2.6 million Nigerians may go hungry in 2024 -FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has revealed that no fewer than 2.6 million Nigerians in Borno, Sokoto and Zamfara States including Abuja may go hungry between June and August 2024.

The representative of FAO in Nigeria, Dominique Kouacou, disclosed this at the presentation of the October to November round of the Cadre Harmonise food security and early warning analysis on Friday in Abuja.

Dominique Kouacou was represented by Dr Abubakar Suleiman, Assistant FAO representative, Programme.InformationGuideNigeria

As reported by NAN, the CH analysis was conducted in 26 states and the FCT to ascertain the food security situation and make projections for the future.

According to Kouacou, the current cycle is happening after an unusually lean season, which witnessed several shocks, ranging from persistent insecurity situations like insurgency, and banditry.

Kouacou listed other challenges as natural resource-based conflicts, high cost of food and agricultural inputs due to high inflation, and severe dry spells in some states immediately after the onset of rains.

Speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, who was represented by Mrs Fausat Lawal, Director of Special Duties, said the analysis was conducted and validated by highly skilled professionals of the CH analysis task force over the past two weeks.NYSC Portal

The permanent secretary said the results of the cycle of Cadre Harmonise analysis were coming at a time when government at all levels was leaving no stone unturned in reinvigorating the nation’s economy.

“Notable among them are the lingering negative impact of COVID-19 on the global economy and the Russia-Ukraine war which is currently disrupting the food systems and spiking up input prices and food prices.JAMB Result

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“The removal of petroleum subsidy has further heightened this pressure, resulting in food inflation and increases in the consumer price index,” he said.

According to him, environmental and human factors such as climate change, displacements due to insecurity and seasonal flooding regime had all remained recurrent concerns.

The permanent secretary said that the disruptions had implications on food consumption patterns and the attendant high use of irreversible coping strategies among a sizable population of Nigeria.JAMB Portal

Umakhihe  added that before the end of the year 2024, the ministry would work to mainstream all 36 states of the country in the CH analysis.

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