The All Farmers Association of Nigeria says rising input costs, insecurity, and poor planning prevent farmers from selling food at lower prices, urging government intervention.
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has attributed Nigeria’s escalating food prices to skyrocketing input costs, widespread insecurity, and weak regional planning.
AFAN President Kabir Ibrahim disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, stressing that road transport committees alone cannot solve the nation’s food crisis.
“The productivity is quite low now, more than any other time. We have insecurity, and inputs like fertilizers are unaffordable. No fertilizer sells for less than 50,000. Unless costs come down, farmers cannot produce and sell at lower prices,” Ibrahim said.
He cautioned that many farmers, especially rice and maize growers, may abandon their fields without urgent action. Ibrahim urged authorities to provide adequate security, subsidize key inputs, and introduce measures to ease the movement of produce, including designated food transport vehicles with priority passage.
“These articulated vehicles, you mount sirens on them when they are carrying food. They give you free lanes. That’s what happens elsewhere,” he added.