Food security and Food liberalization in Nigeria Agricultural trading system

Abstract

It is a fact that the unilateral trade liberalization of 1986 did not produce any sustainable impact on the 
development of agriculture in Nigeria. It is however, not clear whether the Uruguay Round Agreements 
on Agriculture (URAA) and the optimism of the Doha Round and its Agenda (DRA) has done any better. 
Even then Nigeria’s external trade has been conducted within the framework of neutrality or open trade, 
consistent with the WTO provisions. This to a reasonable extent has engendered some sectoral as well 
as factoral effects. This paper investigates the effects of agricultural trade liberalization on food 
security in Nigeria. It is observed that in spite of the numerous policy measures to enhance food 
production, food demand has consistently outstripped supply with increasing number of people 
becoming more vulnerable. The paper proposed measures to mitigate the adverse effects of trade 
liberalization on domestic food security.