Agric productions trailed by mixed output

Agricultural output for 2016 planting season has been challenged owing to several factors including climate change, inefficient government management of the sector, poor storage and value addition inadequacies, BusinessDay reports.

After reaching an all-time high of N45,000 owing to “Tuta Absoluta,” tomato prices have dropped sharply in all major Nigerian markets. In Kaduna markets, prices are reported to have dropped to N800 from N24,000 per basket it was sold in recent times. In Lagos, prices have also dropped from N45,000 during scarcity to as low as N10,000; however, prices vary according to species and source.

While the drop in tomato prices may be good news for consumers, agric economists warn that it may lead to even more wastage. Nigeria’s tomato demand of 2.2 million metric tons (mmt) only has a supply of 800 thousand tons. However, actual production of tomato is 1.5mmt with 700 thousand tons lost post-harvest.

Experts warn that drop in prices could precipitate glut, and shooting the wastage up from 45 percent to as much as 60 percent. Infrastructure to aid processing and transportation, experts say will ensure prices are stable, curb wastage, and guarantee farmers get more value for their products.

BusinessDay findings across different states in Nigeria highlight other tales of gloom, as farmers struggle to produce optimally and also get appropriate value.

“My maize crops are drying up because of inadequate rainfall. I planted when it was raining everyday hoping that the break will be in August, but now we are experiencing the break,” Akinlolu Mufutau, president, Ajara Farm Settlement, Badagry, Lagos, said.

“In the Southwest, raining season has shifted by two months from March to May, and rainfall became steady in Southwest in May; because of climate change and harsh weather conditions. Planting season has also shifted by two months and this accounts for crop failure. Because of lack of follow-up of rain, many crops got perished and farmers recorded huge losses as a result of that,” Akin Omotayo, director, Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR), Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta.

“Secondly, length of raining season has also shortened. Before now, raining season was between March and October, and sometimes between March and November, but now, it is always between May and August, and sometimes between May and September. Because of that, many crops and agricultural produce destroy before harvests, which does not only affect farmers’ earnings but all affect production and the country’s gross domestic product. The higher temperature and lower humidity have also affected crop circles,” Omotayo said.

Kabiru Ibrahim, president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), also said, “The climate change is an issue confronting us. The rainfall patter has changed and we as farmers are also working with the support of NIMET to adjust to these demands. We instruct our farmers who go through basically rain fed agriculture to follow the directive of NIMET in order to avert unpredictability of weather. We strategise most often, based on the information we get from NIMET, to be able to mitigate on these issues.”

From all indications, there has been lack of preparation on the part government, and even farmers themselves, to mitigate the challenges of relying too much on rain-fed agriculture. Nigeria’s food import bill of over N1.3 trillion, which shows the country largely dependent on external sources to augment local production remains at risk of getting worse as recent data by the ministry of agriculture shows 20.14mmt in crop deficit and 60 million poultry birds deficit.

In Abuja, food prices are being driven upwards by the high cost of transportation from the rural and community markets to the urban city centre. Unpredictable weather conditions occasioned by climate change, poor storage facilities and insufficient extension workers are the bane of Nigerian farmers, key stakeholders in the farming business told BusinessDay.

Nigeria’s all-time high inflationary rate currently put at 16.5 percent according to latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics experts say could have been averted if the food prices have remained stable in the current year and with great intervention from the federal government.

In Edo State farmers complain they are not expecting bumper harvest as late rains affected agricultural activities.

According to Nosa Amayo, president, Edo State Co-operative Farmers Agency Limited, late rainfall had resulted in the scarcity of plantain in the state, making the prices of bunches of plantain increase in the state as a result of climate change.

While advocating for the drafting of agricultural policy by the Edo government, he noted that the policy would usher in inclusive economic development, reduce prices of foodstuffs, while small and medium scale industries would have raw materials to feed their industries.

The agency, which is made up of about 980 co-operatives sites and spread across the 18 local government areas, cultivates rice, maize, cassava, watermelon, yam, cocoyam, vegetables, soya beans, sorghum, and sesame seeds.

The situation is not different in Kano where BusinessDay correspondent reports that the prevailing scarcity of farming inputs, such as: fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides being experienced by farmers in the state may be a precipitant for food scarcity.

Aliyu Lawan Kura, a farmer in Imawa, a farming settlement in the outskirt of Kano metropolis, said farmers’ inability to access critical inputs was the biggest challenge they were confronted with this year.

“Judging from what is happening to our ability to access inputs one can definitely conclude that there is going to be a huge reduction in the amount of food and cash crops that farmers in the state would be able to produce this year.

“You can see the hardship we are facing in accessing the inputs, even when we struggle to buy them at the high price it now sell, in most cases we are able to do that late, and as you know the land is becoming more and more less fertile, from every indication this is going to affect our yield,” Kura said.

Kano is known to be one of the leading producers of cereal crops, like Sorghum, Millet, Maize, wheat, and rice, as well as a major producer of legumes, such as; groundnut, cowpea, soybean, as well as vegetables, like, tomatoes, pepper, and onion.

The challenge faced by farmers is partly attributed to the lack of clarity in the direction of the present administration as regard agricultural development. Even though, the government has now unveiled a ‘New Road Map to Agriculture Development’ in the country, experts are of the opinion that the development will have little impact on agriculture production this year.

Experts are of the view that a clear policy direction from government is required by farmers, as well as large-scale investors in the state, to organize their production budget, and activities.

BusinessDay investigation revealed that farmers in the state are finding very difficult to access basic farming inputs in the State Government approved selling outlets, as well as in the Open Market, across the state.

As a result of the situation, most of the operators of Agro-Inputs shops that have stocks have resorted to price hikes; for example a bag of Urea fertilizer now sells for as high as N10,000, instead of the N4,500 it was sold last year.

Plateau state however appears to be an exception to the myriads of low output projections and complaints, as farmers tell BusinessDay they expect a bumper harvest of about 30% increase in farm produce.

Emmanuel Dalung, secretary general, All Farmers Plateau Multi- purpose Cooperative Society Limited, said “expectations are high, more than 30% increase is expected because more people are going into farming and agriculture is rising generally because of the collapse of oil sector. Many people have moved to rice farming as rice importation has been prohibited. Six to seven local government areas in the Southern part of the state are into rice farming, this is a good omen.”

Plateau State is known for farm produce such as Irish potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, carrot, green peas, green beans, onions, pepper and maize.

According to Dalung, the states has been experiencing relatively good rainfall that will bring good yield “except for Irish potatoes blight which is persistent and has attracted attention from both state and Federal Governments.”

The situation calls for concerted efforts to ensure previous past experiences are not repeated. Nigeria has just barely survived the “Tomato Ebola” plague, leading to over 720,000mt in tomato loss that has left thousands of farmers counting their losses, and multi-billion naira losses in potential revenue. An outbreak of Bird flu, which was reported in 24 states including the FCT in the first quarter of 2016, had claimed damages of over N1.6 billion from the destruction of 2.3 million birds.