Food crisis driven by insecurity, weak policy implementation — Stakeholders

By Cynthia Alo

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have blamed Nigeria’s worsening food crisis on insecurity, poor implementation of government policies and inadequate infrastructure.

Speaking at the 2026 Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce Agriculture and Agro-Allied Summit in Lagos, the stakeholders said persistent attacks on farmers, weak monitoring of intervention funds and poor policy execution are undermining food production across the country.

Group Managing Director of Xtralarge Farms & Resorts, Dr. Mrs. Moji Davids, said insecurity has discouraged many farmers from returning to their farms, thereby reducing food production capacity.

According to her, some farmers in Benue State who were kidnapped and forced to pay over N50 million ransom each have abandoned farming activities.

“What farmers need today is confidence and assurance on security, access to finance, stable pricing, infrastructure and fertilizer distribution,” she said.

Davids added that while government policies on agriculture appear commendable, implementation has remained a major challenge. She also identified post-harvest losses as a major contributor to rising food prices.

Consultant to the Ogun State Governor on Agriculture and Managing Director of Bama Farms Limited, Prince Wale Oyekoya, also described insecurity as a major obstacle to food production.

He noted that many farmers in crisis-prone areas have stopped farming due to repeated attacks and kidnappings.

“When farmers go to the farm and their lives are not secured, there will be discouragement and that leads to shortage of food production,” he said.

Also speaking, Manager, Agribusiness and Non-Oil Export at Union Bank, Mr. Utomi Ezinwa, blamed politics and weak accountability for the poor performance of intervention programmes in the sector.

“We should remove politics from policies. Nigeria is not void of systems. The problem is that we have systems that are not working,” he said.

Ezinwa stressed that agriculture requires long-term and patient capital, calling for stronger collaboration among government agencies, development finance institutions and commercial banks.

Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead at Nestlé Nigeria, Victoria Uwadoka, urged stakeholders to embrace practical and sustainable agricultural practices, warning against harmful environmental practices and indiscriminate fertilizer use

The post Food crisis driven by insecurity, weak policy implementation — Stakeholders appeared first on Vanguard News.