Farmers and other stakeholders have expressed concern over an impending drop in food output as sector challenges continue to increase.

They pointed to rising production cost brought by several of the administration’s policies, including grain imports, input costs and other issues caused by the floating of the naira and the elimination of subsidies.

Hassan Sani Indabawa, the national president of the Professional Farmers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), painted a grim picture of the situation thus: “My team and I recently traversed all the states in the northern Savannah ecologies on-site inspections and evaluations and what we observed was that no single large farm (5ha and above) has been planted with maize,” he said, citing “high cost of inputs, especially fertiliser and labour.”

He said the average cost of production derived from the economics of production of maize and rice value chains was N665,000 per hectare in June when the rainy season began this year. However, as at July 20, 2025, this had risen significantly to over N1.2 million, a 100 per cent increase.

In Kano State, many farmers revealed that farming activities this year were very expensive and unpredictable due to issues related to the high cost of fertiliser and the delay in rainfall. Some smallholder farmers in the state said that if they had an option they would have abandoned their farms.

Malam Aminu Hussaini of Gundutse village in Kura Local Government Area said he was still in the field because he had no other thing to do than farming. He explained that the high cost of fertiliser had forced many smallholder farmers to reduce the size of their farms.

He also said although the state government had launched the sale of subsidised fertiliser, many farmers in the area were yet to get it. He said the delay in rainfall was a serious matter of concern to many farmers, adding that their prayer is that the rains should not stop earlier than expected.

“We have heard the news of government’s subsidised fertiliser, but it remains news to us because we are yet to access it. The issue of the high cost of fertiliser has been affecting us negatively. A 50kg of urea is now selling at over N50,000; and this has forced most of us to reduce the size of our farmlands to be able to survive,” he said.

Another smallholder farmer, Malam Abdullahi Abubakar of Ziri village in Kumbotso Local Government Area said some of them had adopted the use of manure instead of fertiliser, adding that the price of manure has also gone up to a level that only few farmers can afford it.

He explained that this year’s farming season came with several challenges, but smallholder farmers are optimistic that the season will be fruitful despite the situation.

“This year’s season came with a lot of challenges, such as high cost of agricultural inputs, lack of accessible government’s intervention, and climate change. As you can see, my farm requires fertiliser now but I cannot afford it as it is today. Therefore, there are many farmers like me here who have ventured into farming this year with no intention of using a single fertiliser,” he said.

In Taraba State, farmers feel the same heat as prices of inputs make farming unattractive this year.

Mallam Adamu Kwatan Nanido of Gassol Local Government Area told Weekend Trust that their major challenge this year was cost of farm inputs; and the prices of grains are falling every day.

“The price of NPK is N44,000 while the price of a 100kg bag of maize is N29,000. On the other hand, the price of one litre of chemical that was N1,200 previously is now N4,500.

“The cost of labour and tractor hiring has also increased, and that has increased cost of production. If care is not taken, farmers are going to lose this year and that will discourage farming of food crops like maize, rice, cassava and sorghum.

“The only option for farmers is to concentrate more on cultivating cash crops like soybeans, which is now sold at the rate of N75,000 to N80,000 per bag. Sesame and melon also attract good prices. A bag of sesame, as well as melon, is sold at the rate of N90,000 to N80,000, and it can be grown twice a year,” he said

David Dogo of Mayo Selbe Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba said he was angry because “prices of grains are crashing every day while prices of farm inputs are increasing day by day.”

“In Mayo Selbe, we produce more cassava than other crops but the price of raw and dried cassava has fallen. Those buying raw cassava to process red or white garri are no longer buying from us in large quantities as they did last year because the price of garri has fallen.

“Last year, we sold a bag of raw cassava at N40,000, but this year, the price is only between N15,000 and N18,000. A 100kg of garri is now sold at the rate of N47,000, but last year, it was N87,000,” he said.

Tony Aliu, the state chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter, said farmers in the state were facing many challenges this year, which may affect their yield.

Aliu said, “Apart from the rain, the price of farming inputs, such as chemicals and seeds, among others, is on the high side; and this has not helped farmers to boost production.

“Agrochemicals such as selective herbicides cost between N10,000 and N11,000 per litre, while non-selective is between N4,000 and N7,000, depending on the product.

“The prices of chemicals and inputs are really on the high side, but we don’t know what will happen after harvest,” he said.

Many farmers said that while they were not opposed to the decline in food prices, cost of production and inputs should also decrease.

“In early June, with the onset of this year’s wet season, the retail price of granulated diammonium phosphate (GADP) was N70,000 per 50kg bag; quality NPK 20:10:10 was N48,500; NPK 15:15:15, N45,000; Urea, N36,500 and single super phosphate (SSP) was N39,500; but as at Saturday, July 19, 2025, the cost of DAP was N95,000; NPK 20:10:10, N61,000; NPK 15:15:15, N60,000; Urea, N51,000 and SSP unavailable (apparently hoarded against its anticipated demand, which is coming up in August-September),” Dabawa, the PFAN chairman said.

