The Federal Government (FG), along with farmers, particularly in the South-West, has been praised for the reduction in food commodity prices nationwide.
However, while the praise resounded, others maintained that the price reduction was only beneficial to consumers, as they, being farmers, had to bear the brunt of the cost.
In Monday’s survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Oyo, Ogun, and Kwara States, respondents therefore called for collaboration that would make all stakeholders wear smiling faces.
Mr Adewumi Abas, South-West Coordinator, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), appreciated the FG’s importation plan, saying it has gone a long way toward making food available at reduced prices.
Abas, who is also the Oyo State AFAN Chairman, said that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration allowed the importation to make life easier for the people.
“The result is what we are currently experiencing on food prices,” he said.
He also appreciated the farmers for their cooperation with government policies and objectives, thus contributing to the current decrease in food prices.
Abas, while acknowledging that farmers still battle the ongoing rise in the prices of farm inputs, promised that farmers would continue to make food available at affordable prices.
To this end, he appealed to AFAN members not to hoard farm produce, while praying the government at all levels to positively influence the prices of farm inputs.
According to him, farmers are still waiting for more government policies and interventions.
“We appeal to the government to assist farmers in the area of security challenges, especially as we are gradually entering into the dry season,” he said.
The farmers’ coordinator called on the FG to tighten security, saying that farmers were still being confronted with farmer-herder clashes.
He also called for government assistance in establishing farm villages with irrigation facilities to enable year-round cultivation.
“We are not asking the government to establish the farm villages free of charge, but to be given to farmers at an agreed price to give room for availability of farm produce round the year, without leaving out any planting season,” he said.
Abas said farmers in the South-West had attended a series of training on farm produce storage and processing, aimed at reducing post-harvest losses.
He praised both the federal and state governments for the training.
“Some farmers are now going into the processing of farm produce and practicing all chains of value addition, especially on yams, cassava, perishable foods, among others, to reduce post-harvest losses,” he said.
According to him, the government is, during this harvesting period, mopping up surplus food commodities into strategic grain reserves across the country to encourage farmers.
“Garri is currently being mopped up into the grain reserves across Nigeria because there is a surplus in cassava during this harvesting period,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Adetunji Samson, Oyo State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), attributed the reduction in prices of food commodities to the FG’s intervention.
He identified improved security, training, and farmers’ empowerment through improved technology as some of the interventions.
Samson disclosed that many farmers who had formerly been in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps had returned to their villages to resume farming activities due to improved security.
According to him, the series of interventions by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has also helped to reduce the cost of farming production.
“The release of some interventions in terms of farm inputs, improved seeds, agrochemicals, supply of fertilisers at subsidised rate, processing equipment, among others, has reduced farmers’ cost of production and reduced the prices of food commodities in the market.
“Farmers are now being trained on adding value to their agricultural produce; this has increased their knowledge, leading to improved production and food price reduction,” he said.
However, an Ibadan-based farmer, Elder David Adeoye, says the harvest season has not been favourable because of the FG’s recent decision to crash food prices without providing support for farmers.
According to him, this forceful price reduction of farm products amid soaring production costs driven by inflation, insecurity, and poor road infrastructure isn’t encouraging.
“Prices of fertilisers and chemicals are not reduced; the cost of labour and transportation of these farm products from fields to markets remain high, while the government keeps on forcing prices of these products down.
“This will definitely discourage many, forcing them to abandon farming in the next farming season since the government has decided to neglect their plights.
“The government should not only crash prices of farm products, but provide succour to farmers, such as subsidising prices of farm inputs, fertilisers, chemicals, and equally provide grants to farmers’ associations, Adeoye said.
He described the farmers’ experience during the outgoing farming season as sad, and called on the government to find better ways to encourage them.
The encouragement, he said, would be to avoid an exodus from farming activities in the next farming season.
Adeoye, narrating his friend’s bitter experience, said he ventured into cultivating six hectares of maize and cassava, but now regrets it.
“He doesn’t know how he will be able to settle the N3 million he owes his two labourers hired to maintain the farm.
“He realised N1.2million from the sales of the maize due to a price crash.
“Ordinarily, the maize alone should have given him about N3.5 million, but now, he is struggling to get buyers for the cassava, who are pricing the whole six hectares of cassava less than N1 million.
“Do you expect such a farmer to keep on with farming in the next farming season? He queried.
Nonetheless, he pleaded with the government to intensify efforts to curb insecurity, especially in farm settlements.
In Ogun, Mr Timothy Abiola, a farmer from Obafe in Obafemi Owode Local Government, identified climate change as a significant challenge for farmers in the area.
Abiola, however, said that farmers were being trained on the climate-smart programme, which had been helping them tackle the problems.
