The 2023 Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Thursday urged the three arms of government to increase investment in agriculture.
In a post on the microblogging site X, formerly Twitter, Obi said diverse investment in the sector would address the hunger crisis and food inflation in the country.
According to the food sub-index for October 2024 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation stood at 39.16 per cent.
The rise in food inflation was caused by an increase in the average prices of Palm Oil, Vegetable oil, etc. (Oil & Fats Class), Mudfish, Croaker (Apo), Fresh fish (Obokun), etc. (Fish Class), Dried Beef, Goat Meat, Mutton, Skin meat, etc (Meat Class), and Bread, Guinea Corn flour, Plantain flour, Rice, etc. (Bread and Cereals Class).
Obi said, “Between the time I visited their pilot scheme in Udi over two years ago and supported them, and yesterday when I visited their permanent site, I was delighted to witness a remarkable transformation that underscores their commitment to excellence and growth.
“The significant expansion of their operations and the increased scale of their agricultural activities reflect not only their hard work and resilience but also the immense potential of innovative farming practices to drive food security in our nation.
“In line with my tradition of supporting productive ventures, I donated ₦20m to the farm. I hope they will continue to remain innovative and productive, especially during this critical period of severe hunger, food scarcity, and inflation in our nation”.
The recent United Nations report highlighted that at least 33.1 million Nigerians could face a monumental hunger crisis by 2025, while the report by Save the Children International revealed that 5.4 million Nigerian children are at risk of acute malnutrition within the same period.
According to him, the statistics were alarming for a country already battling food insecurity and hunger crisis.
“For a nation already battling severe hunger, these alarming statistics call for immediate action. I continue to urge governments at all levels to take measurable steps toward investing in food production to mitigate the ongoing food crisis,” Obi said.
He added that urgent measures must be taken to invest in food production, adding that a “New, well-fed Nigeria remains possible”.