Insecurity, Flooding Compounded food price inflation

Insecurity and Flooding have been describe as the twin factors that have compounded the issue of food price inflation across Nigeria.

Guests on the Journalists Hangout on Sunday made this assertion while reacting to the alarm raised by the United Nations Food Programme on the issue of Food price inflation in Nigeria.

Babajide Kolade-Otitoju while speaking on the issue said the problem has been further made worse by what he described as the twin issues of Insecurity and Flooding which swept through over 20 States in Nigeria towards the end of 2022.

He pointed at the example of Nasarawa State where one of the leading Food production giants in Nigeria lost over 4000 hectres of cultivated and waiting to be harvested crops to the flood.

He also said the fact many farmers are unable to go to their farms to either harvest or cultivate crops has also made it really difficult to bring down the inflationary pressures on food products.

He disclosed that Bandits/Terrorists have made it impossible for many farmers to get access to their farms especially in the North east and the North Central.

According to him, this has ensured that the little that is being produced are more expensive than usual.

He disclosed that farmers who have invested heavily Crops production have lost it all and that Government at all levels must do something fast to assist them so that they can recover quickly and restart food production.

He disclosed that but for insecurity and to a large extent flooding most areas that are not accessible now can produce sufficient food for the nation since they can farm all year round.

He called on the Federal Government to do something to bring succour to the people so they can put food on the table and prevent hunger from becoming pervasive in the Country.

He urged the government to address insecurity so people can actually farm and produce food while adding that government should also put in place measures to mitigate against flooding.