Nigerians have called for stronger measures to boost food production, protect farmlands and reduce the rising cost of agricultural produce amid persistent economic pressures.
Consumers, traders and other residents made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday, as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence anniversary, identifying high food prices, insecurity on farmlands and rising transportation costs as major obstacles to food security.
Ms Abodun Deborah, a resident of Bamgboye Street, Mushin, said the food sector had performed poorly in recent times, with prices of essential commodities fluctuating and placing additional pressure on household incomes. Deborah attributed part of the rise in food prices to increasing transportation costs.
“I would really hope things become cheaper, starting from where the traders get the products and from the traders themselves.
“Food is one of the basic necessities of life. It would be good if the common man could get food at a cheaper price instead of struggling to afford even a morsel of food,” she said.
Also, Ms Rokibat Ahmad, a resident of Amuwo-Odofin, said prices of some food items had doubled or tripled compared with their previous levels.
Ahmad called for measures to make food more affordable and urged traders to consider consumers when fixing prices.
She also urged the government to address challenges surrounding the movement of food across borders, particularly rice.
According to her, the seizure of food items by customs officials could contribute to higher prices as traders pass additional costs on to consumers.
However, Mr John Igwe, a trader at Costain, identified rising fuel and transportation costs as major factors driving up the prices of agricultural commodities.
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Igwe said border closures had also contributed to rising rice prices, adding that reopening the borders could help bring prices down.
He said the cost of transporting a bag of beans to Lagos had increased from about N6,000 to between N10,000 and N12,000.
A foodstuff wholesaler at Otto White Sand, Oyingbo, Mr Onome Joseph, said insecurity in farming communities had affected agricultural production. Joseph said insecurity had discouraged farmers from cultivating farmlands located far from towns.
“When there is security in the country, farmers will be able to go deeper into the forests to farm. When farmers go deeper into the forests to farm, they are likely to have a bountiful harvest.
“The bountiful harvest will lead to a surplus of food items in the market, and that will force the price down,” he said.
On his part, Mr Ben Maranzu, a banker in Victoria Island, said sustained investment in agriculture was needed to increase production and reduce logistics costs.
Maranzu said greater competition in the sector was also necessary for Nigerians to experience more affordable food.
He said the government’s increased focus on fertilizer access, farm inputs, food-security programmes and agricultural financing had yet to consistently translate into lower food prices.
Maranzu stressed the distinction between reducing food inflation and reducing food prices, saying both measures had different implications for households.
“Lower food inflation doesn’t mean cheap food. A slowdown from 40 per cent food inflation to 20 per cent is an improvement in the rate of increase.
“But the level of food prices is still painfully high for most households due to the low purchasing power of the masses,” he said.
Maranzu said food prices had not returned to their previous levels despite a slowdown in the rate at which they were increasing.
He called for stronger supervision of agricultural programmes to ensure that increased investment translated into higher food production and greater affordability.
“In the short term, I will say Nigeria is no longer experiencing the same acceleration in food prices as we experienced in 2023-2024. But Nigerians are still paying considerably more for food than they were before the current economic crisis,” he said.
NAN
