Farmers warn of higher food prices, ask Abuja to act fast to prevent crisis
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Farmers have urged Abuja to take immediate and deliberate steps to mitigate the impact of flooding on them to head off food shortage and rising prices across the land.
Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) National President Mary Afan warned failure to improve security and financial aid for farmers will result in higher cost of food, increased hunger, and worsen food security.
“The implication of this massive flooding is that the prices of food will be yet higher, owing to unavailability.
“This will deal a great blow on the over 90 million Nigerians currently living below the poverty line and the over 21 million others currently experiencing acute hunger,” she said.
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Women farmers lost everything to flooding
“At the moment, smallholder women farmers have lost everything. There are no seeds to plant during the next farming season,” Afan said, according to The Guardian.
“While some farmers are gradually returning to their homes, as the water recedes, to pick up whatever is left of the destruction, others cannot go back home or to their farms. Some have lost the courage to start all over and others have totally lost hope.”
Afan lamented the lack of seeds for planting in the next farming season and urged the federal government to grant waivers on all agricultural loans and debts owed during wet season farming.
She stressed the waivers will raise farmers’ morale and motivate them to start cultivation in the dry season.
She stressed the need for swift procurement of farm inputs and equipment, especially fertiliser and water pumps, for dry season farming.
“This flooding happened at a time many farmers were either getting ready to start harvesting their crops or had just commenced harvest. Words cannot express the gravity of the losses.
“These have brought psychological trauma on women farmers, many of who took loans, rented lands, hired equipment and are now unable to repay their debts.”
Afan urged Abuja to prioritise agriculture in the 2023 budget and increase allocation to it, warning failure to act quickly means allowing Nigerians to go hungry and pay exorbitant food prices.