32
imports. As a result, the government’s food security and price stabilisation reserve dwindled
from 150.000 tons in 1983 (Gromotka & Bendow 1992) to 80.000 in 1991, and 12.000-20.000
between 1996 and 2004 (Figure 16). In 2001 the government planned to set aside a cash
reserve equivalent to 20.000 tons of millet but this plan was never implemented. In 2004, it
was equally decided to raise the level of the National Reserve Stock (NRS) to 110.000 tons
(comprising a physical stock of 80.000 tons in cereals – the National Food Security Reserve -
and a financial reserve to purchase 30,000 tons of cereals in case of major crisis – the Food
Security Fund) to be used to face emergency situations. However, this decision was never
respected, and in the last eight years the NRS never exceeded 20.000 tons (Figure 16) as in
times of good harvest, when prices were low and food was available, the stocks were not
replenished, and purchases took place only during crisis years, contributing in this way to an
increase of already high prices in the local markets. The Government also allocated very
limited resources to other support measures (e.g. cereal banks and food/cash for work) and
opposed the cancellation of user-fees in public health centres.
Figure 16 - Niger: Level of the National Food Security Reserve - tons (1980-2011)
Source: for 1980-90: OPVN data in Gromotka and Bendow (1992) 1991-2010 data are from CCA-SAP
The rise in millet prices ( Pf ) would not have caused a large nutritional impact had it not
been for the simultaneous and related erosion of the food entitlements of several social
groups and in particular the agro-pastoralists who were hit by both a drop in food self–
provisioning (
h
Qfsc
) and in the price of the sheep and goats ( Pj ) they sold to buy millet
during the lean season (Table 8). The pastoralists were also affected by the fall in the
millet/cow price ratio (Table 8) and rise in fodder prices. Despite this, they suffered less acute
nutritional problems than the agro-pastoralists as they owned larger herds. In turn, onion
farmers were affected by the decrease in the price of their crops relative to that of millet and
weak demand. Third, the exchange entitlements of landless labourers dropped due to a
surge in the supply of casual labour (WFP 2006), a drop in labour demand, and a fall in wage
rate.
33
Table 8 - Niger: Changes in terms of trade between millet and various entitlements (2003–04,
2004–05)
Quintals of millet
per female goat
Quintals of millet
per cow
Quintals of millet per100
kg of onions
Quintals of millet per
20 days rural wage°
03/04
04/05
%
change
03/04 04/05 % change 03/04 04/05
%
change
03/04 04/05
%
change
Oct
1.5
1.0
-33.3
12.6
7.8
-38.1
3.4
2.1
-37.6
2.45
0.97
-60.3
Nov
1.4
1.0
-28.6
12.1
7.7
-36.4
3.7
2.2
-40.6
2.39
0.92
-61.5
Dec
1.5
1.1
-26.7
11.9
7.4
-37.8
3.6
1.8
-50.2
2.37
0.91
-61.5
Jan
1.5
1.0
-33.3
11.0
6.6
-40.0
3.0
1.2
-59.8
2.25
0.86
-61.7
Feb
1.4
0.9
-35.7
10.3
6.2
-39.8
2.2
1.1
-51.4
2.05
0.77
-62.4
Mar
1.2
0.8
-33,3
9.6
5.6
-41.7
1.5
0.9
-43.8
1.88
0.70
-62.4
Apr
1.2
0.7
-41.7
9.1
5.0
-45.1
1.3
0.9
-31.1
1.81
0.68
-62.7
May
1.1
0.7
-36.4
8.5
4.5
-47.1
1.2
0.9
-25.2
1.75
0.65
-62.7
Jun
1.1
0.6
-45.5
8.8
3.7
-58.0
1.4
0.9
-31.0
1.78
0.58
-67.6
Jul
1.0
0.5
-50.0
8.1
3.5
-56.8
1.3
1.0
-22.5
1.68
0.47
-71.9
Aug
1.0
0.5
-50.0
7.8
3.6
-53.8
1.,3
1.2
-11.1
1.62
0.47
-71.0
Sept
1.2
1.0
-16.7
8.5
5.4
-36.5
1.7
2.0
17.6
1.78
0.68
-61.6
Source: Authors’ calculations based on data provided by SIMA, SIMB and EPAD-Niger. Notes: the terms of trade
are expressed as the number of 100kg sack of millet per head of livestock, 100kg of onions, or 20 days of
agricultural work. EPAD-Niger suggests a stable daily wage of CFA Francs 625 and 1125 for 2004–5 and 2003–4.
Families relying on migrant remittances were hit harshly as the latter might have been
affected by fewer chances of finding seasonal jobs and depressed wages. The nutritional
impact of the food crisis was extremely pronounced.
In Niger there are three kinds of nutritional centres: CRENI (In-Patient Intensive Nutritional
Recovery Center) for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, poor appetite and
complication, who need to be hospitalised; CRENAS (Out Patient Nutritional Center for
Severe Malnutrition) for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition but with good
appetite and without complications, who are therefore subsequently treated at home;
CRENAM (Out-Patient Nutritional Center for Moderate Malnutrition) for the treatment of
moderate acute malnutrition. Cornia and Deotti (2008) note that the number of under five
children admitted to CRENI-CRENAS centres run by Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Maradi
Department rose tenfold in 2005 in relation to a normal year. As shown in Figure 17 a rise in
millet prices correlates with a lag of 5 weeks with the number of child admissions to MSF
centres.
Regression analysis of the relationship between the rise in millet prices, decline in the prices
of the entitlements and rise in the number of MSF-France feeding centres was carried out for
the years 2002-5 for the Maradi department (no data were available for the entire country).
While there are data on the monthly price of cows and goats it was not possible to compile
time series over 2002-5 for the other four entitlements (onions, firewood, and casual wages
and remittances). The results of Model 1 in Table 9 confirm that the rise of millet prices (Pf)
and fall n the value of the entitlements (Pj) raised in a sizeable and statistically significant way
the number of child admissions to feeding centres.
In turn, Models 2 and 3 shows that the number of MSF feeding centres in operation
(measured also with the dummies variables D1 to D4) rose in a statistically significant way to
the number of child admissions.