Writing By BASHIR M; Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
The Federal Government has reassured Nigerians of its commitment in ensuring food availability and affordability in the country.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi gave this assurance during a Ministerial briefing to commemorate this year’s World Food Day celebration in Abuja.
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said that World Food Day is celebrated on October 16th each year in over 150 member countries worldwide to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945.
He explained that this global event brings together governments, private sector, civil society organizations, media, and the public to create more awareness on the nature of the global food challenge and to highlight the need to develop global actions to ensure food security for all.
The Minister said that the objectives of Day among others were to raise awareness about global food security issues; promote global cooperation and action to address hunger and malnutrition; support sustainable agriculture and food systems; initiate policies to ensure food accessibility, availability, and affordability and inspire collective action to achieve Zero Hunger.
According to him, despite all these efforts, there are challenges posed by current trends such as rapid population growth, climate change, urbanization, instability, and pandemics, all of which are putting global food supply under increasing stress.
The Minister added that according to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the position of Food Security and Nutrition in the World around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, which is equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five people in Africa.
Also About 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023, and over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022.
As such FAO has warned that, if current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa.
However, Senator Sabi confirmed that Nigeria’s current food security is threatened by the ongoing intensification of insecurity, along with economic shocks, floods, and the removal of subsidies.
He, therefore, stated that to address these challenges impacting the attainment of national food security goals, the Federal Government of Nigeria is implementing numerous economic reforms to stimulate productive capacity, create jobs, and reduce the cost of living. Emergency responses and targeted humanitarian actions have also been taken to alleviate the food crisis in the country.
The Minister said as a result of the Federal Government’s policy initiatives and innovative funding, much has been achieved in the sector. “For example, in 2017, Nigeria recorded significant achievement in the global agricultural sector. It ranked first in Cassava and Yam production with 59.4 million tons and 47.9 million tons respectively”.
” It also ranked the 14th in Maize production with 10.42 million tons and 4th in Palm oil with 7.7 million tons in the same year. Furthermore, in 2019, Nigeria became the largest producer of rice in Africa with a production level of 9 million metric tons”.
Accordingly the Minister, this indeed, is a true testimony of the overall commitment to boosting agriculture and providing sufficient food to the teeming population.
Senator Sabi emphasized that, global hunger and food crisis demand collective action. “National governments, therefore, have a responsibility to make sure that their people have enough to eat. Although many governments have limited resources to do so, this has necessitated the call for effective international solidarity”.
He call on governments at all levels, international organizations, private sector, civil society organizations and the public to work together to bring food crisis and hunger to the top of the global agenda and invest in short, medium and long-term solutions that will provide everyone with enough food to eat.
The Minister then urged all and sundry to get involved by educating ourselves about global food challenges and food insecurity. “Let us advocate for policies and initiatives that address hunger, food waste, and sustainable farming practices at the local, national, and international levels”.
In an opening remark, the representative of country representative of FAO Salisu Muhammed commended the Federal government of Nigeria assuring that FAO provides technical support to government to overcome challenges of low productivity, extreme weather conditions, policies and strategies
He emphasised the fact that Youth were crucial stakeholders in this effort, saying Engaging young people in agricultural innovation and sustainable practices is essential for fostering a food-secure future.
Salisu Muhammed added that to achieve that We must empower them to become advocates for healthy diets and sustainable agrofood systems and
Women need a space at the table to be part of the dialogue in decision making.
Similarly, the country representative of FAO therefore urged stakeholders to renew their commitment to transforming agrofood systems, and work together to ensure that every person in our region has access to a healthy and nutritious diet, thereby achieving the goals set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“As we commemorate World Food Day, let us remember that the right to food is not just about availability; it is about dignity, equity, and justice.”
He, finally commended the unwavering efforts by the Federal Government and Ministries for their strong commitment to collaborating with the FAO to promote food security.
Cov Bashir M
