Worst January for Pockets
This January, Nigerians paid the highest prices for goods and services compared to other January months in 16 years, the NBS report shows.
This is reflected in the unprecedented high cost of living nationwide, making it almost difficult for an average Nigerian to afford basic essentials.
This January, the inflation rate reached an all-time high of 29.9% from 14% in January 2008.
The government’s inability to tame the rising cost of living in 16 years has led to protests in various parts of the country with citizens expressing their struggle amidst increased food prices.
Aside from being the worst January for pockets, the headline inflation peaked at 29.9% year on year in January 2024. This is the highest in 12 months.
Citizens are responding to the unrelenting price hike in different ways.
Earlier this month, residents of Kano had taken to the streets to express displeasure about the high costs of food and other items, demanding relief from the government. Similarly, protests erupted in Niger State and Ibadan in Oyo State over the same situation.
The question is, what can we each do more than just protest when the federal and state governments fail to control the rising prices?
Beginning with controlling food prices, individuals can consider evaluating their purchasing habits among other suggestions prior to this.
“You can look into buying cheaper food items that still allow you to consume all recommended food groups or reducing your expenses on non-recommended foods, such as salty snacks and sugary items.
“Additionally, consider changing the market where you buy your food, as it may help you achieve lower costs than what they paid in 2008.
Federal Government releases grains to citizens
To address the rising cost of food, President Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to release and distribute about 42,000 metric tonnes of maize, millet, and other commodities to the needy.
About 82.9 million Nigerians are needy, living below $1.90 per day. They now have to pay 10 times to feed compared to what they paid in 2008.
However, there are concerns that the food items might get diverted and not reach targeted Nigerians.
There are also doubts about the federal government's ability to accurately identify the needy due to the lack of comprehensive data on Nigeria's population composition. Even though the federal government said they have met with NEMA and DSS to give them the “index”.
How Wasteful of Food Are You?
Regrettably, amidst the high cost of living and escalating food prices, each Nigerian wastes 189 Kg of food at home annually. This is the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
While the Food Waste Index reveals that households contribute the largest amount of food waste globally, Nigeria is notorious for producing the largest household food waste in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Households in the country altogether wasted 38 million tonnes of food from household cooking in 2021.
Ethiopia comes in second place with 10 million tonnes, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 9 million tonnes and Tanzania with 7 million tonnes.
Globally, an estimated 931 million tonnes of food waste was generated in 2021, 61% of which came from households, 26% from food services, and 13% from the retail markets.
This pattern highlights the need for households to not only address the issue of food costs but also to reassess their consumption habits to minimize food waste.
Households in lower-middle-income countries produced an average of 91 kg per capita food waste per year, making it the highest among the income groups recorded.
Households in high-income countries produce 79 kg of household per capita food waste, and those in upper-middle-income countries waste 76 kg per person.
Household food waste comprises leftover food, fruit, inedible vegetable parts, and peels from fruits, potatoes, and cooked bananas. Notably, a larger portion comprises vegetables.
The Food Waste Index measured food waste from households, food services, and retail markets. It measures both edible and inedible portions of food waste.
However, a country with high household food waste does not necessarily indicate that a large amount of edible food that is fit for human consumption is being wasted.
For instance, there is no information on the quantities of edible food waste in low- and middle-income countries.
According to the UNEP, the high estimates of household food waste may be due to home cooking, which could produce more unavoidable food scraps.
So, since household-level food waste is higher than service and retail’s, and comprises both edible and inedible, individuals need to adopt smart consumption decisions to ensure that the amount of edible food waste is reduced.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, reducing food waste can benefit individuals and the environment. It can enhance food security, mitigate the effects of climate change, save food costs, and alleviate the burden on land, water, biodiversity, and waste management systems.
In short, wasting food breaks the good principles of pocket science.
Thanks for reading this edition of Pocket Science. See you next time!
It was composed by Funmilayo Babatunde.