Farmers in Taraba state have complained over the rising cost of farm inputs.
The farmers said prices of farm inputs were much higher than last year and it has increased the cost of farming.
A farmer, Mallam Manu lware, said last year a bag of NPK and Urea fertilizer sold at N8000 and 10,000, respectively but it is now going for N12,000 and N15,000.
Manu also said that the prices of agrochemicals, including pest and weed chemicals, had increased.
He said a litre of pest chemicals was sold between N700 and N1200, which now goes for between N1200 and N2000.
Another farmer, Auwal Bello, said the rise in the prices of farm inputs would affect the cost of production.
According to him, the rise in the prices may be a result of more people going into agriculture this year.
He said fertilizer and agro chemicals are in high demand and dealers are exploiting the farmers by increasing prices.
Auwal stated further that the cost of hiring tractors has gone up this year.
A dealer in fertilizer and agro chemicals, Musa Haruna, blamed the dealers in Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt for the increase.
He also attributed the increase to the hike in transportation cost.
The state Chairman of all Farmers Association, Mr.Bala Aji confirmed that the cost of farming inputs has gone up this farming season.
Mr Aji stated that the lockdown as a result of COVID-19 resulted in the closure of agrochemicals industries and also stopped movement of ships into the country.
He said there is also a high demand of agrochemicals because of increase in the number of people that are into farming.
He said the increase in the price of farm inputs will increase the cost of production, which at the end will further cause high prices of food stuffs in the country.
