Floods in Nigeria, coinciding with the harvest season's start, have led to the destruction of crops that could have sustained 8.5 million people for half a year, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The country, which is the most populous in Africa, has seen its agricultural lands, planted with staples such as groundnuts, vegetables, and rice, severely affected.
This disaster is part of broader climatic challenges spanning from Guinea to the Central African Republic, exacerbating the food insecurity faced by 55 million people in the region due to conflict and adverse weather conditions. The FAO highlights that the floods have compounded the dire food security situation in Nigeria, making it difficult to quantify the exact extent of the loss. However, an estimated 856,000 tons of crops have been lost, calculated based on an average yield from the affected areas.
With nearly half of Nigeria's population living in extreme poverty and food prices surging by 37.5%, the consequences of these floods are far-reaching. The FAO also notes the damage to market enclosures and storage units, further straining the country's agricultural infrastructure. Additionally, there is an imminent threat of more flooding along the Benue River, prompted by the discharge from Cameroon's Lagdo Dam, putting eleven states at risk.
Source: BNN Bloomberg