Follow Us on Google
Steve Agbota
A nation that cannot feed its citizens with boifortied and nutritious foods is not a only weak but has no reasons for existence. This virtually hinders development in agrarian communities.
According to President of the African Development Bank and Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina, biofortification must be rigorously supported within the broader context of promoting a diversified and healthy food base for improved nutrition.
Food is essential as it provides vital nutrients for survival, helping the body function and stay healthy. Food is comprised of macronutrients including protein, carbohydrate and fat that not only offer calories to fuel the body and give it energy but play specific roles in maintaining health.
Ideally, food supplies micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and phytochemicals that don’t provide calories but serve a variety of critical functions to ensure the body operates optimally.
Today, millions of people in Nigeria are said to be suffering from hidden hunger, which is also known as micronutrient deficiencies in the country.
Due to the inability of various governments to provide boifortied and micronutrient in foods, Nigeria is currently losing a whopping $1.5 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to vitamin and mineral deficiencies (hidden hunger).
The United Nations (UN) in its latest report recently ranked Nigeria among countries with worst food indices in 2018. It also revealed that over 160 million Nigerians are suffering from iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and/or other (multiple) micronutrient deficiencies. However, over 3.5 million were acutely food insecure in the three North-Eastern states of the country.
Apparently, in Nigeria and the rest of Sub Saharan Africa, micronutrient deficiencies are common among the people due to over farmed, depleted and nutrient lacking soils as well as high acidity problem among others.
In other words, this has put adults and children at risks from infection and developmental problems. Experts in different foras said micronutrient-deficient in the population could lead to weakened immune systems and thyroid problems.
They also raised alarms that over 85 per cent of foods produced by Nigerian farmers across the country lacks essential micronutrients. More than 75 per cent farmers are not using the right fertilisers, which has caused a lot of damages in the foods Nigerian consume and destroy the soil fertility.
Daily Sun learnt that Nigerian farmers are still adhere to old method of farming, which yield low productivity due to inadequacy of fortified fertilisers and biofortified seeds in the production of farm produce in the country.
Nutritionist experts projected that scaling up core micronutrient interventions in Nigeria would cost less than $188 million annually, which means that Nigeria’s capacity to tackle its high rate of micronutrient deficiencies among its population hinges on the country’s ability to ensure the usage of fortified fertilisers and biofortified seeds in the production of farm produce.
Farmers who spoke to Daily Sun said that Federal Government is yet to tackle the real problems facing agriculture in the country in terms of providing extension workers, farmer inputs like boifortied fertilisers. They advised Federal Government to partner with fertiliser companies like OCP African and the likes who understand the Nigeria’s agronomy procedures in terms of providing right fertilisers and seeds that support and that can improve soils fertility in the country.
Speaking at a recent workshop organised by OCP Africa, a professor of Plant Nutrition, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey, Ismail Cakmak said, “Nigeria is the country with the third highest absolute number of children who are stunted globally. The root cause of this is soil deficiency of micronutrients and inadequate dietary intake.”
“For Nigeria to reach targets levels of micronutrients in food, the country needs to combine fertiliser fortification with plant breeding. This approach is sustainable and the most effective solution to micronutrient deficiency in food,” Sabanci said
He estimated the yearly loss of nutrients on Africa soil to worth about $4 billion annually, adding that the soil is depleted at every plant cycle and nutrients removed by crop plants must be replaced annually, otherwise, a serious depletion problem will occur on agricultural soils.
However, he described hidden hunger as the inability for people to get all the vitamins and minerals their body requires over a period of time despite consuming sufficient calories.
According to him, hidden hunger occurs when people do not get all the vitamins and minerals they need over a time, despite consuming sufficient calories.
He then, identified that low nitrogen in most African soil is responsible for micronutrient deficiencies, while also saying that most countries on the continent have acidity problem with is soil which is responsible for low phosphorus retention.
He explained that good soil nutrition for plants will help address issues of heat stress on plants and climate change.
He noted that good plant nutrition helps in pest and disease resistance, saying high plant nutrition resist high pathogenic attacks on crops.
He said: “By adding agronomy compound to the breeding process in plant, it will help double the micronutrients requirement for human consumption.
“Low fertiliser usage on the continent has limited yield gaps in Africa, while calling for increase in fertiliser application in Nigeria to increase farm yields per hectare.
He hinted that Nigeria and Africa at large have to adopt a holistic approach that is sustainable and efficient in increasing its farm yields, saying the country cannot afford to wait any longer as its population keeps growing at a faster rate.
Meanwhile, Managing Director, OCP Africa, Mohammed Hettiti, said that it had become pertinent to properly report human nutrition and soil nutrients as well as crop micronutrient requirements to help improve farm yields and drive growth in the sector.
Similarly, head of agronomy, OCP Africa, Aniss Bouraqqadi, said collaboration was key to ensuring good nutrition for all, even in the face of climate challenges.
