As the 2025 wet planting season approaches, farmers have voiced their concerns, reminding both federal and sub-national governments on the need to address insecurity, ensuring timely inputs availability and fixed dilapidated rural roads as enablers for ensuring food security and a bountiful harvest.
The farmers warned that delays in inputs support and misplaced priorities could threaten food security drive, derail crop yields and deepen hunger.
While the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has promised a nationwide inputs distribution, through “Operation Empty the Store,” aimed to distribute all stored agricultural equipment and inputs to farmers to ensure their immediate utilisation, farmers said that they are yet to receive them.
In January, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, who announced the operation, noted that the initiative was expected to cover an average of 1,500 farmers per state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT ).
However, farmers including those in Karshi and Orozo communities in the FCT who spoke in a separate interview with NATIONAL ECONOMY lamented complete absence of government support for their farming.
Speaking with NATIONAL ECONOMY the president of the Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Daniel Okafor, advocated for improved security, grants, repairs of rural roads, soft loans and timely government support ahead planting season.
Okafor, who is also the national vice president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN ), said farmers need continue training in modern agriculture techniques, mechanisation, climate change adaptation and value addition to drive President Bola Tinubu’s administration agenda for food security.
Okafor lamented previous delayed distribution of farm inputs, stressing that early distribution would boost yields and contribute to national food security.
“Every Nigerian should not go to bed hungry, food is a human right, we are advocating for improved security, grants, repairs of rural roads, and soft loans, farmers also need training in modern agricultural techniques, mechanization, climate change adaptation, and value addition.
As planting season nears, “we have yet to receive any input support from the government this year, late distribution is a major issue, if inputs arrive on time, we can achieve a bumper harvest,” he said.
President of the National Association of Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers, Professor Simon Irtwange, on his part, urged the government to prioritise timely imputs distribution to farmers.
The helmsman of yam farmers who spoke with NATIONAL ECONOMY, described yam as both a food security and export commodity.
He also called for government assistance to shift away from chemical-based farming practices.
“If you want to solve food security problems, you must focus on crops that matter, we want to move toward organic farming.
Instead of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which can be harmful, we need organic alternatives, the government should support farmers with organic fertilisers and pesticides,” Prof Irtwange said.
Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, Iwara Bassey, confirmed that plans for a large-scale input distribution are at an advanced stage, with the “Operation Empty the Store” initiative set to commence soon.
“The moment we finalise the arrangements, a national distribution will begin, this initiative will ensure that no inputs remain in storage while farmers in both dry and wet season farming benefit from timely supplies.”
Addressing concerns over the timing of input distribution, Bassey assured that the programme is designed to accommodate different farming seasons.
“Farmers in the southern states will start planting soon due to early rains, while those in the far north will begin later around June, the distribution will cater to both groups.
“Farmers can expect a variety of inputs, including herbicides, insecticides, organic fertilisers, and modern agricultural equipment such as sprayers, all provided at subsidised rates.
“Some inputs will be given free as government support, while others will be sold at subsidised prices,” Bassey confirmed.
A farmer, Godwin Yakubu, who lives in Orozo community, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) put timely input distribution and better infrastructure at the forefront of his expectations as planting season nears.
Although Yakubu remained hopeful that government interventions will address their pressing concerns especially security, he however lamented non government support for farming.
“I have never received any farm inputs from the government since i started farming years ago, we buy all of seeds and equipment by ourselves, I only see in the news where government give inputs but it never reach us.
What I know is that most people who are collecting inputs in the name of farmers are not even the real farmers, we are here in the village, government never come to us and we don’t have resources to go to town and drag inputs with political farmers you see everywhere in the town,” Yakubu told NATIONAL ECONOMY.
A maize farmer, Adamu Suleiman in Karshi FCT said government most recognise the right farmers and deal with them directly to that them directly to ensure their support produce desired results.
He said, “I urge government to come and give us all their support directly early enough if they want farmers to produce food enough for the country.”
While stakeholders have agreed that peacebuilding must be at the heart of agricultural policy to ensure a resilient and thriving farming sector, factors such as insecurity, conflict between crops and livestock farmers, including climate change impacts have continued to push many Nigerians into food crisis, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
