Sekou Sangare, Commissioner of Agriculture, Environment, and Water Resources, ECOWAS has called for subsidies on fertilisers to aid access to farmers and limit hunger in the subregion.
Sangare said this while delivering a report at the first ordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.
He said the war between Ukraine and Russia has gravely affected the prices of fertilisers in the world and may lead to dire consequences if drastic measures are not taken.
“The war between Ukraine and Russia, which started at the end of February, has had aggravating effects on the difficult food and nutritional situation in all the countries of the region,” he said.
“It has aggravated the grain deficit in the region with, in particular, the disruption of the food supply chain, the amplification of the rise in food prices, and the price of fertilisers.
“The two countries in conflict are major suppliers on the international markets and also suppliers of wheat, maize, edible oils, and fertilizers for the majority of ECOWAS member countries.
“The price of mineral fertilisers continued to increase in 2020 and 2021 in the wake of the surge in the price of natural gas and the difficulties in the transport logistics chain.
“As a result, the prices of all local and imported foodstuffs recorded in the region’s markets are particularly high this year.”
He said some measures have been taken including tax exemptions on food imports as they find ultimate solutions to the issues at hand.
