[size=14pt]Nigeria Imports N24tr Food Yearly
[/size]
AS the global community celebrates the World Food Day today, the grim food crisis in Nigeria has taken the centre stage at different fora across the country in the past weeks.

The dire situation is poignantly brought home by the hefty amount the country spends annually to import the most basic staple foods, including rice, fish, sugar and wheat.

Besides other sources, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Resources, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina and the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, presented the alarming stats.

For instance, Nigeria spent N98 trillion ($628 billion) between 2007 and 2010 on importation of food into the country. This translates to N24 trillion yearly.

In 2010 alone, the country spent N632 billion on wheat; N356 billion on rice; N217 billion on sugar and N97 billion on fish.

While it produces only 500,000 metric tons of rice, Nigeria consumes 2.5 metric tons. Hence, it spends about N1 billion per day on rice alone.

Estimated annual fish demand for Nigeria is about 2.66 metric tons. Yet, the 2009 annual domestic production was about 0.78 metric tons with a supply-demand gap of about 1.88 metric tons.

Although livestock output in the country has been growing at six to seven per cent annually, it is unable to match the growth of demand due to poor nutrition, disease and poor breed, according to the Minister of Agriculture.

This has prompted sharp increases in the price of livestock and meat in the past five years.

Governor Mimiko summed up the facts on ground thus: “This is a clear departure from the reality of Nigeria in the 1960s when agriculture provided the main source of employment, income and foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria.

The advent of commercial oil exploitation in the mid 1970s, no doubt, heralded an era of decay for agricultural output in Nigeria.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64440:-how-nigeria-imports-n24tr-food-yearly-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

How can the naira be strong? There are so many opportunities to develop Nigeria and widen its productive base. Instead, those filthy, unthinking politicians are busy looting.

Pukkah:

How can the naira be strong? There are so many opportunities to develop Nigeria and widen its productive base. Instead, those ELECTED _{filthy, unthinking} politicians are busy looting.

We need to realize they are the PEOPLE'S CHOICE!

I knew she had this coming. Always adding she's older than everyone. If you feel you are too old, then go be with your grand children.

To more serious issues can't these crops be grown here? There are mega farms I've seen in the north, why are they not farming a product they will never meet the demand single handedly?

blink182:

I knew she had this coming. Always adding she's older than everyone. If you feel you are too old, then go be with your grand children.

To more serious issues can't these crops be grown here? There are mega farms I've seen in the north, why are they not farming a product they will never meet the demand single handedly?

well it seems it is easier to import to produce here

sound more like a head master[b] kobo [/b]over to you

When wil REVOLUTION[color=#990000][/color][b][/b] come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The revolution may start when petrol is increased from N65 to N145

ROFL . . . .In Nigeria, we will probably see Naira 200 petrol soon and not even a sound made about it.

WHY CAN GEJ AND THE LOOTING GANG FIND A WAY OF INCREASING FOOD
BY INVESTING IN AGRIC. I AM A FISH FARMER I RUN GENERATOR TO
PUMP WATER, AERATE MY POND AND PREPARE THEIR FOOD
(CAP ARTEMIA). NOW THE GANG WANT TO INCREASE FUEL PRIZE.
AS AT NOW A KG OF BIG FRESH CATFISH IS SOLD AT N600 IF
THE PRIZE OF FUEL IS INCREASED I WILL SELL AT A HIGHER
PRIZE OR JOIN THE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR WHITE COLLAR JOB.
WITH IMPROVE ELECTRICITY I CAN DO BETTER.

Nigeria problems are overwhelming. The problems are all rounder (all facet of our lifes).

Nigeria is very difficult to put on the right track. The country will be divided probably through very big violence.

I really like yorubas to go out before Nigeria reach that stage.

The dire situation is poignantly brought home by the hefty amount the country spends annually to import the most basic staple foods, including rice, fish, sugar and wheat.

At least we should be able to produce rice and sugar we need.


*They knowingly destroyed the country. One day they will face their God. Very useless people*

otokx:

The revolution may start when petrol is increased from N65 to N145

forget it.there will never be revolution in nigeria

www.nairaland.com/attachments/550457_router_usb_JPGd706494053586851205cb022cd739234

Dude, what kind of router is this?. It is bigger than a coffin. Haven't you heard of netgear or siemens?.

asha 80:

forget it.there will never be revolution in Nigeria

Don't say that. If we want we will do it. The whole world cannot stop us.

But we elected people not long ago and there are some that are trying to make changes, I think it's good to let see what they are going to do.

The problems are enormous and the country is poor.

juman:

Don't say that. If we want we will do it. The whole world cannot stop us.

But we elected people not long ago and there are some that are trying to make changes, I think it's good to let see what they are going to do.

The problems are enormous and the country is poor.

forget it.tribalism and selfishness will not allow it

Oju re Iran re (let wait and see) even without revolution very probably the country will break when there is no enough money for the governments to run their affairs. I dey laugh ooo.

