‘Private sector critical to bridging food gap’

For Nigeria to achieve zero hunger and nutrition, stakeholders in the food sector have emphasised the need for private sector participation to bridge existing production gap.
 
The stakeholders urged for a collaborative approach that would help increase participation and create the synergy that would lead to economic growth and development.
 
At a private sector exploratory dialogue on Nigeria’s food systems, organised by Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, the United Nations (UN) Nigeria and the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), acknowledged that the absence of warehouse security system contributed largely to food insecurity, which they said was affecting the nation. 

She said that the outcome of the dialogue would shape pathways to sustainable food systems that would contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Psaltry Nigeria Limited, Oluyemisi Iranloye, said that the COVID-19 pandemic and raging insecurity affected the agricultural industry, which increased food and insecure citizens from 25 million to about 50 million. 
 
The country representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Nigeria, Fred Kafeero said for Nigeria to feed its growing population sustainably, agricultural productivity needed to grow alongside better food systems efficiency and sustainable development.