CSO's DELCOF decries high cost of  food prices in Delta, Begs Okowa for  intervention

As Deltans  continue to get frustrated daily by the harsh economic situation, Delta State Civil Society Organisational  Forum the Umbrella Body of Non-State Actors in Delta State on Friday, expressed sadness over high cost of food prices coupled with depreciating security situation in the state.

Speaking with Honorable Jeanine Cooper, Minister of Agriculture, Liberia and Director Global Agriculture and Food Security Program Martien van Nieuwkoop: in a summit hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Dr Agboro Chairman of the Delta State Civil Society organizational Forum said, Deltans   are currently at the lowest ebb as more are being pushed into poverty and misery.

The cost of goods has increased drastically and is unbearable; in fact it is growing up now and then. This holds the risk of increasing the poverty rate in a state that is facing grave challenges, including worsening insecurity. Businesses are tottering on the verge of collapse and are finding it difficult to pay workers’ salaries even after rightsizing and downsizing their work force. The economic distress has concomitantly led to social dislocation with many marriages on the verge of collapse due to the breadwinners’ inability to cater for their families.

Many children have dropped out of school.  Many avoidable deaths are happening because people do not have the financial wherewithal to access health care services. The phenomenon of suicide is also on the increase. High dependency ratio by the few who are working has worsted lives of average Nigerian employees. Man-hours are lost at filling stations queuing for petrol. Unwholesome storage of petroleum products by end users has equally led to many fire incidences with human casualties.” Amid the increase, millions of working Nigerians have retained the same income and the minimum wage remains N30, 000, not even talking of those without jobs  and not means  of living.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, food inflation in May 2022 rose to 18.37 per cent which is an increase compared to the 17.2 per cent recorded in the previous month. This rise in the food index was caused by increases in the prices of bread and cereals, food products, potatoes, yam, and other tubers, wine, fish, meat, and oils. As a result of the biting food inflation, many people wondering how long they would have to bear the present burden.

In January, the Central Bank of Nigeria stated that transportation cost is the major cause of the surge in food inflation in Nigeria and in May they announced they granted N948 billion to 4,478,381 smallholder farmers in Nigeria in order to boost food production. Despite these contributions made to agriculture, week by week food prices are increasing and this does not seem like it was going to get better anytime soon.

We use this media to urged Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as a matter of urgency to please rise and address the yearnings of the people on the regulation of the cost of necessary commodities.

All stakeholders in agriculture needed to come together and address the challenges of the hike in food prices. The surge in food prices might also threaten the nation’s food security if the government decided not to intervene.