How to address food shortage in Nigeria

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Delta chapter, has suggested measures to stop food shortage, including improved funding of the Agricultural sector to guarantee food security.
The immediate past Chairman of the association, Elder Eugene Jacob made the call on Thursday in Warri where he said that the call had become imperative in view of the lingering food shortages in the country.
According to him, “food crisis was the worst form of crisis” hence the need for the government at all levels to urgently fund agriculture.
He also urged the government to assist farmers with modern equipment noting that farming had gone beyond the crude method of using cutlasses and hoes to the use of machines.
The former National Public Relations Officer (PRO) of AFAN said that Nigeria was blessed with good arable land and favourable weather to boost agricultural yields stressing that adequate funding would ultimately address the prevailing food shortages.
“The food shortages in the country can only be address when the governments does the needful by providing farmers with funds and equipment.
“Government is not doing enough in funding agriculture. Every human being must eat. So there is need for the governments and stakeholders to collaborate to fund agriculture.
“Farming, aside providing food can also create a lot of employment. The trained farmers can engaged and train more people in farming in the society.
“We can produce enough food that will crash the prices of foodstuffs in the market if the right thing is done. Hunger is around and it could cause havoc if care is not taken,” he said.
Jacob advised government to assist farmers with funds and incentives that would enable them to engaged most of the idled youth.
“An idled mind is the devil’s workshop, we need to engage them to channel their strength into a productive use because it is easier to prevent crime than to cure it,” he said.