Farmers in dire straits as costs of labour, inputs soar
17 April 2022 |
2:36 am
As the planting season commences, farmers have raised the alarm over the high cost of labour and inputs, a development that stakeholders claim is capable of complicating the planting season
Farmers
As the planting season commences, farmers have raised the alarm over the high cost of labour and inputs, a development that stakeholders claim is capable of complicating the planting season if urgent interventions are not
provided.
Farmers and suppliers of planting materials say that the costs of farm inputs have soared to the point that it now threatens the county’s food security.
The Guardian learnt that the high cost of farm inputs, which has forced small-scale farmers to scale down their ventures became worse in the last few weeks.
According to a farmer and the Chief Executive Officer, Oreka Farms, Limited, Obafemi Owode Local Council, Ogun State, Bose Ruth Suberu, a bag of NPK fertiliser 15:15:15, which sold for N12, 000 last year has gone up to between N17, 500 and N18, 000, and herbicides of N1, 700 now cost N2, 700, just as a bag of NPK 25:15:15 is now N22, 000, says a distraught
“Last year, I paid N250, 000 per worker, excluding feeding, housing, medicals, and clothing. But this year, it has increased to N300, 000. Some workers even wanted me to buy Bajaj brand of motorcycle to them as their payment, but I opted out of such agreements because of the devaluation of our currency.”
Suberu lamented that the fact that only a few farmers were cultivating this year means that the effect of the price hike was already in the open for all to see, as a warning that there will be more food shortages leading to an increase in the prices of food commodities, more hunger, widespread poverty, and insecurity, as well as the increased crime rate.
She said: “The commencement of rain signals the planting season for regular farmers who have no means of irrigating their farms when the rain is off and it starts in March. The year 2021 was one difficult year for farmers as we battled climate change, experienced dry spells, insecurity, increasing cost of inputs, and a rise in the cost of logistics among others. Just when we thought that we have seen it all, when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, then 2022 ushered farmers into a more discouraging situation.
“It started with fuel scarcity and increase in the price of diesel, which makes it difficult for dry season farmers to cope, as we need fuel to power water pumps and power generating sets to irrigate our crops. What about the increase in the price of farm inputs? The prices of almost all farm inputs have increased by at least 100 per cent; labour is scarce, and those in the rural communities that we hired to work on the farms will either want to live in the urban areas/city or want to get rich quick through dubious means,” she stated.
Suberu added: “Yearly workers that come into the country from neighbouring countries are not available as a result of the devaluation of our currency. Even the few that are available are not willing to work. The scarcity of fuel and the increase in the price of everything in the market also affects the movement of produce to the markets as we now pay double to move farm produce.”
The Head of Farmers (Baale Agbe) in Imeko area, Ogun State, Chief Abdulazeez Ismail Abolore, lamented that farmers are struggling to meet up with activities that go on during planting seasons as prices of almost everything have been doubled.
“The energy crisis especially has gravely affected farming activities. Farmers are currently struggling to meet up with their daily farming production and other activities as the prices of almost everything have doubled. Even the cost of labour has doubled. The diesel we usually buy at the rate of N350 has increased to N720. To say that things have become very hard for farmers is, to say the least.
“There is no doubt that the country may gradually go into famine if urgent solutions are not provided to arrest the situation. Even the prices of feeds for poultry, fish and other livestock have increased by about 100 per cent,” he said.
The Secretary-General, Coker Farm Settlement Association, Mr. Kazeem Adediran, Coker, Ifo, Kazeem Adediran, who equally opined that food shortage is looming, noted that “the cost of ploughing an acre of land, which was previously done at the rate of N7, 500 is now N15, 000. A litre of herbicide that was previously sold for N1, 600 is now N4, 500. A bag of
fertiliser has increased from N7, 500 to N18, 000.
“As I have said, food shortage is looming and crimes of different grades will be experienced across the country. The situation is getting out of hand, even to the point that Ogun State government cannot provide tractors for the settlements, not to talk of providing tractors for other farmers in the state.”
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