The drastic downturn in the world economy due to the novel coronavirus calls for serious concerns! Lots of losses have been recorded so far since the epidemic holistically took over the world. Major sectors that hitherto were strong contributors to the economies of the world are now grounded all to contain the spread of the virus.
The Agricultural sector is not exempted from the turbulence affecting humanity as most attentions of nations has been on combating the virus. There is, therefore, an urgent need for adequate measures to be put in place as we rethink food production.
According to FAO Africa, agriculture remains the largest sector of the Nigerian economy and employs two-thirds of the entire labour force, the production hurdles have significantly stifled the performance of the sector. Agriculture has been the pride of Nigeria and a major contributor to national economic growth, placing the country as the largest rice producer in Africa and Cassava producer in the world with over 50 million metric tons annually. The COVID-19 outrage has held key players, farmers, food producers, transporters, smallholders farmers especially women in the sector, bound at home due to lockdown and restriction of movements as imposed by the federal and state governments all in a frantic effort to contain the widespread of the virus. To avert the looming food crisis, this calls for rethinking and re-strategizing approach to keep food production sustainable for the teeming population and economic projection while vaccine research still on for the COVID-19. With the 200 million populations of Nigerians, there is much Government, International organizations, and agriculture stakeholders can do to ensure food security in Nigeria.
Food is a necessity for the daily living of humans especially in a period as this while producing food requires time, process, and absolute management for its activities on the farm. As food production consists of all the initial stages from land preparation, planting, harvesting, storage and processing until final consumption. The impact result of COVID-19 pandemic has created a gap in food production between March-May 2020.
Over the last two decades, studies have revealed that a lot of consideration has not been given to agricultural development compared to investments in the Oil sector. It is estimated that Nigeria has lost USD 10 billion in annual export opportunity from cocoa, palm oil, cotton and groundnut alone due to continuous decline in the production of those commodities. According to FMARD, 2008, food production increases have not kept pace with population growth, resulting in rising food imports and declining levels of national food self-sufficiency. Key problems on food production have been; lack of quality funding, specific budget lines for smallholder women farmers, smallholder land holding, weak extension services, poor agroecology and irrigation practice, labour-saving technologies, cheap and easy credit, poor fertilizer and some others. With the current global pandemic, the situation is worsened, as farmers in the country are raising alarm over their farm produce wastes, poultry products mass spoilage due to lack of transport and lack of accessible market for sales.
Nigerian government need to consider the agriculture sector as the largest sector to save the nation in terms of food security and monetary values, the aforementioned problems need an urgent address and regulatory measures implementation during this pandemic. Federal government and investors need to invest sincere funds on agriculture to boost food production within the country. A range of policies and initiatives to strengthen crops and animals production, provide farmers with empowerment and incubation programs, orientation and resolution of the farmer – herders crisis. Furthermore, relaxing movement restriction due to COVID-19 for farmers will reduce postharvest losses and waste, ensure an alternative accessible market for smallholder farmers especially women farmers to distribute fresh produce from their farm to market. COVID-19 has been a major disruption in food and to agriculture production in Nigeria because of total/partial lockdown in many states been touts as a measure to reduce the spread of the virus. While the whole world waits for the lasting solution for the pandemic to retreat, both government and agriculture stakeholders can work together to rethink food production pending the pandemic retreat and for the post-COVID-19 people’s livelihood.
