The National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim has harped on the need for farmers, stakeholders and the government to work together to avert an impending food crisis in the country.
Ibrahim in his New Year message, said Nigeria is on the verge of experiencing a major catastrophe’ of food insecurity if extreme care is not taken.
He attributed this ugly development to the macroeconomic instability arising from currency volatility, insecurity, climate change and inequity.
“While not trying to sound despondent I hasten to say that the attainment of food sufficiency for Nigerians in the first quarter of 2025 may be the elixir for the continued existence of Nigeria as a working unit.
“I say this with all sense of responsibility having been involved in Agricultural advocacy for the better part of my 66 years on earth.
“In 2024 we saw various efforts at stabilising Nigeria’s food system through various windows of support to the Smallholder Farmers (SHFs) the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) the Small Scale Producers (SSPs) and the vulnerable people but food inflation is still at an all-time high at 39.93% which portends extreme hunger to a very good number of Nigerians.
“In 2025 we must coalesce as stakeholders/farmers with government to get Nigeria out of the stranglehold of hunger and extreme poverty,” he said.
The AFAN President said this can only be done if the key actors and stakeholders work as a unified body with common interests and operating from common ground.
“In the first quarter of 2025 and precisely around mid-February, we have planned to hold a Presidential Round Table (PRT) as Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) as a wake-up call to all SHFs, SSPs, the entire private sectors as well as the government and all its MDAs with cross-cutting responsibilities in Agriculture with the sole purpose of reinvigorating Nigeria’s entire food system.
“Upon the successful convening of the PRT, I believe we will be able to evolve a strategy to make Nigeria semi-food sufficient in the short-term within 2025 and in the medium-term in 2027 and finally attain sustainable food security in 2030!
“It may appear ambitious but doable through a collective resolve to extricate our country from looming existential challenges,” he added.
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