Nigeria's $3b yearly food import bill worries UK group, others
Emeka Anuforo
The Guardian
Jul 16, 2009
UNBRIDDLED importation of food items by Nigeria has attracted criticisms from organisations within and outside the country, which called on Federal Government to evolve a stitch-in-time initiative, as a foil against unwholesome depletion of the nation's foreign exchange reserves.
The government, however, on a salutary note, has unfolded plans to enforce the patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods, under a collaborative scheme being worked out with United States of America (USA).
Statistics reeled out by international non-governmental organisation, Oxfam of Great Britain indicated that Nigeria spent an average of $3 billion yearly on the importation of foods.
This, according to the agency, was despite the fact that the country is favoured with agro-ecological climate and other resources.
A report by Oxfam noted that "in stark contrast to the 1960s, when agriculture provided the main source of employment, income and foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria, the advent of commercial oil exploration in the mid 1970s heralded an era of decay and decline for agricultural output.
Civil society organisations also flagged-off what they termed, 'voices for food security campaign' recently. The campaign is a collective effort by small-scale farmers and civil society organisations across Nigeria to campaign for strengthening of the Nigerian agriculture and food sector.
The groups particularly want government to, as a matter of urgency, enact, popularise and implement a right to food Act.
ActionAid's Programme Co-ordinator, Ifeoma Charles Menwuba said: "Although huge fund are budgeted for the agriculture and food sector every year, Nigeria is unable to meet food production targets. Reassuringly, Nigeria has lately met the Maputo target. But there remains the challenge of tracking the value for money of the budgeted sum as Nigeria continues to import a lot of the food that its citizens can produce."
Among other things, the campaigners want government to develop and adopt a consolidated national food security policy; guarantee access to affordable credit and fertiliser to small scale farmers, including women farmers, provide farmers' support and agriculture policies must give special attention to marginalised groups such as women, persons with disability, youths, displaced populations, widows, etc, who must be supported to secure land rights.
The groups also want government to institutionalise ways and means for small-scale farmers and their associations to actively and directly engage in policy processes, including the design and disbursement of support facilities and allocation of agricultural budget.
In a statement, the groups said: "At least, 60 per cent of each of the intervention facilities at federal and state levels should go to small-scale farmers. Of the sum that should come to small-scale farmers, a minimum of 60 per cent of the facilities should go to small-scale agro processors.
To promote patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods, Federal Government has pledged to script a road map that would engender the confidence of consumers in locally produced goods.
Already, Nigeria and USA have agreed to collaborate on a wide range of issues, which include avocation and contributing to the enactment of an effective competition law in Nigeria, among others.
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Achike Udenwa, who made these known in Abuja, recently, stressed that the road-map would also build the trust of foreign and home-based entrepreneurs in the nation's economy.
Achike, who addressed officials of both countries at a technical cooperation seminar between the consumer Protection Council and the Federal Trade Commission of US, stressed that a robust and competitive market place protects the public interest by instilling competition, "which helps to drive prices down and spur services providers and manufacturers to improve service and create new products."
"However, the realisation of these objectives can only be sustained in a market place where there is sanity and equity among consumers and businesses. As a mater of fact, a market left to it own devices can result in failures that completely erode the gains of globalization and undermine the health, safety and welfare of the consumers," he said.
He recalled that Nigeria is United States' 14th largest goods trading partner, with trade between the countries amounting to $42.2 billion in 2008.
The minister stressed that work had started to amend the 17-year-old consumer protection council act.
He said: "For the first time in Nigeria, the 8 rights of consumer provide for the establishment of Consumer and small claims courts to facilitate expeditious resolution of consumer complaints and provide for the state offices to ensure service access at grassroots."
Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council, Mrs. Ify Umenyi, said: "We will continue to assist businesses to measure up with relevant standards and regulations for products and services, to enable Nigerian products compete favourably in global market place."
Ambassador of USA to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, represented by Terry Flaumer, said the US FTC sponsorship of the conference demonstrate its commitment to improving relations Nigeria and continues support in building local capacity in variety of issues.