We have run away population number.

aloy/emeka:

[size=14pt]Nigeria Imports N24tr Food Yearly
[/size]
AS the global community celebrates the World Food Day today, the grim food crisis in Nigeria has taken the centre stage at different fora across the country in the past weeks.

The dire situation is poignantly brought home by the hefty amount the country spends annually to import the most basic staple foods, including rice, fish, sugar and wheat.

Besides other sources, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Resources, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina and the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, presented the alarming stats.

For instance, Nigeria spent N98 trillion ($628 billion) between 2007 and 2010 on importation of food into the country. This translates to N24 trillion yearly.

In 2010 alone, the country spent N632 billion on wheat; N356 billion on rice; N217 billion on sugar and N97 billion on fish.

While it produces only 500,000 metric tons of rice, Nigeria consumes 2.5 metric tons. Hence, it spends about N1 billion per day on rice alone.

Estimated annual fish demand for Nigeria is about 2.66 metric tons. Yet, the 2009 annual domestic production was about 0.78 metric tons with a supply-demand gap of about 1.88 metric tons.

Although livestock output in the country has been growing at six to seven per cent annually, it is unable to match the growth of demand due to poor nutrition, disease and poor breed, according to the Minister of Agriculture.

This has prompted sharp increases in the price of livestock and meat in the past five years.

Governor Mimiko summed up the facts on ground thus: “This is a clear departure from the reality of Nigeria in the 1960s when agriculture provided the main source of employment, income and foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria.

The advent of commercial oil exploitation in the mid 1970s, no doubt, heralded an era of decay for agricultural output in Nigeria.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64440:-how-nigeria-imports-n24tr-food-yearly-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

I know you guys will attack me , but this still shows that we are very backward in keeping records, it is impossble for Nigeria to spent that amount in a year, how much do we make and how much is our budget in a year. For me personally, I eat egusi soup, garri and other Nigerian product most of the time in a year, They should stuff those figure in their a.s.s. Common to pay minimum wages, they are sshouting talkless is thinking of the mass and importing that amount of food

EPOMA:

I know you guys will attack me , but this still shows that we are very backward in keeping records, it is impossble for Nigeria to spent that amount in a year, how much do we make and how much is our budget in a year. For me personally, I eat egusi soup, garri and other Nigerian product most of the time in a year, They should stuff those figure in their a.s.s. Common to pay minimum wages, they are sshouting talkless is thinking of the mass and importing that amount of food

NewsFlash -- Egusi, Garri,Elubo, etc consumed in Nigeria are not necessary NIGERIAN PRODUCTS. Much of the produce comes from neighboring countries like Ghana, Benin etc. I know this because I have been doing some market research in the area and have had my eye opened to the appalling food production levels in Nigeria. Even mushrooms and periwinkles are imported

Those who live in the US can attest to this. Every other Nigerian delicacy we consume here is shipped from Ghana.

@EPOMA

For instance, Nigeria spent N98 trillion ($628 billion) between 2007 and 2010 on importation of food into the country. This translates to N24 trillion yearly.

Quite observant of you. Is that misleading figure a mistake by the journalist or ministry of agriculture? Nevertheless, A country like Nigeria where about 40% of land is arable with varieties of crops should be a net exporter of food.

the suspicious statistics notwithstanding, if Nigeria could retain just halve of that amount, imagine the trillions in hands of farmers throughout the country. It would be a revolution of immense proportion.

This statistic is what should get everyone from politicians to policy makers all worked on how to reverse, but trust Naija somebody just think of how to make money from this and will just write for a proposal for a one month seminar in the UK on this issue. The top goons in the ministry will go for the seminar and come back to business as usual!

This numbers are bogus; I thought they have posted this rubbish before.


Our combined GDP in three years is about $850 or less, someone is trying to convince us that 70% of our GDP figures represent ONLY food importation. Why do these so-called idiots have to lie?

Those figures quoted are suspect (around $160 billion ).

But why wouldn't we lay more emphasis on importation when a sizeable number of the working population are chasing oil/government contracts, and the remainder lucky enough to get employment would prefer working in Banks; Oil and Blue-chip companies, irrespective of their qualifications. With our penchant for quick and easy money to show-off with, farming is seen as too much of a hassle; hard work; not prestigious enough and you'd be likely to grow grey hairs b/4 you start seeing adequate returns on your investments. The fact of the matter is easy 'oyel' money has made us lazy in this country.

The few large-scale farmers we have are not adequate for our needs as a country, and also not efficient and focused enough as many of them are distracted by other commitments like politics and other businesses they may have.

