High food prices and checkpoints

The alarm raised by Coordinating Director of the National Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, recently, that illegal checkpoints on our highways were negatively affecting prices of agricultural commodities is worrisome. This is because it is undermining the efforts of government to diversify the nation’s economy. The NAQS’ disclosure indicated that the delays caused by illegal checkpoints across the country had resulted in post-harvest losses incurred by farmers. Hence, the revelation is an urgent call on the federal government and relevant agencies to take proactive measures to address the situation before more harm is done.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in Abuja, Isegbe said: “The negative consequences of this on the market prices of agricultural commodities cannot be over emphasised, especially for perishable goods, despite the increased productivity in the sector”.
Ironically, the scenario negates the economic diversification policy of the federal government, which aims at giving priority to agriculture. And this, to a large extent, is an act of economic sabotage, because it scuttles the initiatives by government and private sector to boost food production and by extension compounds the woes of the citizens struggling to survive the current economic recession.

Boosting food production is one of the main concerns of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, having identified the fact that massive food production will force down the skyrocketing prices of food in the country.
Local production of agricultural commodities for consumption took a down turn when massive import of foodstuff and luxury goods dominated the country’s import lists, by governments over the past decades. But unfortunately, hunger and food insecurity were unconsciously created and before realizing the mistake the consequences had begun to bite.

But is it not worrisome that in the midst of abundant agricultural potentials, poverty and food insecurity remain high in the country? A recent UN food agency report captured the declining food security and increasing poverty in the country and warned that food prices may become volatile, because unpredictability in prices is increasing. No less worrisome is post-harvest losses which the illegal checkpoints in addition to deplorable condition of our roads have worsened.

To buttress this, the report stressed that behind the inflation afflicting the nation’s economy since 2011, is high food prices. The UN’s statement was reinforced by a release by the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria to the effect that “inflation in the year 2011 kept fluctuating as it keeps going up and down while it fell to 11.9% in February 2012 after increasing to 12.6% in January same year from 10.3% in December 2011 despite the partial removal of fuel subsidy”.
Always, reports, both international and local disclose that post-harvest losses due to illegal checkpoints are humongous.

It cannot be over emphasized that substantial amount of hard earned monies are incurred from post-harvest due to the illegal checkpoints, annually.  It is regrettable that the losses estimated at over 30% of estimated revenue from the sector that should have contributed to boosting the economy are left untracked year after year as if it did not really matter. Sadly too, at the level of the vulnerable farmers, the losses are huge, because they pay for charges that they cannot explain. Consequently, the charges/extortions collected at checkpoints further push prices of agriculture commodities. Besides, the scenes of extortion of drivers at the checkpoints are no doubt, constituting embarrassment to the country.

Blueprint recalls that on this platform, we have admonished the federal government over the issue of avoidable economic losses such as illegal checkpoints, just as we agree that sustainable agriculture production should be encouraged to meet the food needs of our increasing population. And any programme embarked by the government towards realizing the objective of national food security is crucial. We need not over flog the matter that dismantling the illegal checkpoints has become necessary to mitigate the impact of further food price instability. However, the good news is that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Idris, has expressed readiness to collaborate with the NAQS on checkmating the illegal checkpoints and eventually the extortion of transporters conveying agricultural commodities on our highways. Still, the government has a responsibility to deal with the problem with urgency; further procrastination will be too costly.

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