The World Bank has forecasted that persistent insecurity, armed conflict, and deteriorating livelihoods will continue to affect local government areas in Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara states, and the far north of Adamawa State in Nigeria until May 2024.
According to the bank’s latest ‘Food Security Update,’ poor macroeconomic conditions are restricting access to agricultural inputs in these affected states, potentially impacting cereal production in the country.
The World Bank stated that estimated cereal production for the 2023/24 crop year is expected to be 76.5 million tons in West and Central Africa, reflecting a two percent decrease from the previous season but a three percent rise from the average of the last five years. Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria are anticipated to contribute the most to this decline.
The report highlighted factors contributing to the decrease in production, such as dry spells during the growing season, insecurity limiting access to cropland in Chad, Mali, and Niger, and poor macroeconomic conditions restricting access to agricultural inputs in Nigeria.
The World Bank projected that most areas in the sub-region would remain in the minimally food insecure category from November to May 2024.
However, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) conditions, attributed to persistent insecurity, armed conflict, and deteriorating livelihoods, are expected to impact local government areas in several Nigerian states and other places in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, and Niger.
The report also noted high inflation in many low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, with November’s headline inflation reaching 28.20 percent and food inflation soaring to 32.84 percent.
