Various senior government officials have been sending distressing signals about the state of the Nigerian economy after President Muhammadu Buhari had himself hinted, in far-away India, late last year that the country’s economy was indeed in recession. That was not only confirmed by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun several months later, but the circumstances that led to such hopeless state of affairs were brought to the front burner and were appreciated and analysed with a view to confront them aggressively for an appropriate solution.
Despite all efforts put in toward ameliorating the situation, the economy continued to stagnate and depreciate with unpleasant consequences. Inflation and its twin evil of scarcity of manufactured goods as well as food supplies quickly set in to worsen the already bad situation. Signs of hunger and starvation were staring people on the face as cost of commodities and food items spiralled beyond the reach of the common folks. Nigerians became hopeless, having been reduced to impoverished paupers who could not afford the assortment of both imported and locally produced food items on displays in shops and market stalls. Grains and cereals, especially rice, maize and sorghum had overnight become luxury which ordinary people can ill afford.
As if that was not enough, a condition had developed which make every citizen harbour profound feeling that there was no hope in the face of these distressing situations. In line with that the Minister of Agriculture came with disturbing disclosure, intended to serve as a warning to local rice farmers to rise up and stem the probability of worsening price of rice within the next three months. He said going by the current projection, a bag may cost forty-thousand Naira if farmers fail to produce rice locally.
According to the Minister, available data have shown that Nigeria spends about twenty-two billion dollars a year on food importation, and that is not helping the nation’s economy. A bag of rice sold at twelve-thousand-Naira some few months ago, is currently going for over twenty-six-thousand Naira in most parts of the federation. And if massive production of rice is not embarked upon by the end of this year its price may jump beyond control. It may reach forty-thousand Naira per bag — perhaps beyond the reach of the wealthy and affluent.
The Federal Government was fully aware of this ugly trend and had, therefore, advanced the sum of twenty-billion Naira for massive production of rice in Kebbi and Sokoto states, as it had earlier promised. That gesture has yielded an appreciable return and there are also signs that the volume of rice imported into the country will sharply drop after the harvest in the increased acreage put under cultivation this season.
However, it was unfortunate that a number of states in the Northern part of this country are yet to give adequate priority to rice production similar to those in the North-west Zone. Successive Federal Governments were complacent about cultivating rice, choosing instead to encourage its importation from America and Asian countries. That was indeed a very sad development which had clearly portrayed the Federal Government as extremely insensitive to the plight of rice farmers and completely incapable of solving the numerous problems that can cause severe food insecurity in the country with adverse effects on the farmers’ fortune at harvest times.
Compounding these problems are the negligence and sloppiness of the governments in adequately supporting the farmers through their agricultural enterprises by neglecting agricultural mechanisation. This will free the peasant farmers from practising in an archaic manner, using rudimentary and makeshift implements. Likewise, the vast, lush, vegetative lands in all parts of Northern Nigeria, now lying fallow, are not put under cultivation to provide greater opportunity to the unemployed youths to engage in agricultural pursuit, thus taking realistic steps towards increased productivity. This commendable gesture could be further complemented by the rational use of the storm water harnessed in the earth dams, constructed over streams and rivulets in the remotest parts of the rural areas, for irrigating the same crops raised during the wet season severally in the dry season.
Insufficiency of fertiliser or the innumerable problems associated with its procurement and distribution, were the major causes for low-output level, and as a result of under utilisation of the immense resources available locally for manufacturing all varieties of fertilisers, industrialists from other countries benefit immensely from the huge amount of money expended annually in fertiliser importation to this country.
The dire consequence of this regrettable situation has been the massive importation of an assortment of foodstuff every year. In that way Nigerian businessmen engaging in wholesome importation of rice have succeeded in stifling Nigeria’s agrarian enterprise, thus facilitating conditions necessary for flooding its homes and markets daily with inferior produce. This is despite Nigeria’s infinite agricultural potentials and countless resources. Nigerians must be fully engaged in rice cultivation to meet local demands and to also satisfy their insatiable appetite for rice.
