Uncertainty about input availability as wet season approaches

In a few weeks, farmers in some parts of the country will be going to their farms to kick-start the 2020/2021 wet season activities though the timely distribution of inputs has been a challenge for many.

Major farming inputs usually needed by most farmers, especially smallholders, include improved seeds, fertiliser, herbicides and pesticides, among others.

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Although large-scale commercial farmers have the financial capability to source their inputs directly from producers, millions of smallholder farmers that produce the bulk of the country’s food will have to struggle to get inputs before the commencement of the wet season food production.

Even government’s intervention usually gets to the farmers late because of bureaucratic bottlenecks, whereas availability in the open market comes in the middle of the season after public outcries.

Last season, many farmers grappled with the high cost of inputs hinged on the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions, with a bag of NPK 15:15:15 costing a record high of N23,000 while the Notore and Indorama brands, the two major producers of urea fertiliser sold at N13,000 per 50kg bag in many places.

Farmers like Joshua Dadi, Bala Sarki in Adamawa and Mohammed Abubakar and Juliana Yohanna in Nasarawa told Daily Trust on Sunday that their biggest challenge last season was accessing fertiliser. According to them, they struggled without success to get the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) product, which was designed to reach smallholder farmers with a quality product at a cheaper price of N5,000 per 50kg bag. For those who got it, the price was higher than the recommended price.

The PFI, which targets about one million tons of NPK 20:10:10 annually, suffered last year because of inadequate supply of ingredients to blending plants across the country and allegation of corruption within the system.

Farmers who spoke with Daily Trust on Sunday said last season was tough for them as access to fertiliser became difficult, and the price was high where it was found.

Farmers hopeful as Dangote fertiliser enters market

Dangote Industries Limited, with the largest fertiliser plant in West Africa, is entering the market any moment from now, raising the hope of many farmers for cheap urea fertiliser.

Located at Lekki, Lagos State, the first phase of the project, according to information from the company, is estimated to cost $2.5 billion and will add about three million metric tons of urea annually.

The company, on its website, also stated, “The capacity will later be expanded to produce multiple grades of fertiliser to meet soil, crop and climate-specific requirements for the African continent.”

The president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabiru Ibrahim, an architect, has welcomed the development as it is likely to make fertiliser available to farmers everywhere in the country.

“Going by the antecedents of the promoter, the fertiliser will penetrate the nooks and crannies of Nigeria very soon. We hope the price would be competitive, sustainably,” he said.

He said the supply was going to augment the PFI and give other manufacturers “very good competition,” adding, “It is our hope and prayer that the product would be readily available, affordable and qualitative in conformity with the fertiliser bill.”

The seed challenge

On seeds, the national demand is about 350,000 metric tons, but production is far less, leaving many to get their seeds through the community system and those saved from their harvests.

The director-general, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), Dr Philip Ojo, said seed companies under the agency’s watch had produced over 100,000 metric tons of certified seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soya beans, cowpea, millet, groundnut, wheat, sesame and potato, which are ready for planting this cropping season.

While fertiliser and seeds remain a challenge, the prices of agro-chemicals have also gone up by more than 50 per cent since the beginning of the lockdown, and have remained so.

“Last year, I could not apply herbicide twice in my farm because the price was too high, and in most cases, some of them were not as effective as they were in previous years,” Adamu Iya, a farmer in Uke, Nasarawa State, told our correspondent.

Many farmers have similar complaints about agrochemicals, with others blaming fraudsters who counterfeited products and sold to vulnerable rural farmers.