Farmers are currently protesting the high price of fertilizer as the rainy season begins. Both wet season and irrigated farmers rely heavily on fertilizers for high yields, but many farmers can no longer afford them.
Fertilizer prices are currently out of reach for millions of smallholder farmers in Nigeria. In most places, soils can no longer support the production of major crops without fertilizers, but access to inputs is declining due to high costs, resulting in lower productivity.
According to a Daily Trust review, a 50kg fertilizer bag currently costs between N24,000 and N30,000 depending on the brand and location, and few farmers can afford to buy one or two bags per hectare. It is below the world standard of 4. -8 bags per hectare.
Without fertilizer, the production of corn, rice and other crops that have big impacts on the value chain could be hit, and farmers and other stakeholders want the government to do the needful.
They said the maize shortage would directly affect the organized poultry sector and other industries, as the country experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.
Sanusi Ibrahim, a corn farmer in Jere, Kaduna State, said fertilizer costs are forcing farmers to move away from producing certain crops that require the majority of their inputs.
“I’m actually having challenges producing maize because the soil will need more fertiliser, and with the current prices, it is hard to make any gain that is worth one’s efforts,” he said.
Mohammed Ma’aru, another farmer in Kano said he had reduced the hectares he used to cultivate.
“Three of my farms are 60, 47 and 33 hectares but I resolve to cultivate the smallest only this season because I can’t afford to provide fertiliser for the rest,” he said.
I am not the only one. Many farmers have taken a similar decision because it will be a waste of time to go all out to the farms without fertiliser,” he said.
A rice farmer in Yola, Adamawa State, Baffa Salisu, said he would not cultivate his farm this year.
“I would not take the risk because with the high cost of fertiliser, it is very unlikely to break even.”
Fauziyya Aliyu who has a poultry farm at Tilden Fulani, in Bauchi State said prices of chicken have risen.
“A broiler is now from N5,000…It is scandalous but we have no option but to increase the price because feed is also very expensive.
“Unless the federal government does something and brings down prices of fertiliser, many breadwinners would not be able to feed their families,” she said.
“I am particularly angry because this administration keeps saying they have revolutionised agriculture. In 2015, a bag of rice was less than N10, 000 but it is now around N40,000. I pity civil servants whose minimum wage is N30, 000”, she said.
cc: Daily Trust Ng