And for those pissed-off to the point of wanting a revolution: fat chance of that happening!!! . There's so much complexity to our make-up as a 'nation' for any revolution to be successful. If one were to happen, you'd be sure to see the elite/ruling-class/politicians/Oligarchs play on ethnicity and religious sentiments to dagbaru the whole thing . Think back to the events leading up to the coup of 1966 and you'll understand where i'm going with this line of reasoning. The only way a revolution can work is if the ethnic nationalities that make-up Nigeria today were allowed to leave and form their own countries, and then maybe seek to form REAL nations or confederations with like-minded ethnicites where equity/justice/merit are non-negotiable and there's no recourse to the antiquated ideas of quota-system and federal character nonsense that is holding us back as a nation. If this were to happen, then and only then would the theiving ruling-class have a fight on their hands.

The government needs to subsidize agriculture to help the farmers. Also get the best farmers in the world to teach Nigerians how to farm. He need to stop importing and export. We should have an advantage in most food commodities. Sell to the entire world.

PROUD-IGBO:

Those figures quoted are suspect (around $160 billion ).

But why wouldn't we lay more emphasis on importation when a sizeable number of the working population are chasing oil/government contracts, and the remainder lucky enough to get employment would prefer working in Banks; Oil and Blue-chip companies, irrespective of their qualifications. With our penchant for quick and easy money to show-off with, farming is seen as too much of a hassle; hard work; not prestigious enough and you'd be likely to grow grey hairs b/4 you start seeing adequate returns on your investments. The fact of the matter is easy 'oyel' money has made us lazy in this country.

The few large-scale farmers we have are not adequate for our needs as a country, and also not efficient and focused enough as many of them are distracted by other commitments like politics and other businesses they may have.

And for those pissed-off to the point of wanting a revolution: fat chance of that happening!!! . There's so much complexity to our make-up as a 'nation' for any revolution to be successful. If one were to happen, you'd be sure to see the elite/ruling-class/politicians/Oligarchs play on ethnicity [/b]and religious sentiments to dagbaru the whole thing . Think back to the events leading up to the coup of 1966 and you'll understand where i'm going with this line of reasoning. The only way a revolution can work is if the ethnic nationalities that make-up Nigeria today were allowed to leave and form their own countries, and then maybe seek to form [b]REAL nations or confederations with like-minded ethnicites where equity/justice/merit are non-negotiable and there's no recourse to the antiquated ideas of quota-system and federal character nonsense that is holding us back as a nation. If this were to happen, then and only then would the theiving ruling-class have a fight on their hands.

That is very true, a simple example  is when I pointed out that the figures were bogus and all what KOBOJUNKIE(whom I always respect in NL) could pick out from my post was that  egusi and garri are imported from Ghana, so that is to say Ghana should be getting at least 1 trillion naira a year of our money every year. Most Nigerian chase shadow than the real thing to be able to revolutionize.

^^^ The reason kobojunkie picked on the NIGERIAN FOODS bit is because Kobojunkie has no INSIDE INFO on how much we actually spend as a nation, other than what I glean from the Nigerian bureau of statics and other parastatals, who I very suspect play with the numbers as well. I mean we are being told by them that unemployment in Nigeria is at about 19%. I don't know anyone personal who would believe that gunk.

Kobojunkie:

^^^ The reason kobojunkie picked on the NIGERIAN FOODS bit is because Kobojunkie has no INSIDE INFO on how much we actually spend as a nation, other than what I glean from the Nigerian bureau of statics and other parastatals, who I very suspect play with the numbers as well. I mean we are being told by them that unemployment in Nigeria is at  about 19%. I don't know anyone personal who would believe that gunk. 

I felt you could have agreed with the main point of bogus statistics that I was making before pointing out of our import from Ghana, at least we still came to an agreement from both side. A more serious record like knowing how much crude oil is pumped out , they don't know , talkless of food for the masses. They love us so much and the spend that much yet the small fuel subsidy they want to take out.

Kobojunkie:

NewsFlash -- Egusi, Garri,Elubo, etc consumed in Nigeria are not necessary NIGERIAN PRODUCTS. Much of the produce comes from neighboring countries like Ghana, Benin etc. I know this because I have been doing some market research in the area and have had my eye opened to the appalling food production levels in Nigeria. Even mushrooms and periwinkles are imported

Those who live in the US can attest to this. Every other Nigerian delicacy we consume here is shipped from Ghana.

Shipping it from Ghana doesn't mean we don't have them in Nigeria. Truth be told, Nigeria does not import egusi from anywhere. After all, Lousiana produce enough fish in the Us and they export some yet Chinese fishes are still imported in America. Does that mean they don't produce enough fish in the US?.

It depends on who is importing them and licensing laws. Many of these foods are imported from Ghana because they are cheaper to procure there. The average cost of living in Ghana is lower than Nigeria and a farmer in Ghana is ready to knock down prices with little profits over Nigerian farmers.

Nigeria importin egwusi from ghana is a fat lie, egwusi comes from agyaragu in nasarawa stste they lead in production of egwusi and other root crop. that where i served people from ghana and envirom comes there every friday

Land reforms instead of driver's license registration should be what we should be pursuing at this time, and we will be able to solve the problem with importation of food stuff.

Too many issues are mitigating against this and hopefully things will change soon with a few tweaks here and there