Brace yourself for a mandatory fasting exercise . . .

The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), reported that worldwide food costs rose almost 40 per cent in 2007 while grains spiked 42 per cent and dairy prices nearly 80 per cent. The World Bank said food prices are up by 83 per cent since 2005. As at December, it caused 37 countries to face food crisis and 20 to impose price control in response.

It also affected aid agencies like the UN's World Food Programme (WFP). Because of soaring food and energy costs, it sent an urgent appeal to donors on March 20 to help fill a $500 million resource gap for its work.

Since then, food prices increased another 20 per cent and show no signs of scaling down. For the world's poor, like the people of Haiti, things are worse, people can't afford food, they scratch by any way they can, but many don't make it and they are starving.

Though there is no protest on Nigeria’s streets today, the country is in the group that cannot feed itself and, therefore, relies on import of staple food, particularly rice to feed her citizens. The price of rice has increased by 80 per cent. The projected national demand for rice in the country is put at 4.64 million metric tons annually, while current rate of consumption is put at 2.3 metric tons. . .

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/may/05/national-05-05-2008-003.htm

Sequel to his meeting with stakeholders last Saturday at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja , Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Abba Sayyadi Ruma will today lead a search party to Lagos State with a view to verifying claims of certain companies that they have thousands of metric tonnes of rice in stock.

Consequently, the minister has also explained the circumstances that threw up the proposed N80 billion intervention funds by the Federal Government on the food situation in the country, saying it came into being as a result of the need for special intervention funds in the development of agricultural programmes. . .

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=110588

Summary
There's a global food price increase with prices soaring to almost twice the value of the previous amount. This basically will hit harder on poor countries and countries that depend on imports for food supply. Nigeria is in the set of those two groups.

Currently we have Rice prices soaring at more than 100% in our local markets while we have a decrease in the supply of Rice due to the global crisis and how it affects global supply. Remember that even flour's price had increased some months back.

Govt's Response
Yar'adua proposed N80 billion intervention fund for the importation of Rice and 1.68 per cent of the federation account to be dedicated as agriculture development fund. Also I think our Federal Food Reserves was opened up to give out about 15 metric tonnes of grains to farmers.

My Take
Good reaction from the government but these are basically short and maybe medium term solutions. The plans are somewhat adhoc and haphazard pointing to the fact that we have no laid out structure or policy for our agriculture sector.

This is a shocking revelation considering that for 8 years of Obasanjo's regime (who is a farmer by the way) and a year of Yar'adua's (having agriculture in his 7 point agenda) we have no policy that can tackle the problem of our farms being unable to supply half of the basic food we consume.

I think we need to see a clear roadmap with well detailed and laid out plans with implementation timelines concerning our agriculture sector. The goal should be a self sufficient Nation with regards to basic agriculture products.

@Somze

Somebody rang me from Libya yesterday to confirm Famine. I ask him to go to Sudan

I propose we take a wait and see approach here. As always, as Nigerians, it seems our hands are mostly tied and so all we can do is take care of our own and hope we all come through this in good shape. Our agricultural sector has been in shambles since the 1980's so scrambling to fix it now that the problem is at the door seems to be the same old fix, too-little-too-late approach we have practised for decades now. All we can do is wait and pray. _{I seriously can not believe I am jumping on the FAST-AND-PRAY bandwagon but it seems the best we can do at this point.} Hope we do not get any close to where many in sierra leone, burkina faso and some other countries find themselves today.

I don't think it is a Nigerian problem so we shouldn't be looking for Nigerian solutions.

i have always seen challenges as a means to put oneself above the fray. the global food crisis isn't an exception. this exposes a fundamental incompetence in the agric. ministry. i must commend YA for his understanding of the economics of the system. the million dollar question is whether the trickling down effect will ever occur. some of our uncles and aunts will see this as an avenue to further plunge us into mire. it's naija!!!

Yar'adua proposed N80 billion intervention fund for the importation of Rice and 1.68 per cent of the federation account to be dedicated as agriculture development fund.

yaradul is not getting it. those countries want to keep rice for their own people.

what has OBJ, the farmer, the president, did with agric in 8yrs?

we should urgently get back to rice-farming in: kaduna, jos, bauchi, kano and not short-sighted more importation next season is around the corner.

My point exactly. Thailand and other Rice exporting nations decided to cut down on exports in favor of local supply and consumption. Where are we going to buy that bulk quantity from? Who's going to sell to us?

For the 1.68% Agriculture Development Fund, I think this is a move in the right direction . . . theoretically. We need to encourage private participation and investment in agriculture. I think what I want to see is a firm policy, a road map, a clear plan. Not just talk. Let Nigerians now the gory details.
We can review milestones periodically to see if we are really on track.

The answer to the global crisis is simple - make your own food. We have the land for planting but we don't have the insecticides, fertilizers, mechanized farming equipments and technical know-how. I hope the program will put these into consideration.

For the 1.68% Agriculture Development Fund, I think this is a move in the right direction . . . theoretically. We need to encourage private participation and investment in agriculture. I think what I want to see is a firm policy, a road map, a clear plan. Not just talk. Let Nigerians now the gory details.
We can review milestones periodically to see if we are really on track.

that is it.