Urgent action needed to tame food inflation
Chinua Achebe’s proverb from “Things Fall Apart” resonates with me when I see skits wasting food. Food inflation, reaching 40.53% in April 2024, has forced many to adopt coping strategies, like shifting to cheaper, less nutritious foods, reducing meal frequency, and relying on community support and street food. To combat this crisis, the government must provide food subsidies, strengthen food security programs, support agriculture, and tackle insecurity. Private organizations should also contribute through corporate social responsibility programs. Urgent, concrete actions are essential to address the pervasive hunger. Source: Punch
Our Review
Your sentiment regarding the waste of food in skits is well-founded, especially in the context of the current food inflation crisis. Food inflation, which reached a staggering 40.53% year-on-year in April 2024, has led to widespread changes in dietary habits and food security across Nigeria. Families are shifting to cheaper, less nutritious food, reducing meal frequency, and relying on community support and street food vendors to cope. These strategies, while necessary for survival, exacerbate nutritional deficiencies and perpetuate debt cycles. The government’s role is crucial in addressing this crisis. Immediate measures such as food subsidies, effective price control mechanisms, and support for farmers through subsidies on fertilizers and seeds are essential. Strengthening food security programs, expanding food aid, and ensuring school feeding schemes can provide targeted relief. Additionally, improving security in farming regions is vital to restoring agricultural productivity. Emergency relief funds are also necessary to support households in acute need. State-level initiatives, such as Lagos State’s mass resident feeding program, should be replicated and scaled up. However, the government cannot solve this alone. Private organizations must step in with corporate social responsibility programs, food distribution initiatives, and collaborations with NGOs to enhance the reach and impact of aid efforts.
