–Improved security, lower input costs key to easing cost-Farmers

By Ben Atonko with Agency reports

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, yesterday said food prices could begin to decline by the next harvest season if governments at all levels take concrete steps to improve security in farming communities and reduce the cost of production for farmers.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, the Deputy Chairman of AFAN, Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Shakin Agbayewa said staples such as rice, yam, cassava and garri would become more affordable if farmers could cultivate safely and access inputs at lower costs.

The association was reacting to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which put food inflation at 23.51% in April 2026, with staples such as rice, bread and tubers recording some of the steepest increases.

“The government must be intentional and deliberate,” Agbayewa said. “Input costs are high. Fertiliser is expensive, while tractor operations cost more because of rising fuel prices. All this affects production.”

He listed insecurity, high fertiliser prices, rising fuel costs, and expensive farm operations as the major drivers of the current food inflation that has pushed millions of Nigerians to cut back on meals and dietary variety.

According to him, the high cost of cultivation, transportation and security is ultimately passed on to consumers, making food unaffordable for many households.

Agbayewa stressed that attacks on farming communities, kidnappings and clashes between farmers and herders have forced thousands of farmers to abandon their fields, particularly in the North-Central, North-West and parts of the South-West.

“When farmers cannot go to their farms without fear, production drops.

“Some who remain have to pay levies to armed groups or hire private security, and all of that adds to the cost,” he said.

“If the government secures farmlands, more people will return to farming and output will rise,” he added

The AFAN official noted that the situation is compounded by poor rural infrastructure.

Bad roads make it expensive and time-consuming to move produce from farms to markets, leading to post-harvest losses and higher prices at the point of sale.

Beyond security, Agbayewa said the rising cost of inputs was making farming unprofitable for many small and medium-scale farmers.

Fertiliser prices have remained high due to foreign exchange pressures and supply chain disruptions, while the removal of fuel subsidies has driven up the cost of mechanised farming.

“Tractor hiring that used to cost ₦15,000 per acre is now close to ₦30,000 in some places because of diesel prices. These are costs the farmer can’t absorb alone,” he explained.

He urged federal, state and local governments to provide subsidised inputs, expand irrigation facilities and make credit more accessible to farmers.

He called for improved rural roads to reduce transportation costs and post-harvest losses.

Agbayewa advocated stronger collaboration between government and farmers’ associations to design interventions tailored to the specific needs of each state.

He argued that a uniform approach often fails because the challenges facing rice farmers in Kebbi State differ from those facing yam farmers in Benue State.

“If you understand what farmers in each state need, you can provide targeted support that actually works. We must listen to the people on the ground,” he said.

Nigeria, he said, has sufficient land and manpower to feed itself and even export surplus if the right policies are implemented.

“Nigeria does not need to import rice, maize, or cassava at the scale we are doing now.

“What we need is to remove the bottlenecks that make farming unattractive,” he stated.

According to Agbayewa, investments in agriculture have a multiplier effect on employment, transportation and rural economies.

“Food security is national security. When people can afford food, social tension reduces and the economy stabilises,” he said.

Nigeria’s food inflation has remained in double digits for over two years, driven by insecurity, currency depreciation, high energy costs and global supply chain disruptions.

The high cost of living has become a major concern for households, with many families reducing the number of meals per day.

Traders have also blamed multiple taxation and poor road networks for the high cost of transporting food from rural areas to urban markets.

Economists say addressing supply-side constraints is critical to achieving lasting relief.

“You can’t subsidise consumption forever. The only way to bring prices down sustainably is to increase local production and reduce the cost of getting food to market,” said Lagos-based agricultural economist Dr. Tolu Adebayo.

AFAN’s projection offers a cautious note of optimism for consumers battered by rising food costs.

If security improves and input costs are lowered, the association believes farmers can expand cultivation and recover some of the losses incurred in recent seasons.

The call adds to growing pressure on the federal and state governments to prioritise agriculture in the 2027 budget cycle.

With elections approaching, food affordability is expected to be a central issue in political campaigns across the country.

For now, farmers say they are preparing for the next planting season with cautious hope.

“We want to farm. We know how to farm. What we need is an environment that allows us to do it safely and profitably,” Agbayewa said.

With the next harvest still months away, the spotlight will remain on whether government at all levels can translate promises into concrete action on security, input support and rural infrastructure.

The answer, analysts say, will determine whether Nigerians see real relief at the market in 2027.