Some farmers in Bwari Area Council, FCT, have expressed concerns over the rising cost of pesticides and other farming inputs like fertilisers as the planting season kicks off.
The farmers expressed their concerns in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
They said the rising costs of farming materials might also affect their production this year, among other factors like insecurity.
Mr. Mathew Yohanna, a farmer, said pests and worm attacks were common during the planting season, adding that farmers needed pesticides to secure their crops from parasites.
He, however, added that not all farmers were buoyant enough to afford these agrochemicals and fertilisers because they had become expensive.
Yohanna urged relevant stakeholders to address the situation in order to ensure food security amidst other economic challenges.
“You find pests of different kinds causing havoc to maize, rice, tomatoes, and some other vegetables.
“Farmers that intend to cultivate some of these crops must be ready to spend additional money on pesticides to control the impact of the attack.
“Most of the prices of these chemicals have tripled, including the price of fertilizers; this, however, makes it difficult for us to cultivate large hectares of land,’’ he said.
Yohanna said another major challenge was insecurity, which might prevent their plans for production this year.
“This is because most of our lands are located in communities threatened by insecurity.
“It is our hope that the government, farmer associations, and groups, among others, take up the challenge to tackle these loopholes to ensure a successful and productive farming year,’’ he said.
Yohanna also urged relevant stakeholders to provide direct-to-market services for farmers in rural areas and encourage fixed commodity prices on major crops.
This, he explained, could help farmers have more control over prices and enjoy adequate profits for their work.
Similarly, Mr. Simon Bwaya, another farmer, said that getting the original pesticides and herbicides was also a major challenge, adding that pests might have wreaked havoc on the crops before they were made available.
According to him, during the rainy season, weeds grow fast alongside the crops, and they must be removed as soon as possible, or they will affect the growth of the crops.
“In the past, I could afford to put both pesticides and herbicides on all my crops, but now I pay attention to the ones that may be most affected.
“For instance, a litre of a good herbicide used to cost N1, 500 to N2, 000 before, but now we are talking about N3, 800 to N4000.
“It is sad that the prices are high now that the rains are yet to begin properly because prices normally increase during the rainfalls.
“Imagine having to remove weeds manually from a very large hectare of farmland. It will be tedious indeed.”
Bwaya said that addressing these challenges would require sustained efforts from different stakeholders.
This, he added, would range from the government, private sector, NGOs, and civil society to improve the livelihood of farmers and promote economic growth in rural areas.
He said, “We need access to loans that will enable us to afford major farming inputs.
“We require funds for irrigation techniques as well as for the use of tractors on large farmlands; this is necessary for year-round production.
“If farmers in cooperative groups can access loan programmes with single-digit interest rates and extended repayment periods, it will go a long way toward encouraging large production.
“Once these farmers are educated on financial awareness and services, it can also help them manage their finances and records, which increases their eligibility for loans.” (NAN)