Insecurity in farming communities

Along with production cost, insecurity is a significant issue facing farmers nationwide, with the North, the centre of agricultural output being particularly hard hit.

In Kaduna, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Zamfara and other states, farmers still confront significant security obstacles that keep them from reaching their land, while other people are killed every day.

In Benue State, farmers have complained about insecurity and inaccessibility to quality seed varieties, including high cost of inputs as their major challenges in the current cropping season.

Ibaah Jacob Terna, a 35-year-old farmer from Tse Nyamti village in Mbabuande council ward of Gwer West Local Government Area, said these challenges were interconnected and could worsen, ultimately hindering agri-food production and resulting in low income for farming families.

He said, “We are confronted with challenges at every stage of farming this season, starting with land acquisition, which has become difficult, mainly due to insecurity that has driven many, especially men, away from their homes. Access to improved seed varieties is also a nightmare for us.

“Furthermore, lack of good working equipment has affected our output. The cost of herbicides is a major issue, whether for pre or post-emergence spraying. The recent drop in market prices of farm produce is lower than the cost of herbicides, making it difficult for farmers to afford them at critical stages of the farming cycle.

“One of our biggest problems now is that cows are destroying our crops. Once crops are cultivated, cows appear from nowhere and eat everything, leaving the farmer with nothing. If you complain you are lucky if you are not killed or displaced from your ancestral land.”

For Vitalis Tarnongu, “The worst of all these challenges remain insecurity and land ownership. I used to farm in rural areas, but attacks have disrupted my activities there. Also, lack of clear land ownership rights has discouraged me from investing further, and it has hindered agricultural growth.”

Robert Owiocho, another farmer from Otukpo Local Government Area, said they were afraid to go to their farms due to frequent invasion by armed herders, adding that they would never know when the daredevils would strike.

“Insecurity has continued to affect our productivity as we are constantly operating under the fear of attacks, including kidnapping, as well as theft,” he said.

Also, Osas Ojeilere, the chairman of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, Edo State chapter (NCAN), noted that the major challenge facing cashew farmers in his Edo north senatorial district was insecurity.

“Farmers can no longer go to their farms to either harvest cashew or plant new seedlings because of incessant attacks,” he said.

Corroborating Ojeilere’s claim, Tony Aliu, the RIFAN chairman in the state, said herders always attacked and kidnapped them in their farms; hence people are afraid to go to their farms.

He, however, suggested, “If there is land opening for cluster farmers, it would reduce insecurity.”

Grain importation

In July 2024, the federal government announced a 150-day duty-free import window in an attempt to reduce the soaring food inflation in the country. The import, which was meant to lessen the impact of rising food prices, had a negative effect on farmers who couldn’t sell their harvest for profit as the prices of grains crashed.

The federal government allowed the importation of 250,000 tonnes of wheat and 250 tonnes of maize, which were to be used by small-scale millers and processors in the country.

The 20 per cent duty levy on wheat and beans was removed while the 30 per cent duty levy on husked brown rice and the 5 per cent duty levy on sorghum, millet and maize were dropped entirely.

The suspension of Import taxes on grains cost the federal government more than N188 billion in revenue, according to data from the Nigeria Customs Service.

Drought in Plateau, Nasarawa

Some villages in southern Plateau and Nasrawa states are facing dire circumstances as a result of crops that are reportedly wilting and discolouring.

Due to lack of significant rainfall in rice and maize fields for more than a month, certain villages in Doma and Lafia local government areas in Nasarawa are currently in a severe condition.

Musa Ombugu, a farmer in Alwaza, Doma, said the rice field he ploughed a month prior to the drought was entirely dry, and that he lacked the fund to plough it again when the rains return.

Our correspondent in Jos reports that the southern zone of Plateau, located in the lowlands, comprises of six local government areas – Wase, Langtang North, Langtang South, Mikang, Shendam and Qua’an Pan – face severe conditions.

According to farmers in the area who spoke to Weekend Trust on Sunday, they have been experiencing short rainfall for nearly 30 days, resulting in drying up of crops.

They said if the situation continued, they would lose millions of naira, considering that the crops have not yet reached maturity level, adding that this year’s short rainfall had left many farmers worried about the potential impact on crop yield and food security.

Yusuf Maidoki, a resident of Yelwa community in Shendam Local Government Area, lamented the development, saying, “I have planted groundnuts in large quantity and expected a bumper harvest, but with this development, I am worried about the outcome. We hope it rains anytime soon.”

