‘Our collective responsibility is to ensure that market interventions relieve consumers without eroding farmer confidence, that short-term relief does not compromise long-term resilience, and that Nigeria’s path to food security remains firmly rooted in a vibrant and sustainable domestic agricultural sector.’
Siaka Momoh
Nigeria does not have the right food security strategy in place, stakeholders in the edible oil business space argued Wednesday last week Dr. Fatai Afolabi.
It was clearly established at the conference that the farmer, who lays the golden egg, is being short changed, is losing out. How do we put things right? Dr Fatai Afolabi, a sustainability consultant, who delivered the keynote address at the event, attended by resourceful edible oil stakeholders, proffered a solution.
According to him, “…after careful analysis of the situation, we respectfully propose the following policy actions”:
‘Carefully timing imports to avoid peak harvest periods; Strengthening price stabilization mechanisms; Aggressively subsidizing critical farm inputs; Supporting agro-processors to remain competitive; Clearly communicating policy intentions so that farmers understand that import measures are strategic and temporary.
To give further details, first, food imports should function as a strategic shock absorber rather than a permanent market feature. Government should develop and publish a national crop production and harvest calendar for major staples and align import decisions with documented supply gaps. Import licenses should be suspended during peak harvest periods to prevent farm-gate price collapse, while stakeholder consultations with farmers’ associations should precede major trade interventions.
Second, there is an urgent need to revive and modernize price support and stabilization programmes. Government can introduce guaranteed minimum prices for strategic commodities, announced ahead of planting seasons, and purchase excess produce when market prices fall below production costs. These commodities can be stored in silos and warehouses built by the government at strategic location across the states, and released during off-season periods at controlled prices. This approach supports farmers, protects consumers, and stabilizes food prices. Effective commodity boards, modern storage infrastructure, and transparent procurement systems will be critical to success.
Third, to address the root cause of farmer distress, production costs must be reduced. Targeted subsidies should be expanded for fertilizers, improved seeds, agrochemicals, and mechanization services, using farmer registries, cooperatives, and other e-platforms to ensure transparency. Import duties on essential inputs not produced locally should be reduced, while domestic input production should be strengthened. Affordable energy solutions, including solar-powered irrigation and processing systems, should be promoted in farming communities.
Fourth, a vibrant agro-processing sector stabilizes demand for farm produce. Government should provide concessionary credit, energy support, and logistics infrastructure to processors. Temporary safeguards can be applied against imports that unfairly compete with locally processed products.
Contract farming arrangements between processors and farmers should be encouraged to guarantee markets, while support for quality certification, packaging, and market access will enhance competitiveness.
Finally, policy uncertainty is a major deterrent to agricultural investment. Government should clearly communicate that food import measures are temporary, targeted, and conditional. A transparent framework outlining the conditions, duration, and exit strategy for import interventions should be publicly available. Regular engagement with farmers and agribusiness stakeholders through extension services, commodity associations and media channels will help rebuild confidence and enable better production planning.
With thoughtful coordination and sustained support for farmers, Nigeria can achieve both. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that market interventions relieve consumers without eroding farmer confidence, that short-term relief does not compromise long-term resilience, and that Nigeria’s path to food security remains firmly rooted in a vibrant and sustainable domestic agricultural sector.’
