TheCable

Global food agencies have warned of a possible food shortage that could affect 5.8 million people in 16 northern states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The agencies include the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).

The warning was issued on Thursday in Abuja at the presentation of the results of the March 2018 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis of food and security situation in Nigeria.

According to the agencies, the 16 states that could be affected are Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Jigawa, Plateau, Niger, Kebbi, Katsina, Kaduna, Taraba, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano, Yobe, Borno and Adamawa.

The CH report said: “More than 10 million people were analysed and over 3.8 million people need urgent attention of food, while it was projected that 5.8 million people would face extreme food and nutrition deficits.

“Most of the analysed households have food stocks that may last only few months before the lean period of June to March and they need urgent attention for the situation not to get out of hand.”

The report said the analysis was based on four conceptual frameworks, which included food security, nutrition, livelihoods and mortalities.

It further noted that the result of the analysis indicated that three local government areas (LGAs) in Adamawa, including Michika and Madagali, and three LGAs in Borno were currently experiencing severe food crisis.

According to the report, food availability is extremely limited in those areas because there had been no food production there in the last three years.

It said household and market food stocks had been depleted in the affected areas, while the residents had no access to markets.

The situation, it said, was caused by the Boko Haram insurgency and the persistent farmers-herdsmen clashes in the northern region.

After studying the areas affected by food insecurity, one of the recommendations of the report is to take concerted steps to strengthen their access to food.