Usman Musa had invested more than $1,300 on his 10-hectare rice field in Nigeria’s Kogi state, which is currently under water as a result of the biggest floods to hit the nation in a decade.
The 38-year-old father of four navigated his wooden canoe through the choppy seas, passing by the homes of his family members, the neighborhood hospital, and the school.
Only the roofs could be seen.
Communities and sorghum, maize, rice, and vegetable crops are all under water in Africa’s most populous nation, and farmers and charity workers have warned about a potential food crisis.
More than 200 million people reside in the nation, which was already struggling with rising inflation and concerning levels of food insecurity.
According to the most recent government statistics, floods has entirely ruined roughly 110,000 hectares (272,000 acres) of agriculture since August, making the situation worse.
The entire area of flooded crops may be about seven times larger than what the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates.
According to Kabir Ibrahim, president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, “Flooding is still happening, but we can fairly predict that between 60 and 75 percent of the produce we expected is going to be destroyed.” this week.
“It’s enormous. There are so many people crying.”
According to the most recent statistics provided by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Umar Farouq, more than 600 people have perished and 1.3 million more have been forced to abandon their homes.
– Risk of hunger –
In Nigeria, flooding is a normal occurrence from May to November when it rains, but this year’s floods have been particularly severe.
Officials and locals blame climate change, but they also point the finger at bad planning and the excessive water released from dams during a process intended to relieve pressure.
“Dams will break if the spillways aren’t opened, Ibrahim warned, and if that happens, “it’ll be like Pakistan.” Nigeria would be completely submerged, much like Pakistan.”
Although farmers were forewarned, it wasn’t enough.
“Now that you can see the disaster is all gone,” Ibrahim remarked, “you can see that we used the predictions and avoided planting along flood prone regions.”
Ibrahim predicts that “there will be greater difficulty towards the end of the year and the beginning of next year” because of the fact that his organization represents 20 million farmers.
Due in part to the ripple effects of the coronavirus outbreak and the Russia-Ukraine war on the import-dependent nation, food inflation year-over-year was already at 23.3 percent last month.
Many farmers were forced to evacuate their farms due to widespread insecurity and the frequent attacks by armed individuals on rural villages.
Before the floods, the WFP and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported last month that six countries, including Nigeria, were at serious risk of experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger.
According to Hussaini Abdu, the Nigeria director of the CARE organisation, “the impact of the floods on food production is a genuine threat to the country and might lead to a catastrophic food crisis.”
According to the FAO official in Nigeria, Fred Kafeero, there will likely be insufficient food supply “due to predicted drop in household output.”
The charity official stated that the flooding was also having an impact on cattle and has increased the likelihood of cholera and other vector-borne disease outbreaks.
– Preventive measures –
In addition to destroying agriculture, the floods also damaged roads and bridges, which made it difficult for trucks to deliver goods and increased pressure on the food supply.
Ari Aisen, the IMF’s Resident Representative for Nigeria, said, “We were anticipating inflation would get a break with the (upcoming) crop but now with the floods, it puts a significant question mark on our forecast on inflation.”
He told AFP that while it was still early to make a judgment, “there is an upside risk for inflation, for hikes in food prices.” He continued, “It seems extremely serious but it’s tough to tell at this moment.”
According to the World Bank, the most recent severe floods in Nigeria in 2012 cost close to $17 billion.
Investing in preventive measures and policies would be less expensive, according to the IMF, even though immediate help is currently required.
In order to “help citizens adjust to these types of disasters,” countries should invest, according to Aisen.
However, the government said that it was increasing support for impacted areas in the interim.
The release of 12,000 metric tons of different grains from a national strategic reserve stock was authorized by President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, farmers are unsure if it will be sufficient.
In 2015, Buhari imposed import restrictions on rice in an effort to boost domestic production and self-sufficiency.
Ibrahim stated that if the situation worsens, resuming the imports “should not be ruled out.”
There may be additional floods through the end of November, according to weather forecasting organizations.
