High cost of maize to persist over banditry, expensive fertilizer ― MAAN

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3 years ago

The Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) has warned that Nigeria will experience high cost of maize this year due to banditry activities which have displaced thousands of maize farmers and the high cost of fertilizer.

The Katsina State Chairman of MAAN, Lawal Garba, who disclosed this in an interview with Tribune Online said unless something is done to address these challenges, the farmers will have no other choice than to increase the price of their maize.

He said farmers have since returned to their farms in some parts of Katsina while some were yet to due to banditry that has made their farms inaccessible.

He further noted that in the southern part of Katsina State, farming activities had resumed because of early rainfall, while the northern part of Katsina experienced late rainfall which distorted the farming activities.

“Our farmers are already on the field, it’s remaining few weeks for the maize to start maturing. Not all parts of Katsina state are involved in farming. In the southern part of Katsina, maize farming has gone very far, but in the northern part of Katsina State, they experienced rainfall very late.

“Actually, the percentage of the harvest as regards to last year will not be the same as this year, because insecurity has rendered many farms uncultivated.

“There are many farms which were not cultivated this year, and the insecurity is advancing, the bandits are gaining ground every day, that’s why the harvest will not be as much as what we had last year”, he said.

Garba further noted that the maize farmers under his association in Katsina state had not received any government intervention on inputs, hence the farmers procured it themselves which will greatly affect the prices of maize after harvest.

“Another factor is the input. The way farmers are getting their inputs are basically from the commodity associations, but this year, there are no interventions for the farmers.

“The maize farmers in Katsina State have not received inputs from the federal government or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“So, the prices of inputs have escalated, the price of one bag of NPK fertilizer in Katsina costs between N20,000 to N30,000 depending on the size or brand, but last year, the price was about N15,000.

“The cost of farm inputs has increased and the cost of labour has also increased. That will make the price of maize go up this year.

“Last year, maize was sold for about N17,000 to N18,000 per bag, but this year, the price must be higher.

“I want the government to intervene in the area of inputs, especially urea fertilizer but it is what the farmers need now to get a bumper harvest”, he added.

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