Farmers, processors express readiness to meet Nigeria’s food demand despite gaps

• FUNAAB DVC says, ‘Not immediately’
• VC insists farmers are capable
Nigerian farmers and food processors have expressed readiness to close the gap between food demand and supply despite the closure of borders against smuggling and restriction on food importation. They also urged the government to ignore unnecessary pressure to reverse the policies, saying Nigeria should not become a dumping ground for foreign foods.  
 
Particularly, rice farmers and processors emphatically claimed that with adequate support from the government and patronage by Nigerians, they could close the demand-supply gap, and export rice to the African marketplaces under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to which the country is a signatory.
 
A rice processor in Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr (Mrs) Abiola Olagunju, claimed during an interview with The Guardian that the so-called imported rice was fraudulently packaged as imported rice to rob Nigerians.She said, “Let me tell you that the so-called imported rice is not really imported. If the border is now closed, why won’t the rice be available to us?”  

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) says that Nigeria needs approximately 16 million metric tonnes of maize yearly, but it produces about 12 million tonnes, with a shortfall of about four million tonnes.The yearly demand for sugar is estimated to be 1.5 million, while the country produces less than 10 per cent of the demand.Nigeria citrus juice deficit with an estimate of 415 million litres, according to data from the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Oyo State.
 
The national production of citrus is estimated at 135 million litres of orange juice, while the demand is 550 million litres.The Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria (POFON) based on the data available to the forum, said crude palm oil consumption is about 1.4 million tonnes. So, there is a demand gap of between 400,000 and 500,000 metric tonnes.
 
Closing the deficiency gaps, farmers, researchers and food processors have consistently argued, requires preventing smuggling, mechanisation of agriculture, a structured and simplified agro-financing system, rural infrastructure development and price stability of farm produce through a sustainable market.
 
Only one aspect is being experimented, and stakeholders have called on the government, especially at the state level, to, for once, truly support food production by investing in the foregoing. However, while commenting on farmers’ capacity to feed the country, Prof. Sanni Lateef, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), said, “Not immediately, but on the medium and long terms, it is very possible.”One good advantage of the policies, he explained, is that the current partnership between Federal and State Government on Anchor Borrower’s Programmes would allow farmers immediate access to credit facilities and agro-inputs for mass production.  
 
“The processing factories require upgrade and scaling to enhance their capabilities. Of course, immediate investments in rural roads and electricity are required,” he added.“Strengthening of commodity exchanges and food reserves at the national level are other critical points to note. Availability, accessibility and affordability of food must be achieved with this laudable initiative,” he advised.
 
Mr Lakan Ayangbola, CAFFAN chairman in Oyo State, while explaining capacity of fish farmers to feed Nigerians with adequate fish, said production expansion and productivity had been impaired by unfavourable operation environment. “It has been challenging from the angle of inputs. Getting the feeds for the fishes cost so much. I must add that 75 per cent of the proceeds from fish farming is used up in the procurement of feeds. At the moment, the cost of feeds is relatively high, and this increases the cost of production,” he said.  
 
This, he added, “has not been easy and it has affected productivity and profitability. For this reason, some of our members have not been motivated to produce at optimal capacity.” A Lagos-based Nigerian, Uka Obisike Uzoije, also expressed doubt about the ability of the farmers, at the moment, to meet up with the demand for food.He said, “A lot of people are feeling it now. Basically, Nigeria is an importation-dependent country. Yes, we grow our food, but because of the high population and less investment in agriculture, we are not food-sufficient.”
 
He added that most staple foods like rice are smuggled from other countries, particularly Benin Republic. The notion now, he said, is that the prices of foodstuff will go high, saying, “A bag of rice sold at the rate of 18,000 now costs between N23,000 and N25,000, depending on your residential area.”
Contrary to Uzoije’s view, a rice processor in Nigeria, Mr Amos Fakunle, said farmers are capable, and that the unfolding events in this year’s harvest season would prove the argument that Nigeria can produce enough food.
 
He said, “Nigerian farmers are able if the government will provide the right atmosphere of security. They should provide improved varieties of seeds. The road network and electricity generation are important too. When farmers produce, processors will buy and Nigerians will buy because we have decided to look inward.  

He also emphasised the role quality seeds could play in the efforts, saying the quality would determine the genetic potential of the crop while fertiliser and other inputs would enable the expression of that potential. He concluded that “labour is generally available in the majority of the farming families, and commercial agriculture is also coming along. So, Nigerian farmers can definitely not only feed the expanding population, but also provide surplus for value addition and export to our neighbouring countries who heavily depend on Nigeria for food and other sources of livelihood.”