• Tougher days ahead unless govt tackles insecurity, says Shettima

• Teriba blames COVID-19 for hunger crisis

• Food inflation triggered by herdsmen’s killing, says farmers’ leader

Nigeria seems to be plunging a new dimension of economic crisis as food inflation reached a new high in northern regions, hitherto considered the food basket of the country.

The North consistently led the country’s year-on-year (YOY) food inflation rate from June to August. In August and July, Kogi recorded the highest food inflation (22 percent and 20.1 per cent respectively), while Sokoto, with 17.9 per cent, took the lead in June.

On the average, food inflation of 11 northern states — as against six southern states — exceeded the composite figure in each of the three months. In August, 11 northern states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)) and four Southern states, exceeded the national average, which was 16 percent. In July, the number of Northern states that surpassed the food inflation national average (15.48) was nine, as against seven from the South. Eight Southern states’ food inflation was above 15.18 (the combined average) in June, while 12 states from the North recorded higher figures.

ACCORDING to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the food inflation of Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara and FCT exceeded the national average in all the three months.

Ebonyi and Ekiti, on the other hand, were the only two Southern states that exceeded the general food inflation rate in the three months reviewed. The North also retained the top state with the worst food inflation rate back-to-back in the three months.

The depressing inflation rate in the North, a zone considered as Nigeria’s food basket, speaks volume of the sad dimension the country’s hunger crisis is assuming.

Dr. Ayo Teriba, chief executive officer of Economic Associates, said increase in prices of food items in the North was among the outcomes of the lockdown measures taken to contain the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“During the lockdown, inputs could not get to the farms in many parts, even though mainstream agriculture was considered an essential sector. If farming was essential but transportation was affected by the lockdown, the prices of inputs would go up,” the economist said.

Teriba noted also that the lockdown restricted volume of food items that got to the final consumer. This, he said, caused an unusual spark. He added that the vast landmass in the North also escalated the impact of restricted movement on prices of inputs and outputs.

But the leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, blamed the rising prices of food in the zone on terrorism and banditry, warning that except the government tackled the challenges head-on, the country was yet to see the worst.

“How many people still go to the farm? If people cannot go to the farms, where is the produce going to come from?” he asked. The social activist added that the little food taken to the market was a product of a few farmers who produced at the risk of their lives.

CORROBORATING Shettima’s view, Simon Irtwange, a professor and president of the National Association of Yam Farmers, Processors and marketers, said the herdsmen were currently having an upper hand in farmers/herdsmen conflicts in Nasarawa and many other places.

Calling on relevant authorities to invest in storage facilities to help farmers conserve produce, Irtwange pointed out that food items were becoming cheaper in cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, Rivers State because the little produce was hauled to those places on the false assumption that the farmers would make more money selling in urban markets.

Sadly, he said, wholesalers in Port Harcourt, Lagos and other cities “are not in a hurry to buy those items, forcing the farmers to dump them at any price to prevent damage” as food products are mostly perishables.

In August, the food inflation of Kogi was a six-percent point above the national average. With 19.1 percent and 18 percent respectively, Kwara and Edo – Kogi’s neighbours – were second and third states with the sharpest increase in prices of food. Food inflation in Sokoto, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebi, Borno, Plateau and Zamfara also pulled through the national ceiling, a situation that may have intensified the fear about the growing impact of insecurity on food production.

Though a few states in the South also experienced unusual rise in food inflation, figures from the North are particularly upsetting. Bode Ashogbon, an economist and investment consultant, said he could only attribute the rise to “flooding experienced in the past few years and insecurity” as no economic factor could be responsible for the unusual increase.

“Security challenges could be responsible for inflation. A lot of people are moving away from the farm because of insecurity. But if you look at Kogi, you also want to ask whether insecurity is a major concern. Why should food inflation be the highest in Kogi,?” Ashogbon asked.

AYODEJI Ebo, managing director of Afrinvest Securities Limited, said high inflation in the North could be connected with the weakening naira and distance from port facilities, as Nigeria is predominantly import-dependent. Ebo alluded to impact of the cost of importation on Nigeria’s domestic prices.

Last year alone, the country spent $1.3 billion on importation of cereals. The figure does not capture the undeclared smuggled tonnes of rice and other items that came into the country through land borders weekly.

Price of rice has increased by over 100 percent since the borders were closed last year. Neighbouring countries, including the Republic of Benin, whose economy survives on Nigerian’s patronage, have mounted pressure on the Federal Government to reopen the borders but the latter insists that would only happen after mutually beneficial terms are signed.

