‘Insecurity causing significant decline in crop production’

Deputy Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Shakin Agbayewa, has attributed insecurity as the cause of decline in crop production across the country.

Agbayewa, made the claim in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday, in Lagos.

“Insecurity in many farming communities is causing a significant decline in crop production across Nigeria,” he said.

He noted that the security situation, particularly  in food-producing areas, had made farming dangerous and discouraged many producers from cultivating their lands.

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According to him, some farmers in northern Nigeria now pay for security protection before going to their farms.

He said such farmers were sometimes given only a few hours to work before returning for safety reasons.

“In some places, farmers pay for security to access their farms and are given limited hours to work.

“If you do not enter the farm within that time and return safely, then what meaningful activity can be done” he asked.

Agbayewa said the development had reduced farm output, increased production costs, and worsened food inflation.

He noted that many farmers were abandoning fertile lands because of fear of attacks, kidnapping, and destruction of crops.

According to him, no nation can achieve food sufficiency when farmers cannot safely access their farms.

He urged the Federal Government to strengthen rural security architecture, improve intelligence gathering, and ensure constant protection of farming belts.

He also called for the rehabilitation of displaced farmers and support for those who had suffered losses.

Agbayewa said restoring security to rural communities would encourage more cultivation and improve food supply nationwide.

He added that solving insecurity remained one of the fastest ways to stabilise food prices in Nigeria.