The economic dimension of COVID-19 is dire. Lockdowns and curfews, all aimed at slowing down the spread of the virus, have significantly slowed down economic activity, in the urban centres.
The rural areas, and bastion of Nigerian farming as they are elsewhere, are also getting seriously hit, thus hinting at a possible less-than-stellar story at harvest time, going by testimonies by some farmers in different parts of Enugu State. That could well be representative of a national challenge.
From the farmers’ complaints, the main problem would appear transportation and linkages. Ozor Nnamani, farmer and community leader in Amaagunze, in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, yearly cultivates five to 10 hectares of yam, between January and early April. This year, however, he has not done up to two hectares. His main challenge has been transporting enough farm workers to the farm, no thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown.
That sounds like a reasonable, even if surprising, counsel. Reasonable, because it is the sane path to travel. No matter what happens, food security is key. That is especially so, because it speaks to the prime policy of the Buhari Presidency: grow what you eat, and eat what you grow! That should be emphasised, even more right now, with the negative effect of COVID-19 on the economy.
So, as the governors lock down to protect the people from cropping COVID-19, they should also arm themselves with sensitive eyes to ensure crop cultivation are not impaired — in any case, more than necessary. Therefore, they should birth specific policies that protect farmers’ movement, subject of course, to stringent COVID-19 movement and public conduct protocols. That is imperative to preserve the food chain and enhance food security, long after COVID-19 is gone.
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