According to a recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a staggering 71 percent of Nigerian households have been affected by the significant increase in prices of essential food items. The report also highlighted that over a third of households have experienced food shortages in the past year, reflecting the deepening food crisis in the country.
The report highlights the significant impact of rising food prices on the population, indicating that a considerable portion of Nigerians cannot afford healthy diets.
The report notes that food shortages were most severe during the months of June, July, and August, exacerbating the already dire situation. It further reveals that 65 percent of families and residents cannot afford healthy meals due to financial constraints.
The General Household Survey-Panel (Wave 5) provides crucial insights into the challenges faced by Nigerian households, emphasizing the urgent need for effective policies and interventions to address the nation’s food crisis.
Alarmingly, 12.3 percent of households reported that at least one member had gone without eating for an entire day, while 20.8 percent had to borrow food or rely on assistance from friends or relatives.
The report highlighted that the South-South region had the highest rate of food insecurity, ranking worst in five out of eight indicators.
“In the past 12 months, more than one-third of households faced food shortages, which occurred more frequently in the months of June, July, and August.
“Price increases on major food items were the most prevalent shock reported by households, affecting 71.0 percent of surveyed households.”
The report said the number of households worried about not having enough food to eat increased from 36.9 percent in Wave 4 (conducted in 2019) to 62.4 percent in Wave 5.
It stressed that the surge was due to an increase in food insecurity, with more than half of Nigerian families struggling to meet their dietary needs.
“Approximately two out of three households (65.8 percent) reported being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days.
“63.8 percent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should.
“In general, households in the southern zones report more incidents related to food security than those in northern zones.
“For example, in the southern zones, the proportion of households reporting that they had to skip a meal ranged from 50.1 percent in South West to 62.4 percent in South East, while in the northern zones this share varied from 34.0 percent in North Central to 48.3 percent in North East.
“In contrast, the data bureau said north-central had the lowest rate in six of the eight indicators,” the report added.
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