Following the ongoing lockdown imposed by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the looming food crisis due to movement restriction on agricultural produce, the federal government had said that it if the restriction was not managed well, there may be a food crisis.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono disclosed this during a COVID-19 and the Food Supply Chain-Ministerial Policy Response Meeting where he hosted the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi Minister or Police Affairs Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbeshola.
Nanono said since the lockdown, the disruption of economic activities had become a threat to domestic food supply chains.
He said in Nigeria, movement restriction of people was beginning to impact on food processors, traders, trucking and logistics.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic turns into a global crisis, measures are taken by nations to contain its negative effects on the people and the economy.
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“The disruptions of economic activities are glaring and the threats to domestic food supply chains are emerging in many countries. The World Bank recently reported that due to the pandemic, real Gross Domestic Product growth is projected to fall globally. In particular, the economies of Africa’s three largest economies – Nigeria, Angola, and South Africa would experience persistent weak growth.
“More worrisome is that the COVID-19 crisis could potentially spark a food security crisis in Africa, with agricultural production potentially contracting in 2020 and 2012.
“In Nigeria, movement restrictions of people and goods are starting to impact on food processors, traders, trucking and logistics in the food supply chains and the cumulative impact could result in loss of income and jobs which would, in turn, reduce people’s ability to buy food and compensate farmers for their production”, the Minister said.
He, however, said if the restriction was not managed, it could impact negatively on rural communities who are dependent on access to input to produce and access to the market for their output across the country.
“Such restrictions, if not adequately managed, could also impact negatively on rural communities who are dependent on access to inputs to produce and access to markets for their output across the country. The knock-on effect of this is an increase in costs and availability of food items in urban areas”, he noted.
Furthermore, the Minister said “on our part, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working closely with the relevant government organs to ensure appropriate food policy responses, including Ensuring that transportation of food and agricultural inputs are unhindered by the restriction of movements to ensure that supply chains are kept open and functional; Incorporating Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) to eliminate or reduce the risk of food surfaces and food packaging materials becoming contaminated and supporting the most vulnerable population by releasing assorted food via safety net interventions to complement food distributions in specific areas of vulnerability.
He said the Ministry had also developed immediate, short and medium-term plans to mitigate the wrath of COVID-19 on agricultural value-chains and also to help in generating momentum for Post COVID-19 recovery plan of the government with agriculture providing the main thrust for achieving growth, diversification and massive job creation.
Nanono, therefore, said the “interactive meeting involving key government institutions, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Defense, Interior and Police Affairs is expected to discuss issues, challenges and innovative solutions that would permit easy access for the food supply chain in the country in line with the broader government’s objective of ensuring a healthy and food secured nation in the face of COVID-19 Pandemic”.
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