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By Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Solomon Odiase, an Agricultural and Applied Economics researcher at the University of Kentucky, has urged the Federal Government to adopt data-driven monitoring and analysis of agricultural produce supply chains to make Nigeria’s food market more efficient, equitable, and resilient especially in times of crisis.
This was part of finding in his research published in the Sustainability journal where he examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global food supply chains, using the U.S. banana market as a case study.
According to him, the study revealed how food prices reacted unevenly at different stages of the supply chain — from farms to wholesalers and retailers — during the pandemic, leading to delayed price adjustments and increased consumer costs.
“Our study found that wholesale prices adjusted quickly to shocks caused by the pandemic, but retail prices were slower to respond,” Odiase explained. “That delay made things harder for consumers, who ended up paying more for longer.”
He noted that the findings highlight inefficiencies in price transmission, the process by which price changes move from producers to consumers. “When prices rise sharply, it is important to know which stage of the chain is most affected. If we can measure this accurately, then we can design policies that protect both farmers and consumers,” he added.
Odiase’s warning comes amid Nigeria’s persistent food inflation crisis. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that food inflation averaged over 20 percent between 2020 and 2022, with the prices of staples such as rice, beans, yam, and bread rising sharply during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns.
He said the challenges seen in Nigeria — including poor transport systems, storage issues, and multiple middlemen — mirror the problems identified in his international research. “Transport delays, poor storage, and multiple middlemen make food more expensive by the time it reaches the final buyer,” he said.
To address these problems, Odiase advocated for the integration of data analytics and market research into national food policy planning. He argued that consistent data collection and analysis would help policymakers determine whether price hikes stem from farm shortages, transport costs, or retail markups, allowing for targeted interventions.
He suggested that Nigeria could apply similar analytical models to local crops such as rice, maize, and cassava, in order to better understand how prices move between farmers, traders, and retailers — and to craft more effective price stabilization policies.
Odiase further stressed that the government should improve infrastructure, support digital price monitoring, and strengthen local research institutions. “The goal is not just to lower prices but to make the system fairer for everyone,” he said. “Farmers should earn decent incomes, and consumers should not be overburdened by inefficiencies in the supply chain.”
Describing the pandemic as a wake-up call, Odiase said the global crisis exposed the fragility of existing food systems and underscored the importance of building resilience before the next shock.
“The COVID-19 experience showed that when shocks happen, weak systems suffer the most,” he said. “Nigeria has the talent and the potential to build a stronger, data-driven food economy — we just need to act.”
Odiase’s research adds to a growing body of work emphasizing the role of data and evidence-based decision-making in achieving food security. His contribution, experts say, not only strengthens global understanding of food systems but also provides valuable insights for Nigeria’s agricultural reform.
“Good data leads to good decisions,” Odiase concluded. “If we understand how our food markets really work, we can make them fair, efficient, and resilient for everyone.”
