Farmers in Kwaya-Kusar Local Government Area of Borno have urged the Federal and state governments to increase support and introduce programmes to empower farmers and boost food security.
They made the appeal in separate interviews, citing the rising cost of farming and low grain prices after harvest, which they said were making agriculture increasingly difficult to sustain.
Alhaji Hassan Musa, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kwaya-Kusar chapter, said improved government support was necessary to address threats to national food security.
Musa said many farmers were reducing the size of their farmlands or abandoning farming for other occupations because of the high cost of farm inputs.
He added that low produce prices after harvest had worsened the situation, making farming less profitable.
“Without support, farming will become out of reach for ordinary farmers in rural communities as many farmers are now going into farming for their own food needs.
“This was not the case some years ago under the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration where farmers were supported with inputs under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
“With such support, many farmers here engage in commercial farming, harvesting hundreds and thousands of bags of grains from various communities in the LGA.
“We are appealing to the government to resume the programme because many farmers are losing hope in farming,” he said.
Another farmer, Yusuf Ali, who cultivates multiple grain varieties, said farming was becoming too expensive for many people and warned that more farmers might struggle to remain in the business without assistance.
Ali said investing in agriculture was increasingly difficult because of the risks involved, particularly when the cost of production exceeded the market value of farm produce.
“This is why we are calling for support from the Federal Government like the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme or similar initiative because farmers are not really having a good time now,” he said.
Maryam Garba, another farmer in the community, said she had invested more than ₦250,000 in her farm but was uncertain whether she would harvest 10 bags of maize.
“I am not sure of getting 10 bags of maize and I learnt a bag is less than N27, 000,” she said.
Garba said she might not cultivate her farmland in the next cropping season without government support, adding that she was considering other ventures that could yield better returns.
Another farmer, who identified himself only as Ibrahim, said he had stopped cultivating crops such as maize and rice that required large quantities of fertiliser. He said he had switched to soya beans and cowpea because farming was his only occupation.
He appealed to governments at all levels to increase support for farmers in the local government area and across the state, saying farmers were becoming poorer despite their efforts.
Other farmers urged the Federal and state governments to introduce programmes that would empower them and encourage the cultivation of larger farmlands to improve food security.
