Nigeria on a Time bomb: Why isn’t country feeding itself properly when 30-40% of the populace are farmers?

The simple answer to that question is the country is not Industrialized and over 40 years sabotage in the Ajaokuta steel industry put Nigeria on a time bomb just waiting patiently to explode.

Why isn’t Nigeria feeding itself properly when 30-40% of populace are farmers?

Only an industrialized state can practise mechanized farming.

Well all farmers are not the same.

Here we have Americans farming corn

Here we have Russians farming wheat

Here are Nigerians farming corn

In developed countries, the government had invested into mechanized farming even at the level of the private farmer. Many countries give substantial financial help to the farmer. Even the “evil” Gaddaffi of Libya built the biggest irrigation project in the world. Turning the Sahara into farm land. He gave free land, house,farming tools, seeds and animals to anyone who wanted to start a farm all for free. Don’t you miss Gaddaffi now Libya ?

Nigeria – Nothing significant to aid food production. We rely on the peasant farmer for our food. In a mechanized farm, a single farmer produces crops equivalent to what thousands of peasant ones can. So do your maths.

How about meat?

Brazilian cattle ranch

Cattle rancher in Argentina.

Nigeria. Any difference?

Another problem we have are storage and transport. Nigeria has no railroad of any use. The roads are bad and the lorries are expensive. Fuel is expensive and the Police checkpoints need bribes.

Vast amount of food rots at the source without getting to the consumer.

This is the saddest sight that met me on a visit to northern Nigeria. A farmer was trying to sell me a basket of tomatoes for what ever price I was willing to give him. Looking at the rotting tomatoes on the road sides made me understand why. 75% of harvested tomatoes are wasted in Nigeria.

75% of harvested tomatoes wasted annually — Industrialist

Yet we are the world’s biggest importer of tomato paste.

All images came off the internet.