Coherence required to tackle food insecurity

SIX months after the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, assured Nigerians that food prices would plummet within 180 days, millions continue to face the harsh reality of food inflation. The soaring costs of staples like rice, beans, corn, millet, vegetables, and animal proteins such as beef and poultry have deepened the crisis. Food inflation stood at 39.84 per cent in Decemberdown from 39.9 percent in November. It was 24.82 percent in May 2023.

During the last festive season, the cost of a live chicken reached an eye-watering N30,000, while turkey sold for up to N150,000. A five-litre pack of cooking oil sold for N20,000 and N28,000 while a 50kg bag of rice, priced at N85,000 when Kyari announced his measures, now exceeds N100,000. A crate of eggs now sells for N6,000 compared with N1,000 in the first quarter of 2023.

Unfortunately, the minimum wage in Nigeria is N70,000 monthly. Many state governments are…