smile on the faces of people, particularly the farming community, there is the need for more rivers cross to be crossed.
They particularly harp on improved security.especially in the rural areas, where intensive farming takes place. This is necessary to strengthen the confidence of farmers and potential ones in the ability of government to protect them while on the farm.
Agro-allied analysts express the hope that the war against hunger in the state would be a reality,sooner than later, if the people develop the needed enthusiasm in farming for self benefit and making the state the food basket of the nation on the long run.
“As individuals, we must realise that attainment of a robust agriculture sector is a collective responsibility between the government and the governed.
” While government has the statutory responsibility of designing and formulating agricultural policies and programmes for the benefit of the people, the people also have the role to play to complement government efforts by engaging in small scale farming.
“The male civil servants can engage in weekend farming while their wives indulge in gardening; planting tomatoes, pepper and vegetables.
“Retirees can invest part of their pension in farming to keep the body and soul together.
“This will go along way to put more food on the tables of many homes, lower the rate at which consumers go to market to purchase food stuffs.
“When less people to go market to buy because they have them at home,the drop in demand, vis a vis supply will naturally bring down prices of farm produce and lessen the groan of consumers experience under the yoke prohibitive cost of living.
“There is also the need for a change in the narrative which indicates deplorable nature of our rural roads, to ease the transportation of farm produce from rural to urban areas. When the cost of transporting food stuffs comes, due to good road, it will positively affect the prices of items in the market.
“Also,when those of us, in our private residences, cultivate the idea of turning available space in areas to small farms, then, we shall be taking of downward trend in the high cost of living in the state and the country at large.
“When we do all these as complements to government efforts, we would have overcome all encumbrances against food suffiency and security and put shylock food sellers to the bay, where they rightly belong,”Mal. AbdulRazaq Anate, a retired civil servant, now small scale farmer, advised.
Ahmed is a publisher, blogger and media consultant.
