- Nigeria’s food security has deepened even as more people face hunger in the coming year.
- Economic hardship, combined with record-high inflation, a record increase in food prices, and record-high transportation costs, has made life unbearable for the majority of Nigerians.
- To combat hunger in the West African nation, the Nigerian Senate has approved a bill that would criminalise the export of significant amounts of unprocessed maize.
Economic Hardship and Cost of Living Crisis
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is grappling with a cost of living crisis that led to deadly protests in August. The West African nation is experiencing one of its most significant hunger crises, with over 33 million people anticipated to be food insecure next year, a one-third increase from this year owing to economic difficulties. Never before have there been so many people in Nigeria without food, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
Since President Bola Tinubu implemented austerity measures, including depreciating the naira and eliminating a decades-old petroleum subsidy, fueling inflation, economic hardship has worsened in Nigeria.
According to Chi Lael, the World Food Program spokesperson in Nigeria, economic choices that will benefit the nation in the long run have seemed like a direct assault on people’s wallets at the moment, with the impact being greatest whenever they want to purchase food.
Economic hardship, combined with record-high inflation, a record increase in food prices, and record-high transportation costs, has made life unbearable for the majority of Nigerians. The primary cause of inflation, which increased from 32.15 per cent in August to 32.70 per cent in September in annual terms, is high food costs.
Agriculture in the northern states was further impacted by flooding and instability, which raised food costs beyond the means of many households. The estimated 1.6 million hectares of crops wiped out by last month’s floods, mostly in the northern food basket states, resulted in 1.1 million tonnes of maize, sorghum, and rice production losses.
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Banning Corn Exports to Tackle Nigeria’s Food Security Crisis
Corn is a staple in Nigeria that is also used for animal feed, drinks, and processed flour. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that Nigeria will export 75,000 metric tonnes of corn in 2024–2025, up from 50,000 metric tonnes in 2023–2024. The USDA estimates that Nigeria consumes about 12 million metric tons of corn a year and imports roughly 100,000 metric tons.
Because of the difference in the exchange rate with the West African CFA franc, the weakened naira has encouraged irregular exports of sorghum, rice, and corn to neighbouring nations.
In an attempt to combat hunger in the West African nation, the Nigerian Senate has approved a bill that would criminalise the export of significant amounts of unprocessed maize.
The amended bill, originating from the House of Representatives, seeks to ban the exportation of maize and its derivatives in substantial commercial amounts. After the Committee of the Whole considered its clauses, the bill was approved by voice votes by the majority of senators.
The Senate bill would prohibit the export of unprocessed maize weighing at least 1 metric tonne and would require the president’s approval to become law. Violators would pay the value of the corn in fines or face a one-year prison sentence.
The legislation is part of broader efforts to bolster Nigeria’s food security even as more people face hunger in Africa’s most populous nation. By restricting the export of unprocessed corn, the lawmakers hope to contain the pressure on domestic supplies and find a solution for the country’s biting hunger crisis.
