Food Prices Drop, Farmers Count Losses as FG Defends Policy

News in Brief:

-Nigerian farmers credit massive food imports for the recent crash in food prices, which contrasts with the FG's claim of increased local production.

-Experts warn that the temporary relief of price drops could endanger smallholder farmers' livelihoods.

Farmers across Nigeria are raising concerns over the sudden drop in food prices, which they attribute to the Federal Government's approval of food imports, a claim the government strongly denies.

Instead, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security insists that the decline is due to increased local production.

Food producers say that rising input costs and import pressures are threatening their survival and discouraging future cultivation.

Farmers Say Importation Crashed Prices

According to several farmers’ associations, the massive importation of grains such as rice, maize, sorghum, and wheat, approved under the government’s 150-day duty-free window last year, has flooded markets and forced prices down by as much as 50%.

In the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country, prices of major food items have fallen sharply, leaving farmers unable to recover production costs. Many, like Mrs Blessing Janaru, said they are still holding unsold stock from the 2024 harvest, waiting for prices to recover.

“I spent more than ₦2.5 million on maize and millet,” she lamented. “If I sell now, I won’t even get ₦1.5 million.”

Input Costs Soar Despite Falling Prices

Beyond price drops, farmers are battling record-high costs of fertiliser, herbicides, and labour. Fertiliser prices have doubled since last year, with DAP now selling for up to ₦96,000 and urea between ₦50,000 and ₦55,000 per 50kg bag in rural Kano.

The Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) in Kaduna added that the situation has made farming unprofitable.

“A job that used to cost ₦50,000 now costs ₦300,000,” said state chairman Mohammed Kabir Salihu, urging the government to prioritise fertiliser access for smallholders.

Farmers like Alhaji Sani Abdullahi in Nasarawa and Ben Ameh in Kogi said they lost millions after prices of rice and cassava dropped below production cost, forcing some to abandon farming entirely.

FG Attributes Price Drop to Local Production

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, dismissed claims that importation caused the fall. Speaking during World Food Day in Abuja, he said the imported grains had not even been released.

“What we are witnessing is the result of increased production through programmes like the National Agricultural Growth Scheme,” Abdullahi explained. “We have injected over 500,000 metric tonnes of grains, including maize and cassava, into the system.”

He added that the government was distributing free inputs to cushion the effect of the low market prices and encourage smallholder farmers to remain in production.

Food Security at a Crossroads

Experts warn that without immediate intervention, Nigeria’s food security could be at risk. Prof. Yusuf Sani Ahmad of NAERLS noted that while consumers are smiling over cheaper food, many farmers are 'crying' and considering quitting.

The All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) also cautioned that the rising cost of fertiliser and inputs could derail the nation’s food security goals if not urgently addressed.