Aisha: Nigeria needs collaboration to drive food security
Barbara Bako, Abuja
In order to drive increased food production in pursuit of the nation’s food security mandate, stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture sector has called for a strengthened collaboration
This was noted during a panel session on empowering a food security agenda at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit on Monday, in Abuja,
The founder of Cam Diaries, Aisha Bashir said that there is an urgent need for collaboration among players in the agricultural value chain to boost productivity in the sector.
Panel noted that the food system will continue to wrestle with several challenges including: post harvest losses, poor infrastructure, poor access to finance among others.
According to her, many businesses that operate in silence are faced with challenges that appear difficult to surmount.
“I have to say we’re not very good at collaborating so how can government step in and create those avenues for us to collaborate one another?
“Where can government play a role in connecting people, we talked about food systems, we could talk about market systems, a lot of players on this panel do their logistics. They have their own processing, you know, you know, each of our organisations are having to take on every single part of the value chain.
“Why do I have to handle my own logistics. How does government create an enabling environment where different people can keep the value chain and connect?
“Right I’m looking for cold chain temperature control logistics, can the government pair me with a organisation that can guarantee that my milk can go from Abuja to Lagos at a temperature controlled manner without me having to buy my own refrigerated trucks.
“So when you talk about efficiency, bringing the pricing down, it’s economies of scale, If we each have to build our own internal logistics, if we each have to import our own vaccines, we cannot achieve economies of scale.
Esther Ibrahim, A panelist saidthere was need for governments to work on coordination mechanism to ensure that smallholder farmers are captured in policies.
She explained that farmers require climate smart technologies and services of extension farm services.
“I think for me it’s farmers first you know let’s let’s have a farmers first mindset let’s have them at the front and centre as we designed policy as we create business models.
“That coaching that’s, you know, holding the farmer to tell him this is exactly what you should do is very important. We need to move away from practising farming and practice agriculture.
Speaking further, she stressed that land opening must be done with caution and sustainably considering the impact of climate change.
“The issue of climate change is really hitting deep and its biting very hard. And this is coming from human activities. So with all this, I’m also calling that we do it sustainably so that we don’t add to the food security problems as we are trying, try to ensure that we have food.
“And again, in planning, we need to work with the government coordination, you don’t just come in and do anything anyhow, the government tells you, this is what we have.
“This is where you want to go to for development partners. You see us walking in different places. In some countries, you don’t just go to anywhere because some places are populated, you know, there is a lot of activity happening. And in some areas, you do not have anything,” she stated.
Group CEO Africa- exchange (AFEX), Ayodeji Bologun said many Nigerians were already putting in effort to drive increased food production, but this efforts need to be synergised.
He said that it as become imperative for government to take control of knowing what each and every single player is doing in the sector so as to provide the needed support to thrive.
“The government should be able to dictate to some of our development partners, the areas where there are gaps that they should key into. Development partners should not come to you and tell you what they’re going to do in your country, but they should be able to see your agenda and work for it.
“And I think that with this administration’s setting of an agenda for agriculture. I think it’s time now for us to meet the players on board and start to implement and we’re hoping that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will take that mantle to ensure that each and every single one of us have an opportunity to do our part in the sector.”
Speaking further, said that Nigeria, in over 10 years, ha moved from producing 2 million rice equivalents and importing 4,000,000 rice equivalents to producing about 6 million metric tonne like rice equivalent and importing 2 million.
“So that is really massive success in 10 years by any standards. So how can we add 20 percent more on maize, soya beans, how can we start to export to other countries around? That’s the question that we really have to bring to bear.”