Emmanuel Ukudolo l Friday, March 19, 2021
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness Report 2020: Unpacking the Numbers, Exploring the Issues was on Thursday, March 18 presented to Nigerians during the Protein ChallengeNg webinar Series 8 by Mediacraft Associates Limited.
The report is a product of a survey conducted among selected geopolitical zones in Nigeria by IPSOS, a global market research and public opinion specialist.
The graphic report which was presented by Mr. Obaro Agalabri, Service Line Lead(West Africa) IPSOS Channel Performance provided insights into protein consumption pattern across the geopolitical zones, factors that account for protein deficiency, the reality on the ground and what can be done to mitigate the challenge.
In his presentation, Agalabri attempted to juxtapose protein consumption pattern in Nigeria as against global outlook, stressing that historical data show that Nigeria has a gap in its protein consumption when compared with other global economies. As he puts it, Nigeria is ranked below the bar in global food security index with a protein per capita – daily intake lower than the global standard.
For instance, while global daily intake of protein is 64 grams per day, in Nigeria, it is 45.4grams per day, whereas the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommends 53.8 grams per day. This development, he pointed out remains a major burden that requires continuous intervention to combat and reduce the nutrition crisis in the country.
Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, he noted that 82 million Nigerians live on less than 1USD a day. He posited that the average cost of protein per meal in Nigeria is N80 bringing the average cost of protein for 3 square meals per day to N240. Using CBN exchange rate of N380 per 1USD, he said that the fact that the average Nigerian lives on less than 1 USD per day poses a heavy burden on income.
From the survey, beans stands out as the most consumed source of protein in Nigeria, followed by fish, meat, soybean, egg and then milk. However the report showed that almost half of the population fail to consume protein on a daily basis. In specific terms, the Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness Report 2020 pointed out that 45 percent of the Nigerian population do not consume protein on a daily basis.
On factors hindering consumption of protein, the researcher pointed out that cost and household income levels remain the major deterrent to adequate protein intake in Nigeria, adding that the trend is more prevalent in Northern Nigeria and among the lower social classes. In terms of statistics, he pointed out that 45 percent of Nigerians attribute their low intake of protein to high cost; 39 percent believe low income is responsible while 10 percent believe that little or no knowledge of the benefits of protein account for low intake. For a change, he pointed out that there is need for deliberate effort targeted towards affordable protein sources for households to boost intake.
While taking a look at the benefit of soybeans as a protein source, Obaro Agalabri noted that the major awareness of soybeans as source of protein has basically being by word of mouth through family and friends, the trend being visible across the regions and social economic classes.
The researcher who explained that soybeans remains the most recommended protein source by nutritionists is however not happy that only 1 in 10 industry users of soybeans use installed facility to full capacity. He pointed out though soybeans is cultivated in the country, the major challenges confronting farmers has been insufficient financial support. According to the survey, less than 10 percent of soybeans farmers have received any kind of incentive. The survey stressed the importance of support for these category of famers to boost soybean trade in Nigeria as almost those who received incentive witnessed increase in output. He pointed out that there has been some public private sector interventions with $5 billion being targeted by Nigeria Export Promotion Council, NEPC to bridge the gap in export market of soybeans; the 2016 initiative by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Nestle Soybeans Popularisation Project and the Comprehensive Agriculture Development Programme(CADP).
The survey recommended deliberate effort to communicate essence of protein consumption and to push out clear information regarding required intake of protein for optimum wellbeing, especially in the North and East where there are lower intake of protein in addition to efforts targeted at affordable protein sources and partnership with government agencies, donor organizations and private investors.
In her contribution on how to change the trend, Dr. Beatrice Chinyem Oganah-Ikujenyo (PhD), a lecturer at the Department of Home Economics, School of Vocational and Technical Education, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos argued that one major problem has to be with the culture of feeding in Nigeria that has been passed from generation to generation and the fact that carbohydrates are easy to cultivate and harvest in a very short time in addition to their cheapness and availability.
She called for a change in the narrative through deliberate nutrition education targeted at encouraging the consumption of multi-mixes, or protein complementation, habit of Meal Planning(MP), using the six food guide pyramid. Dr. Beatrice Chinyem Oganah-Ikujenyo noted that MP makes room for careful selection of meals.
Her solution to Nigeria’s Protein deficiency challenge are both short and long term, which include sustainable nutrition education, through radio programmes, TV shows, discussions in religious organizations with emphasis on the fact that children need more protein than adults, creation of a separate ministry for health and making nutrition a subject to be taught from cradle to the university.
In his own take on the Nigeria Protein Deficiency Awareness Report 2020 : Unpacking the Numbers, Exploring the Issues, Professor Adetunji Kehinde, Provost College of Agriculture, Ogun State University, however criticized the sample population, stressing that survey could have covered the 6 geopolitical zones. He however noted that the categories of value chain and stakeholders considered in the survey were very impressive. He suggested that since small scale farmers produce less than a ton of soybeans, the capacity can be expanded to create more jobs and by extension more consumption.
However the consensus among the presenter of the survey and the discussants was that 33 percent unemployment rate recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has a negative bearing on consumption of protein. Obaro Agalabri was of the view that the trend will only make those thrown into the job market, most especially with food inflation at an unprecedented height of over 18 percent, to priortise what will keep them alive, with protein eventually relegated to the background.
Dr. Adepoju Adeniran moderated the session.
