Food crisis: 82 million Nigerians may slip into severe hunger – UN warns FG

The Food and Agriculture Organization, an arm of the United Nations has warned that by 2030 about 80 to 82 million Nigerians may slip into severe hunger in the country amid food insecurity.

The Humanitarian Coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, represented by, Taofiq Braimoh disclosed this at a recent launch of CropWatch in Abuja.

According to him, approximately 22 million Nigerians face food insecurity in 2023, citing 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,” he said.

This comes as Nigeria’s food inflation rose to 40.66 percent in May 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

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The report showed that staple foods, rice, beans, garlic, yam and others rose by at least 130 percent

The development has further worsened the misery index and access to food by millions of Nigerians.

Although President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his economic team had consistently assured of reprieve by recently declaring an emergency on food insecurity, the problem has persisted.