A s floods continue to wreak havoc in several states of Nigeria , destroying farmlands of rice , maize and other crops, there are fears of imminent food security threat.
A report by a group of journalistsin Abuja who toured some of the ravaged areas of the country saidthat concerns on food security were coming at a time the federalgovernment was contemplating the implementation of increased tariffs on rice imports and eventual stopping of same by 2015 . The 2013 budget proposesa 10 per cent duty plus a 100 per cent levy on imported polished rice.
But several voices of concern are emerging from all sectors urging the federal government to reconsider increasing the tariffs to a prohibitive level ( 100% ).
Concerns over food security wereraised recently by the minister of environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafia , who revealed that thousands of farmlands had beendestroyed by the ravaging floods across the country.
She said, "The consequences of the floods are that there are hugelosses of farmlands; there are likely threats to food security. We are likely going to have challenges that have to do with the health of the people in some areas."
Also, the federal director of agriculture in Adamawa, Wali Hamman , stated in an interview in Yola recently that there was a real possibility of food crisis in Adamawa State this year.
The director noted that, considering the huge damage to farmlands, there was likely to be a food crisis in the state if immediate action was not taken to address the situation. He said "most of the farmers affected by the disaster are more preoccupied with how to save themselves and their families from the disaster than their farms".
Kano State has equally been badlyaffected by the floods resulting indisruption of rice production. In a statement by an association of rice growers in the state, it lamented that about 95 per cent of all rice farms had been destroyed by the floods.
The floods destroyed so many things and we are at risk of food security.