August 06, (THEWILL) – A United Kingdom-based think-tank, Institute of Development, has ranked Nigeria the second poorest or worst country in the world in terms of food affordability.
Only war-torn Syria ranks worse than Nigeria, according to the report.
The report, which was compiled through a publicly available global cost-of-living database, Numbeo, was used in creating a “cost of food basics” analysis that compares the monthly minimum recommended spend on food per adult and monthly average wage in 107 countries across the world.
The minimum recommended amount of food is based on 12-14 basic items that together would account for 2,100 calories per adult per day which is the level recommended by the World Health Organisation for energy needs.
The Cost of Food Basics found that, more than one year since the outbreak of COVID-19, there is vast disparity between countries in terms of the proportion of average wages needed to afford enough food.
The top 10 countries where basic food is least affordable in are Syria, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Indonesia, Algeria, Iran and Uzbekistan.
Basic food is least affordable in Syria, where the minimum recommended monthly spend would account for 177 percent of average wage income per adult, followed by Nigeria where 101 percent of the average wage is spent on food.
THEWILL Newspapers in a survey of market prices of basic food items such as beans, tomatoes and rice, had recorded worrying hikes within a short period.
In its July 18th-23rd edition, titled, “HUNGER IN THE LAND: Nigerians Groaning Under Severe Food Shortage,” THEWILL survey of market prices of food items, showed “a medium-sized cup of beans, went up from N250 or N300, in a few week to N500 or N600, while a bucket of 16 cups, locally called “ike,” jumped from N4,000 to N6,000 to N8,700 as of July 2021.
Also a “paint” bucket of garri, which sold for N350 skyrocketed to N1,500.
A tuber of yam, which used to sell for N700, went between N1,200 and N1,500.
In fact, a small tuber of “new” yam was sold for N1,200.
Also, the cost of a 50kg bag of rice is now between N28,000 and N30,000 for imported varieties as against N24, 000 or N21,000 for locally produced rice, depending on the brand and location.
“A fist-sized loaf of bread costs between N100 and N300, whereas a full loaf costs between N250 and N400 or N500, depending on the ingredient. The cost of rice, which is a common feature at parties and ceremonies, including marriages and birthdays, has risen astronomically, too”, THEWILL had reported in July.
Food security is a major priority of every government. Nigeria’s situation has gone so worrisome by the growing insecurity Nigerian farmers face daily from herders. Things have become so bad that even the House of Representatives has called on the Federal government to convene a “Special Economic Roundtable” to address these challenges.
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