*Says food security threatened by conflicts
By AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
The World Bank has predicted that persistent insecurity, armed conflict, and deteriorating livelihoods will continue to affect local government areas in Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara states, and the far north of Adamawa State in Nigeria until May 2024.
A report said that poor macroeconomic conditions are restricting access to agricultural inputs in the affected states and it is set to affect cereal production in the country.
The global bank in its latest ‘Food Security Update’ noted that estimated cereal production for the 2023/24 crop year is expected to be 76.5 million tonnes in West and Central Africa that is a two per cent decrease from the previous season, but a three per cent rise from the average for the last five years.
The report said that Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria are expected to contribute the most to the decline.
According to Bretton Woods institution, “Projections indicate a decline in production from last year in Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. This decrease is attributed to dry spells during the growing season and insecurity that limited access to cropland in Chad, Mali, and Niger and to poor macroeconomic conditions that have restricted access to agricultural inputs in Nigeria.”
It also noted that most of the sub-region’s areas will remain in the minimally food insecure (category from November to May 2024, some areas are classified as stressed and some in crisis.
It added that over the same period (November 2023 to May 2024), Crisis (IPC Phase 3) conditions, mainly caused by persistent insecurity and armed conflict, and deteriorating livelihoods, are projected to affect local government areas in Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara states, and the far north of Adamawa state in Nigeria.
Other places, according to the report would include places in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Niger, pointing out that in its latest update, the World Bank noted that between August and November, many low- and middle-income countries were battling with high inflation.
It stated that information from the latest month between August and November 2023 for which food price inflation data are available shows high inflation in many low- and middle-income countries, with inflation higher than 5 per cent in 61.9 per cent of low-income countries (no change since the last update two weeks ago), 76.1 per cent of lower-middle-income countries (3.9-percentage-point decrease), 50.0 per cent of upper-middle-income countries (no change), and 57.4 per cent of high-income countries (2.6-percentage point decrease).
According to the report, most-affected countries are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. It further highlighted that in real terms, food price inflation has exceeded overall inflation 74 per cent in 167 countries.
It said in November, Nigeria’s headline inflation rose to 28.20 per cent, while food inflation soared to 32.84 per cent.
