Nigerian farmers are struggling with adverse weather conditions and high cost of inputs as the planting season commences.
This is in addition to the existing insecurity which caused severe shortfall in the production of crops in 2021 according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Crop production prospects even appear glimmer as 2022 flood outlook indicates more troubled days ahead of farming activities.
According to the 2022 Annual Flood Outlook released last week by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), 233 local government areas across 32 states and the FCT are projected to be challenged by high flooding, while 212 local government areas in 35 states including FCT are likely to experience moderate flooding.
In the report, states like Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Ondo will also experience coastal flooding due to tidal surge and rise in sea level.
In the inputs category, market survey shows high cost of inputs as 50kg bag of maize seeds costs N13,000 and N260,000 per tonne, soybeans goes for between N18,000 and N20,000 per 100kg while 50kg bag of groundnuts costs N30,000.
Similarly, white sesame seed costs between N560, 000 and N660,000 per tonne while the average price of sorghum seed is N300 per kg, N14,500 per bag and N280,000 per tonne. 1kg of melon seeds goes for between N500 and N700 depending on the variety.
In the same vein, inputs such as fertilisers remain unaffordable to farmers as 50kg bag of urea fertilizer now sells between N17,500 and N18, 000 as against N10,500 and N11,000 last year, while NPK fertiliser goes for between N15,000 and N19,000 as against N10,000 in 2021.
For agro-chemicals, a litre of pesticide and herbicide now sells for between N3,900 and N5,500 depending on the brand.
Experts say that achieving food security will continue to be a mirage in Nigerian if farmers continue to battle climate change, insecurity and high cost of inputs.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, a professor of Agronomy at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Salihu Adamu Dadari said over 36,000 hectares of farm land would be abandoned this planting season in Giwa local government area of Kaduna state by farmers due to persistent banditry.
Prof Dadari who spoke from Zaria via telephone said more than 20 communities in Giwa cropping areas are forced out of their farms due to continued kidnapping.
The professor added that except government rescues farmers from insecurity and subsidise the cost of farm inputs, hunger and food inflation would linger.
He said, "One of the challenges facing farmers now is the cost of inputs, lack of improved seeds and pesticides, and while the price of some seeds such as maize and rice are stagnated, the prices of what is needed to produce them have increased. The government of the day should try to assist in making subsidy on behalf of the farmers otherwise some of the farm processes will be jeopardised.
"The security conditions especially in the villages around Zaria, that is Giwa local government, and Birnin Gwari and other places in Kaduna State is not improving. In Giwa alone, about 36,000 hectares of farm land are to be abandoned because of insecurity; the kidnappers are distabilising the farmers and this will likely affect the totality of some of the crop production especially in Kaduna State because all the areas invaded by kidnappers constitute farming families.
"Therefore, there is possibility of abandoning the farm land in 20 villages in Giwa, not to talk of Birnin Gwari and some other places. Analytically, it shows that if farm land that is supposed to be cropped is abandoned, automatically the crop produce will be drastically reduced; nevertheless the government need to make efforts to see that things are appropriately done, so we are appealing to the government to take necessary measures to curtail the problem of banditry," Prof Dadari added.
Also speaking to LEADERSHIP, the national president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc Kabir Ibrahim, said as rainy season sets in, insecurity still prevent farmers from accessing most of the farmlands to engage in productive farming.
He said, "This year the flood outlook shows that there will be flooding in 32 states consisting of highly probable, probable and less probable areas, the insecurity preventing ready access to farmlands is still there, Fertilizer costs as well as unavailability of other inputs are issues the farmers still contend with.
"On the whole, the farmers are fearful of low productivity which will be a serious threat factor to food security," he added.
On the way forward, Arc Ibrahim said, "The interventions in agriculture by the CBN and NALDA must be properly synchronised with the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the 36 states as well as the FCT to properly impact Nigeria's agriculture".
A farmer, Mr Adole Peter, who grows maize in Jikwoyi, a suburb of FCT, lamented the high cost of inputs.
He told LEADERSHIP that a price of herbicides which sold for N2,500 per litre last year now sells for N4,000 in his area.
"I don't even understand what is going on again, If you go to the market you can't afford food items and now we want to plant to help ourselves but no much difference, we still go to market and meet high price of inputs.
"Look at this pesticide (pointing to a litre of ForceUp), last year by this time I bought it at N2,500 but I just bought it yesterday evening at N3,900 with abeg. Look at the melon over there, I bought one mudu (measure) of the seeds at N1000, Mr Peter said.
" I want government to locate us, the real farmers and subsidise all these farm inputs for us if they really want us to produce more food," he added.
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Another farmer, Joseph Yakubu who grow groundnuts in Karshi area expressed similar concerns over irregular rainfall and expensive inputs.
National president of Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor said federal government must intensify effort to engage in robust advocacy and sensitise farmers on good practices that will help control climate change and flooding.
Chief Okafor who spoke from Anambra State via telephone told LEADERSHIP that the price of agricultural inputs is above the purchasing capacity of ordinary farmers and called on the government to intervene.
"As I speak to you, I am in Anambra State and the inputs are not even available to farmers. The government could not intervene up until this rainy season - no input, no fertiliser is given to the farmers; what the government is doing is not good.
"All the agricultural sectors are experiencing high cost of inputs including poultry feeds. I am here in Anambra and I have observed some crops and it is the same thing with my own. No capacity building for farmers, no workshop to show that we are entering a planting season," Chief Okafor said.
"The NiMET need to fund farmers associations to step up media campaigns to bring it directly to farmers on measures to control flooding," he added.
