NIGERIA – Nigeria’s food insecurity crisis has deepened as inflation continues to surge, pushing millions into hunger.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported a sharp rise in food inflation, which reached 39.84% in December 2024, compared to 33.9% recorded the previous year.
The worsening economic conditions have led to an increase in the number of food-insecure Nigerians, rising from 66.2 million in early 2023 to an estimated 100 million by the first quarter of 2024.
A report by the WFP highlights the severity of the crisis, noting that 18.6 million Nigerians are currently facing acute hunger, while 43.7 million are experiencing hunger at a crisis level or worse as of March 2024.
According to experts, this trend poses a significant risk of widespread famine unless urgent interventions in humanitarian aid, social protection, and food systems reforms are implemented.
The livestock sector is a major source of nutrition, providing about 36.5% of the total protein intake of Nigerians.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has reported that livestock production in Nigeria contributes between 6% and 8% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for 20% to 25% of the value-added in agriculture.
Efforts to improve livestock productivity are underway through the Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 initiative, which is being implemented by FMARD in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMoE) and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH).
This marks the first time these stakeholders have jointly worked on defining cattle and poultry production systems using a multi-disciplinary approach.
The initiative has focused on describing existing livestock systems, mapping cattle and poultry distribution using FAO’s Gridded Livestock of the World 3.0, and analyzing datasets to generate statistics on key variables such as geographic distribution and production efficiency.
According to FMARD, the approach is stakeholder-driven, allowing experts to define the different livestock production systems while integrating scattered information using geographical mapping.
The initiative also enhances data visualization by combining maps and statistical models.
The dairy sector plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s food system, with current milk production standing at 585,000 tonnes per year, representing 13% of total milk production in West Africa.
A research study described Nigeria’s dairy industry as the second-largest segment in the country’s food sector, growing at a rate of 8% annually since 2010 and generating over 345 million Naira (US$2 billion) in revenue in 2013.
Nigeria remains a net importer of dairy products, with domestic production meeting only 40% of national demand, while the remaining 60% is covered by imports.
The country’s per capita dairy consumption is estimated at 10 litres per year, one-fourth of the global average.
Experts emphasize the need for strategic investments to boost local milk production and reduce reliance on imports.
Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE
Be the first to leave a comment