Prof. Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, a lecturer at Michigan State University, has called on the Nigerian government to take drastic steps to tackle insecurity, logistic challenges, and post-harvest losses of farm produce to address skyrocketing food inflation. As of May 2024, Nigeria’s food inflation rate stood at a staggering 40.66%.
Liverpool-Tasie, the lead Principal Investigator on the Research Supporting African MSMEs to Provide Safe and Nutritious Food (RSM2SNF) project in Nigeria and Tanzania, expressed concerns over the high cost of food items. The scholar, currently a visiting scientist with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, shared these insights during a presentation of research findings on food safety across markets to stakeholders in Ibadan.
The event took place at the University of Ibadan’s Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV), Bodija, Ibadan. It was a collaborative session focused on using evidence and data from the RSM2SNF project, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to support micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises in delivering affordable, safe, and nutritious foods in Nigeria and Tanzania.
Market leaders, traders, government officials, researchers, and scholars attended the event. Over the past year, the group has collected data from wholesale markets across eight Nigerian states, including Oyo State.
Liverpool-Tasie highlighted the numerous drivers of inflation, pointing to issues such as fuel prices and the removal of subsidies, which have led to increased fuel costs affecting all aspects of logistics. “Everything must be moved from one place to another,” she said. “From the farm to the city or the city to the farm, transportation is key. This has significantly affected prices.”
Insecurity is another major factor impacting food prices. Liverpool-Tasie noted that insecurity directly affects farm production and also impacts traders transporting goods from northern states like Kaduna, Kano, or Plateau to the south. “When traders face insecurity, they have to incorporate those costs into their pricing. This affects the price of every produce we buy,” she explained.
Logistic challenges, such as the loss of produce during transportation, also contribute to high food prices. Addressing these issues collectively, according to Liverpool-Tasie, would lead to a drop in food prices.
Dr. Debo Akande, Director General of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, also spoke at the event. Representing Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, he emphasized the state’s commitment to creating an environment where all food items are safe for consumption. Dr. Dayo Shosina, standing in for Akande, revealed that the state government is working towards a public-private partnership model to achieve this goal.
Mukaila Abayomi, a market leader and member of the Oritamerin Market Committee, expressed his delight in learning how to make vegetables and other food items healthier for consumers.
The RSM2SNF project’s focus on supporting MSMEs to deliver safe and nutritious foods is seen as a critical step in addressing Nigeria’s food inflation crisis. The collaborative efforts between researchers, market leaders, and government officials aim to create sustainable solutions to the logistical and security challenges facing the agricultural sector.
Source: The Guardian
