Lockdown: Commodity association leaders express fear over future of agriculture

Commodity associations in Nigeria have said that the future of agriculture in Nigeria is bleak if the lockdown across the country continues without alternative measures for farmers to access their farms.

The associations said their members have been unable to access their farms as a result of the lockdown, hence the crops they planted which are due for harvesting are wasting in the farms.

During a webinar interview with Guild of Nigeria Agriculture Journalists (GNAJ), the associations said if urgent steps were not taken, there may be a food crisis in the country.

Tribune Online reports that the National President of Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WEFAN), Alhaji Salim Muhammadu said that their farmers have been unable to move to their farms due to the lockdown imposed by various state governments due to outbreak of COVID-19.

This is just as he said that the government over the years has neglected the wheat farmers in the country despite high demand for wheat in the country.

Also, the President of Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Dr Bello Abubakar lamented that due to the lockdown directive from the government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many maize farmers have been unable to access their farms.

Alhaji Muhammad said: “This COVID-19 has a devastating effect on all the crops generally, especially we the wheat farmers because this is our harvesting period, we have harvest wheat in the ranges of April to May, and the COVID-19 has attacked this country as a pandemic which our farmers cannot be able to move from one location to another, from one farm to another to harvest the crop, this is a major challenge we are having now,” he said.

He said some machines needed to process wheat for off-take were unable to reach their locations due to lockdown.

“We have to deploy our threshing machines, we have to go to the warehouses where the off-take can be made, and we have to move the commodity to the warehouse where.

“So, if you look at the scenario, if you say you are bringing in wheat produced in Kebbi to Kano at this pandemic period, it is not going to be possible,” he added.

Dr Abubakar said farmers who planted during the 2019/2020 dry season farming have found it difficult to go to farms and harvest their crops, hence, they have lost the crops.

He said as the rainy season has set in, some maize farmers in the South-South and South-West have been unable to access their farms to plant due to movement restriction.

Nafiu Abdu, President, Soybean Farmers Association of Nigeria said there is uncertainty if the soybean farmers will plant this season because of the lockdown.

He said Soybean farmers are “a bit fortunate that the crop is planted late in the season from the second week of June and in some places, even at the beginning of August,” notwithstanding, farmers have remained apprehensive. This is because of uncertainty whether they will be able to access their farms, as currently being experienced by others.

Abdu said the cost of inputs is becoming very high, like fertiliser which is being sold for more than N10,000 in some places, which is double of what the federal government sold it last year.

The President, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Ezekiel Ibrahim, said COVID-19 has had a very devastating effect on the poultry industry which should be at the forefront of ensuring food security.

The MAAN President said the pandemic affected farmers who planted during the 2019/2020 dry season farming because they can’t access their farms for harvest.

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“COVID-19 affected our farmers in so many ways, the farmers that planted last at the 2019/2020 dry season were affected because by the time they were about to go for harvest, this problem came in so they cannot move to their farms, they don’t have other implements to go and harvest their crops, so most of them have lost what they have planted last year dry season farming.

“If you come to the area where the rain started earlier, like the South-South and South West, they are planting earlier than the Northern part of the country, so due to those challenges of COVID-19, our farmers cannot be able to go to their farms.

“While some of them have started planting, but because of the total lockdown, they cannot move to their farms again, they cannot access inputs from their suppliers, so even that on affected their planting.

“There is no production for the last dry season, especially in the South-South where they are planting earlier, many of our farmers did not plant, that is why we appeal to the Federal Government to come to our rescue since last month, which we are very glad that President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a quick action where he directed the minister to provide a solution or a way he can assist the farmers to get the inputs and go back to the farm,” Dr Abubakar said.

While advising the government, the MAAN President the government should always carry the commodity association leaders along when dealing with issues than concerns food production. He also told the government to ensure the mop up all the farmers produced.

On wheat production in the country, Alhaji Muhammed said “there is a high demand of wheat in Nigeria, there is high consumption of wheat in this country, every household in this country consume bread, noodles and all pasta, but what is the country doing to produce enough wheat for the consumption locally in the country.

“We in the association know how much we are trying to drive the sector, but up till now, we have not seen the light of the day.

“In my understanding, maybe the government is only interested in promoting rice production in Nigeria as the only commodity that they feel can feed the nation.

“While if you look at the rate of consumption per capita, we consume wheat greater than we consume rice in this country but there is no much attention into the wheat sub-sector, and we have over 650,000 hectares that we can cultivate wheat in the dry season.”