Farmers in Nigeria have lamented the high cost of fertilizer, expressing fear that the situation is jeopardizing the country’s food security.
Farmers in the South-South who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) separately claimed the government’s withdrawal of subsidies had exacerbated the issue.
They urged the government to act and take measures to ensure that the goods reached legitimate farmers, ensuring an increase in food production and food security.
Chief Sylvanus Ejezie, Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Delta, said fertilizer and agrochemicals that helped farmers produce decent yields had become prohibitively expensive.
He told NAN in Asaba that the government’s drive and efforts to alleviate food insecurity would not be realized in the near future unless immediate actions were made to address the product’s growing cost.
He said that government fertilizer subsidies had been taken over by “political farmers” who posed as intermediaries between fertiliser corporations and farmers.
“We get our fertilizers from Onitsha market since Delta State has a fertilizer factory.”
“The cost of fertilizer and agrochemicals has risen so dramatically that we cannot afford the quantities needed to grow many hectares this year.”
“Fifty kilograms of NPK fertiliser presently cost N17,000; urea costs N25,000, and a liter of organic fertiliser costs N6,000.”
“I farmed 40 hectares of rice this year in the Owens River Basin at Ngegu, Illah, and Oko Omuluigboma.” “I also planted 35 hectares during the wet season,” he explained.
Farmers in Delta, he added, had begun harvesting but were not anticipating a bountiful crop since they could not afford all of the necessary inputs.
“The inference is obvious. A bag of local 50kg rice now costs between N23,000 and N25,000, but if manufacturing costs are included in, the price would rise.
“As you can see, the government’s food security strategy is jeopardized since we can’t grow much rice; other crops are damaged owing to the country’s increased production costs,” he explained.
To attain intended objectives, Ejezie urged the government to work directly with genuine farmers through their different organisations in fertiliser and agrochemical supply and distribution.
Mr Bassey Etim, Programme Manager, Cross River Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), presented a bleak picture of the state’s rice production this year in Calabar due to the high cost of fertiliser.
According to Etim, the commodity is now out of reach for most farmers in the state because urea fertiliser, which was formerly sold for between N16,000 and N18,000 per 50kg bag, is now marketed for N26,000.
“Due to the high cost, impoverished farmers in rural regions would be unable to increase their produce,” he bemoaned.
According to the ADP program manager, Cross River does not have a fertiliser factory and must rely on supply from River state.
Mr Iwara Iwara, Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Cross River, on his part, stated that the scarcity and high cost of fertiliser were impeding Nigeria’s agricultural aim of food sufficiency.
