We need more food pyramids

President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the gigantic and much-talked-about rice pyramids in Abuja on Tuesday, January 18, 2021, to the euphoria of many Nigerians, and against the cynicism of those who doubt the government’s sincerity. The pyramids, built with one million bags of rice planted and harvested across Nigeria and with financial support from the Central […]

President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the gigantic and much-talked-about rice pyramids in Abuja on Tuesday, January 18, 2021, to the euphoria of many Nigerians, and against the cynicism of those who doubt the government’s sincerity. The pyramids, built with one million bags of rice planted and harvested across Nigeria and with financial support from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), was an apparent allusion to the groundnut pyramids in Kano during the colonial era.

The rice pyramids are symbolic of what is possible and provide a glimmer of hope that local food production is possible if bureaucratic bottlenecks are removed and transparency and accountability are put in place in relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA).

At the launch of the 13 rice pyramids at the International Trade Fair Complex, Abuja, President Buhari said, “The significance of today’s occasion can be better understood by looking at the various economic strides the administration has achieved through agriculture,” while applauding the CBN and the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) for achieving the historic feat. The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, feeling fulfilled at the event, recounted the torturous experiences of the apex bank and farmers, which culminated in the pyramids. He said, “The past few years have been quite challenging towards some of the farmers, as they have battled with insurgency, banditry, lockdown and other related setbacks.  Indeed, we lost some of our farmers to insurgency attacks nationwide, while some could not access their farms for several months yet, they kept faith, they did not give up, they persevered and they did not abandon our fight for food self-sufficiency.”

We believe that the rice pyramids are a commendable milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to become self-sufficient in food production. For instance, various data about rice production point to the fact that there is a major boost in the sector between 2010 and 2021.  According to Statistica, a data aggregator on various aspects of the global economy, milled rice production in Nigeria climbed from 3.941 million metric tonnes in 2015 to over five million metric tonnes in 2021.  Without CBN’s intervention, this feat could not have been achieved.  As more metric tonnes of rice are produced here at home, so are many Nigerians investing in rice processing mills and local entrepreneurs take advantage of the enlarging and profitable value chain, by putting their capital into it. Ultimately, all of these have curbed Nigeria’s absolute dependence on imported rice.

Notwithstanding, the government, CBN and the Ministry of Agriculture should not rest on their oars with the display of the rice pyramids in Abuja. We challenge them to replicate the feat in other food crops. Beans pyramid, garri pyramid, yam pyramid, cassava pyramid, cashew pyramid, etc will all be a welcome development. Government’s experience in realising the vision of the rice pyramid will facilitate the launch of other farm produce pyramids in the country. This could be achieved by boosting the capacity of local farmers who do the actual farming with access to finance, agricultural input, agricultural extension services, and genuine irrigation facilities. For instance, the government could empower the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation in Ilorin to produce tools for farming for those who cannot afford the huge cost of acquiring tractors. In China, farming has been made less energy sapping with the production of hand-held tractors and local technology that reduced the use of raw energy.

For all these, however, the government must not ignore issues raised by critics of the project. First, it has become necessary to harmonise the various initiatives in its approach to increased food production in Nigeria. It is still not clear why the CBN had to directly fund the ABP when it could have channeled the loans through the Bank of Agriculture in which CBN and the Ministry of Finance have majority shares. Also, the World Bank is funding rice production under its Fadama programme, while each state is involved in agricultural development projects. These should be made to play a role in rice production, instead of creating another bureaucracy called ABP.

Again, what role does the Ministry of Agriculture play in these ad-hoc measures by the CBN? Are there verifiable statistics of beneficiaries of the loans? How does the CBN ensure that funds disbursed to farmers under the ABP through agricultural inputs are repaid to enable other farmers to access the facility? How transparent is the process involved in the administration of the agricultural credit scheme? It is important that the foregoing questions are answered sincerely if a genuine system of credit scheme for self-sufficiency in food production should endure.

The rice pyramids are a positive development for Nigeria’s food sufficiency, but we need more of them in our journey to food security.