Nigerians to experience high cost of food items amid army-worm outbreak, Minister says

Audu Ogbeh, the minister of agriculture and rural development has said Nigerians will experience the rise in the cost of food items in the market with the outbreak of armyworm that has affected most of the states in the country.

The minister said this in a chat with journalists on the sidelines of a Capacity Building Training for ECOWAS member states to control and manage armyworm outbreak in West Africa in Abuja Tuesday, noting that there is no threat of food insufficiency in the country.

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN, the training was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which brought together stakeholders from 15 West African countries to proffer solution to the pest.

Ogbeh said that in spite of the outbreak of armyworm, which has affected most of the states, the country does not have the threat of food insufficiency, but the high cost of food items in the market.

In his words, “eventually, every state is affected by the armyworm outbreak in the country. Armyworm outbreak began from Oyo State and spread very quickly to Ondo, Edo and other states two years ago. Right now, there is hardly any state that is not affected by this pest.

“The problem with armyworm is that it hides right deep in the stem that even if you spray ordinary spray crop, it won’t stop it. They come out at night, so, farmers have to be at alert at night or very early in the morning to spray the chemical, which is difficult and the spray is done vertically and not horizontally.”

He noted that “some of the chemicals used are not very safe, as it is necessary we find organic chemical, lime which is good, having it in mind that some researchers have started developing how to manage this; then, we can deal with it in no time.

“That is why this seminar is very vital. We have to train the trainees, who will be going to states to teach farmers on how to spray their farms.

The minister reiterated that “We have no shortage of food anywhere in the country. The prices are a bit high. Farmers won’t lose, but those who do not farm have to eat food as well.”

He explained that some factors that led to the high price of food items in the country included; bad roads network to transport food items from one point to another.

“Roads are bad and transporters will tell you that it costs high to move food from one place to the other.

“I was in Ekiti recently. A tuber of yam I saw that was sold for N300 was sold for N1,500 in Lagos.

“There is no reason for that kind of hike. We should all be reasonable and know that not all have to be farmers. Those that are not farmers played higher role in the country’s development too,” he said.

Ogbeh, however, advised Nigerians not to panic, but keep working to improve production, adding that the country was already getting support from experienced organisations to mitigate the problem.

“This issue happened in Europe and they were able to curtail it. Our own climate encourages the development of all kind of pests because it is so warm here, but we shouldn’t be scared,” he said.