According to him, post-harvest waste is also a challenge that requires an immediate solution.
“Sometimes, we have lots of bountiful harvests, but without a place to store them up for processing, hence the cause of post-harvest waste.
“But based on the education we receive, we’re turning those things into value-added products.
“For cassava, we use it as garri, tapioca, and fufu.
“Fufu has a long shelf life, and garri too. You can use cassava flour to make cakes, doughnuts, and chin-chin, thereby mitigating waste.
“We can also get starch from cassava instead of wasting it. We can process and stock to control the post-harvest problem we are encountering,” he said.
Regarding the impact of the current harvest on commodity prices, he noted that the current low prices are hurting farmers, as production costs for rice now surpass sales revenue.
“Instead of subsidising oil, the government should support farmers by buying our produce at reasonable prices.
“This way, they can stock up for emergencies and food security. This will also enable us to stay in business,” Abiola said.
Abiola, however, cited herder-farmer clashes as a major security concern.
“Nigeria is having security issues generally when it comes to herder-farmer clashes, but in Ogun, it has been managed to a reasonable extent.
“As a farmer in my local government, we are not having many issues with the herders,” he said.
The Ogun Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Bolu Owotomo, noted that the state government had made significant strides in boosting food productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.
According to him, this state government’s move is a major step toward food security.
The commissioner described the Ogun State Farmers Information Management System, which has registered over 160,000 farmers, as a great initiative that demonstrates the state’s commitment to agriculture.
“It’s clear that the government’s intervention is having a positive impact on food prices in the state.
“The work being done in the cassava industry and aquaculture sector is particularly impressive, with thousands of farmers benefiting from the capacity building programmes.
“We have done a lot of input distribution to boost food productivity and to ensure that no post-harvest losses are recorded; that’s why we are building processing facilities across the state.
“We are not only stopping at providing processing centres, we are also linking our farmers to off-takers so that they won’t have to be the ones looking for the markets themselves. We already have registered off-takers,” said the commissioner.
Owotomo noted that the series of government interventions has contributed to the reduction in the prices of food items.
“There can’t be a reduction in price without adequate intervention of the government.
“The reduction in food prices in Ogun State has a direct correlation with the intervention provided by the state government.
“In the cassava industry alone, we have, in the past 18 months, been able to do capacity building for over 40,000 farmers, and we have impacted over 32,000 cassava farmers.
“So, we are steadily intervening in the affairs of farmers by providing inputs and ensuring that the cost of production is at a much lower level than their contemporaries in other states,” he said.
At Ilorin, the Small-scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), decrying the crash in the prices of food crops in the state, said it was running at a loss.
The Ilorin-East Coordinator of SWOFON, Hajia Funmilayo Lawal, disclosed that climate change affected them in 2024, and that the crash in food prices was now dealing them another blow.
She said they need the government’s intervention to reduce the burden it has placed on them.
“Though prices of foods are crashing, the inputs and things we use, including labourers, are not getting cheaper.
“The government has been supporting us, but they can still do more in any way they can to keep encouraging us.
“This is because if the situation persists, we might be forced to stop farming, because we are not gaining, but rather losing,” she said.
Another member of SWOFON in Baruten Local Government, Mrs Mary Adeniyi, said the crash in prices has forced farmers to keep their produce at home to avoid running at a loss.
She, however, said this has not been helpful.
“Prices have ridiculously gone down, so we have to keep them, because the labourers who help us work on the farm charge very high prices.
“Presently, maize costs N5,000, Soya beans cost N10,000. How many do we have to sell to cover the cost of the machines and the chemicals we use?
“For us not to keep depending on labourers, the government should come to our aid in helping us with farm implements and some other things we will need to support our work in a non-costly way,” she said.
However, SWOFON Ilorin-West Coordinator, Mrs Modupe Suleiman, said the success of agriculture depends on the functional support of the government, communities, and farmers’ associations.
According to her, the government is expected to provide more essential support to women farmers, as they are the core producers of food and central to food security.
“There is a need for global cooperation across organisations, governments, communities, and all sectors to transform agriculture, the food system and improve food security.
“We shall appreciate support in the provisions of gender-friendly small agro-mechanical devices, seed support, and extension services.
“We also need seminars and training on farm management and maintenance to increase our production and farm yields.
“Our members also need information on food preservation and storage to ensure longevity and food security, as this will increase our food production and contribute to food security in the state,” she said.
Suleiman added that women farmers also face security issues and a lack of necessary financial support for sustainable development.
She suggested government and private-sector investment in modern storage technologies and infrastructure, believing they are crucial to the sustainability of farm products.
“Performance is often crop-specific.
“With some crops, like maize, they may have better yields if stored dry, while others may be more susceptible to loss due to spoilage if not handled properly,” she said.
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