Food Crisis: UN’s FAO Warns Of Severe-Hunger Risk For 80-Million Nigerians By 2030 (View-Details)

Food Crisis: UN’s FAO Warns Of Severe-Hunger Risk For 80-Million Nigerians By 2030 (View-Details)

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has issued a warning that by 2030, approximately 80 to 82 million Nigerians could face severe hunger amid ongoing food insecurity issues in the country.

Taofiq Braimoh, the Humanitarian Coordinator of the FAO, made this disclosure during the recent launch of CropWatch in Abuja. He noted that around 22 million Nigerians are already facing food insecurity in 2023, based on a recent survey.

“The government of Nigeria, in collaboration with others, conducts an annual food security survey. This year’s results are alarming: approximately 22 million Nigerians will face food insecurity in 2023, and around 80-82 million are at risk of severe food insecurity by 2030,” Braimoh stated.

This warning comes as Nigeria’s food inflation surged to 40.66 percent in May 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The report indicated that the prices of staple foods such as rice, beans, garlic, and yam have increased by at least 130 percent, exacerbating the misery index and limiting access to food for millions of Nigerians.

Despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his economic team’s consistent assurances and recent declaration of an emergency on food insecurity, the problem continues to persist.