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Dear Mr President,
On behalf of all farmers & able-bodied youths in Nigeria, I wish to say a big THANK YOU to you and your economic development team, for putting our welfare at the forefront of your policy making.
HOWEVER, we believe this to be putting the cart before the horse https://twitter.com/mbuhari/status/1304151121393483777
On behalf of all farmers & able-bodied youths in Nigeria, I wish to say a big THANK YOU to you and your economic development team, for putting our welfare at the forefront of your policy making.
HOWEVER, we believe this to be putting the cart before the horse https://twitter.com/mbuhari/status/1304151121393483777
We understand that there’s immense pressure on scarce FOREX resources due to importation of food (including commodities like milk, rice & maize) and agricultural inputs like fertilizers. We also understand how important it is for a Nation like Nigeria to be self-sufficient
Unfortunately, banning import of food commodities & agric inputs right now, will not have the desired effects...it certainly wouldn’t improve the welfare of the average Nigerian resident.
This is because we haven’t put the necessary things in place to improve our productivity
This is because we haven’t put the necessary things in place to improve our productivity
Right now, food prices are at an all-time high & rising by the day. People can barely afford to feed themselves & their families on their modest incomes. Banning these imports will only serve to exacerbate the food situation & raise inflation. Certainly, this isn’t your intention
While banning food imports would most likely force us to look inwards and increase our overall food production, & reduce pressure on FOREX, the big question is “at what cost?”
If we produce enough food to feed all Nigerians but at prices that most people can’t afford...
If we produce enough food to feed all Nigerians but at prices that most people can’t afford...
...the whole purpose will be defeated.
In fact with higher food inflation, the Naira will further lose value, which is what the policy is trying to prevent.
So Mr President, what can we do to stem the tide food insecurity, low Agric productivity and overdependence on imports?
In fact with higher food inflation, the Naira will further lose value, which is what the policy is trying to prevent.
So Mr President, what can we do to stem the tide food insecurity, low Agric productivity and overdependence on imports?
We have to make some really tough decisions over the next few years. We must be ready to lay a solid foundation of sustainable development programs. We have to stop seeing Agriculture as something to keep unemployed youths busy. We don’t need more farmers - we need better farms.
For as long as our agriculture is dependent on able bodied youths each wielding hoes & cutlasses on a few fragmented acres of land, we’ll never produce enough food at competitive prices...no matter how many million youths agriculture employs.
“While more than two-thirds of the population in poor countries work in agriculture, less than 5% of the population does in rich countries. It is predominantly the huge productivity increase that makes this reduction in labor possible” - Max Roser
Countries with the most agricultural productivity, both in terms of overall output and yield per hectare, often have the fewest percentage of their population involved in primary production.
We need policies and programs aimed at helping smallholder farmers grow to medium and large scale farmers. We need less people involved in primary production and more, in the value chain & allied industries. But we need support infrastructure for industrial growth
As you can see from this info graphic, we’re only Increasing overall agricultural output by putting more land into farming, not by increasing productivity. Increasing Agric production without industrialization would serve no purpose - quite the contrary
Rapid industrialization can only take place when we invest in infrastructural development & create business friendly environment to encourage local & foreign private investors.
Unfortunately, our present unstable business policy environment doesn’t encourage long term investment
Unfortunately, our present unstable business policy environment doesn’t encourage long term investment
On the 1 hand, security of lives & property aren’t guaranteed. On the other hand, the rules keep changing in a manner that isn’t favorable for the average business. Investors need some level of guarantee that they can recoup their investment over time; right now, that’s difficult
Another persistent problem that has stalled the growth of our agricultural sector is that programs made to help farmers (from fertilizer subsidies to agricultural finance through loans & grants) keep getting hijacked by people who have no business getting access to those things
We need to ensure that the beneficiaries of farmers’ support programs are the real farmers, rather than random individuals with connections to people in power.
These are the things we need to put in place, for sustainable agricultural and industrial development to take place
These are the things we need to put in place, for sustainable agricultural and industrial development to take place
If/when we’re able to produce at competitive prices, we won’t even need to play the patriotism card to get Nigerians to buy locally produced food & other commodities. People just want good value for their money and if they can get that locally, I believe Nigerians will be happy
Unfortunately, these kind of sustainable growth take time. While we’re still trying to put things in place, it would be better if we were to allow [regulated] imports to support local production, to ensure that people can still afford the cost of food 
Thanks for your kind consideration 
God bless Nigeria
God bless Nigeria