Source:
https://m.guardian.ng/rising-food-prices-in-north-send-scary-signal

When fulani herdsmen and bandits chases farmers around and the government was applauding them, what did you expect before?

Insecurity is one major issue up north. People cannot go to farm if there is no security of lives and properties.

Meanwhile, come and get your 1 acre(six plots) of land at Abeokuta/Ibadan road, Ogun state with just 500,000 in our ongoing promo. You also stand a chance of getting a bag of rice and gallon of vegetable oil. Kindly reach us on our signature.

Buhari don dey show una the real meaning of change.

Instead of remediating the electricity issue, he increases
its tariff.

He promised to fix the economy, but, the economy is on the verge of recession.

He has not improve our medical system.

Increase in VAT.

Insecurity at its highest.

Corruption everywhere.

Terrorist and Bandits are hungry civilians, according to Bullhari.

Yes there is rising food prize.

But the prize of food has started coming down here in the north.

I don't know for south

Wow so boko boys have succeeded

They never see anything..

Arrewa:
Yes their is rising food prize.

But the prize of food has started coming down here in the north.

I don't know for south

Maybe that food you are talking about is cowdung.

Bandits/Fulani/BH terrorists atrocities just destabilizing the dynamics of life across this nation including agriculture yet the govt keep on lying about a non-existent food sufficiency or security

Next level disaster loading from antiquity from the same region.The confusion in this government is something else.

E don dey red

So unfortunate That Nigeria is going through diverse crisis at this critical point in time.
Let'S all join hands together to move this nation forward before It plunges into the ocean of despair and confusion.
The RevolutionS that happened in America was as a result of over taxation while France was due to food crisis similar to what we are experiencing today.
To get info on these Revolutions Visit
https://thepointedge.com/the-french-revolution-that-changed-europe-part-1/
And
https://thepointedge.com/the-american-revolution/
get information you can use....

I thought they said North is feeding Nigeria? They never see anything self, by the time Buhari completes his useless and worthless 8 years, they will move from being the world's poverty capital to the universe's wretched capital

At least majority of us here in the East can still afford 3 solid square meals because almost every family in Igboland has someone abroad who sends them remittances

Kill ya selves there kawai

Arrewa:
Yes their is rising food prize.

But the prize of food has started coming down here in the north.

I don't know for south

Lol, this one is always decieving himself.
You will come online to brag that all is well with the North. Small thing, you start posting pictures of street lights and roads with ridiculous claims that North is now developed yet all the charity organizations in the world are sending relief materials there. Yet all indices about the North shows a region that has not only declined steadily, but a place that is now globally known for its widespread poverty, diseases, infant and maternal mortality, chaos, terrorism etc

Buhari still has three more years to go, by the time he completes his tenure, half of you guys will be receiving food aid from Cameroun and Niger rep

The only thing in the north that hasn’t increased in cost is vegetable and okra.

proeast:


Lol, this one is always decieving himself.
You will come online to brag that all is well with the North. Small thing, you start posting pictures of street lights and roads with ridiculous claims that North is now developed yet all the charity organizations in the world are sending relief materials there. Yet all indices about the North shows a region that has not only declined steadily, but a place that is now globally known for its widespread poverty, diseases, infant and maternal mortality, chaos, terrorism etc

Buhari still has three more years to go, by the time he completes his tenure, half of you guys will be receiving food aid from Cameroun and Niger rep

Bro, this is distasteful.

That boy didn't not say anything bad to warrant these.

I don't like all this north/Buhari bashing all the time. Imagine if you was from north, you'd feel some type of way.
Do they not have good people from there?
I like calling a spade a spade but when we bash n bash n bash it makes it seem like there's nothing worthwhile about the northern side of the country.

Even Buhari sef, let's give him credit when his administration gets it right. IE: edo election, second niger bridge etc

We're all countrymen. And that's not changing anytime soon. Regardless of what who n who is saying

Just my unsolicited 2 cents

Fake news

hunger and inflation of prices of food is real

Arrewa:
Yes their is rising food prize.

But the prize of food has started coming down here in the north.

I don't know for south

haba danwa!
the cost of food is still high. masara is three hundred naira per mudu, local rice is seven hundred naira per mudu etc

slivertongue:


haba danwa!
the cost of food is still high. masara is three hundred naira per mudu, local rice is seven hundred naira per mudu etc

ai bance Kaya ba tsada ba.

Food stuff is gradually coming down and will continue going down.

Anfanin gona yafara shigo kasuwa