Joseph Domle, a resident of Langtang in Langtang Local Government Area, also lamented the development, stressing that if the shortage of rain continues, the situation would be devastating. “We have been facing short rainfall in our area since the farming season started. We hope it rains soon because the situation is worrisome,” he said.

Another farmer from Qua’an Pan Local Government, Daniel Ishaku, who cultivates yam, expressed concern over the absence of rainfall in his community and surrounding villages, praying that God would bring rain to support farming activities.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had predicted that the northern part of Nigeria would experience short rainfall in late July and early August this year.

Weekend Trust reports that southern Plateau experienced late rainfall in the last farming season, followed by sufficient rain. However, this year, the drought set in mid-season after the crops had already started.

Also in the South, Tony Aliu said one of the major challenges rice farmers faced was late rain, which disrupted preparation and planting. He said that due to late rain, farmers couldn’t plant on time, adding that after planting, it stopped for a period of time, which he said would likely affect yield.

Farmers in the region said that despite experiencing heavy downpours on Monday, without stable rainfall, various crops, especially rice and yam, would wither and die.

They noted that in the last three weeks when the region experienced drought, crops have suffered, saying that many farmers have lost their investments.

Felix Piapung, a farmer in Mikang Local Government said, “Crops like yam have died due to heat because there was no rainfall across the zone. If we can get enough rainfall from now to October, the crops that are still alive will grow and provide yield at the end of the day, but if we continue to experience short rainfall, many farmers will lose and it will affect food security in the area.”

According to Piapung, it is now too late for farmers to replant crops like yam because there won’t be enough time for it to grow, adding that It needed water at the time the rain stopped.

He, however, said “crops like rice can be planted again if there will be stable rainfall in the region.”

Yusuf Maidoki, another farmer, said they could not visit their farms a few days ago due to the shortage of rainfall across the area. However, they are hopeful that the Monday night rain would support the crops that have not died, such as rice, beans, millet and groundnut to grow.

“We need continued rainfall so that we can have bumper harvest. But if the rain stops again, we don’t know what could happen, considering that we have experienced drought in recent weeks. The crops have not recovered yet. We pray for consistent rain from now on,” Maidoki said.

What farmers should do

The Commissioner for Agriculture in Plateau State, Bugama Samson, acknowledged the drought, explaining that the state had advised farmers ahead of the situation.

“We have been advising farmers to plant early-maturing crops to enable them grow before the predicted period. We are also advising farmers to take out insurance so that if the prediction comes to fruition, they won’t be severely affected.

“Additionally, we have advised them to dig dams close to their farms to enable irrigation in the event of drought. These are some of the measures we have put in place,” the commissioner said.

Ubale Musa, the organising secretary of the National Growers Association in Plateau, said the drought would affect farmers in the area and advised them to adopt alternatives, adding that the effect would delay output.

“We have been advising the affected farmers to switch from maize production to millet so that it can grow within the remaining period. We also have high-yielding breeds for maize; and farmers have been advised to plant them so that they can grow before the rain fades away. These high-yielding breeds mature within three months,” he said.

Unfriendly interest rates

For Vitalis Tarnongu, a Makurdi-based farmer, the inability of farmers in Benue State to access funding remains a critical challenge, in addition to other issues that affect their productivity and livelihood.

He noted that many banks were reluctant to lend to farmers due to perceived risks in agriculture.

The president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabiru Ibrahim, an architect, said the best interest for a farming loan should be a single digit with a three-year moratorium because most smallholder farmers depend on rain-fed production, with little or no value addition.

“To be very clear, the ideal interest rate for agricultural lending should not exceed 3 per cent, with a moratorium of five years,” he said.

In a period like this, vegetable supplies significantly decline. Stakeholders attributed this to a shortage of the best growing technologies in the country, seeds, and poor storage facilities, contributing to an increase in the cost of perishable food items, mostly pepper and onion.

A survey carried out by Weekend Trust at the Mile 12 International Market showed that the value chain of the production of pepper and onion, stemming from farming, impacts the cost of perishable food items, reducing the quantity bought by consumers.

Farmers identified the factors responsible for the high cost of food items and called on the federal government to support them.

The chairman of Fresh Pepper Association at Mile 12, Ahlaji Aminu Musa, attributed the increase in the cost of pepper to the rainfall pattern in the northern part of the country, saying the crop grows during dry season

“Pepper doesn’t do much during the rainy season because it doesn’t require much rain. So for now, we have a little bit of pepper in the market because there are not many of them in the northern part of the country.

“We are in the rainy season, so we are not expecting much; it does not produce,” he noted.

He added that the cost of a bag of pepper of 75kg ranges from N100,000 to N120,000, stressing that the deplorable road network from the North also contributes to reduction in distribution. (Weekend Trust)