Nigeria ranks fifth on the list of the top 10 countries most affected by food inflation in the world.
However, the country occupies the third place in Africa after Malawi and Liberia.
The rankings are published in the World Bank’s September Food Security Report.
The report pointed out that Nigeria is one of the countries where the food security situation is deteriorating due to conflicts in food-producing areas and environmental problems caused by climate change.
According to the report, the country hardest hit by food inflation is Haiti, where food inflation has increased by 12% year-on-year in real terms, followed by Malawi, Vietnam and Liberia.
“Meanwhile, 18 countries experienced worsening conditions due to factors such as escalation of conflict and climate-related shocks such as drought,” the report said. “Notable examples include Ethiopia, Nigeria and Yemen; More than 1 million people have faced high levels of food insecurity since last year.
Additionally, the report states that between August 2023 and September 2024, the number of food insecure people in Nigeria increased by 28 percent.
According to a World Bank report, extreme weather has significantly increased food insecurity across West Africa, leading several countries in the region to declare states of emergency.
The report cited Executive Harmonize’s latest analysis and said that due to a combination of factors, including a deteriorating security situation, low agricultural production, high food prices, market disruptions and more frequent severe extreme weather events, It highlighted that nearly 55 million people face food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above) during the lean season from June to August 2024.
The report also estimates that approximately 1.6 million hectares of land in Nigeria, including 342,650 hectares of agricultural land, have been inundated by floods, affecting 685,770 vulnerable people.
