• Govts brace up for expected challenges
• Outline, consider strategies to forestall crisis
By Olakunle Olafioye (Lagos), Abdurrazaq Mungadi (Gombe), Emmanuel Adeyemi (Lokoja), Okey Samson (Umuahia), Noah Ebije (Kaduna) Jude Chinedu (Enugu) Tony John (Port Harcourt), Scholastica Hir (Makurdi) and Abel Leonard (Lafia)
Amid the fear of a worsening food and nutrition crisis in the country, some state governments have set up plans to avert the looming disaster. It was predicted that hunger would escalate in the country by next year.
This frightening revelation is contained in a report by the Cadre Harmonies, which forecast that at least 33.1 million Nigerians across 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory would experience a food and nutrition crisis between June and August next year.
The analysis, which was conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and other partners listed the states likely to be affected including Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Benue.
Other states on the list are Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT.
In the last few years, grumbles and murmurs from farmers have assumed deafening decibels as the majority of them are complaining that their efforts and sweat have yielded little or no results to arrest the worsening food crisis in the country.
Kogi
In Kogi, for instance, embittered farmers blamed the former governor of the state, Yahaya Bello whom they accused of causing an intense food shortage. They accused the former governor of inviting Fulani herders into the state, a move they said was made by the ex-governor to impress the then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The directive, Sunday Sun learnt, resulted in the influx of both local and foreign herders into Kogi State with the attendant escalation in herder-farmer clashes in the state.
A farmer in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, Suberu Shuaibu, told Sunday Sun that farmers in the state are being killed in large numbers with several others driven away from their farms by criminal herders.
“In the last few years herders have killed a lot of farmers while several others have been displaced from their farmlands by these criminal herders who also raped their victims’ wives and daughters sometimes,” he revealed.
He added that the development had created fears in the farmers as the majority of them have now abandoned their farmlands to their oppressors who now cultivate such lands.
They (herders) are the ones farming on those lands and bringing the produce to sell to the indigenous at exorbitant prices, he said.
Other major issues inhibiting agriculture, according to farmers in Kogi State, include harsh weather and inadequate rains coupled with the non-availability of incentives for farmers from the government.
Sunday Sun, however, gathered that as part of efforts aimed at boosting agriculture in the state, the Kogi State government has earmarked 1, 200 hectares of land for immediate intervention in cassava production in the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojoma, stated this recently during the inauguration of the State Executive Council of Cassava Cottage Processing Marketing Association (CACOPMAN).
Ojoma said the state government was going to provide 80 per cent of the work by bringing in tractors, improved stems, fertiliser, chemicals and clearing of the land.
“We have already mapped out about 48 areas in the three senatorial districts of the state for this purpose.
“We are also providing extension services by engaging over 1,000 extension workers to ensure that our farmers have up-to-date information on the cassava. We are also intervening in rice and maize production,” he said.
In addition to this, Sunday Sun gathered that the Kogi State government has also launched an initiative to establish 76 farms, running into thousands of hectares across the 21 local government areas of the state.
According to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Digital Media to the Governor, Yahaya Shehu Ahmed, the step is a testament to the governor’s unwavering commitment to repositioning agricultural practices in the state, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Gombe
In Gombe State, alleged insincerity on the part of the government has been identified as one of the challenges militating against the activities of farmers in boosting food production in the state. Farmers in the state raised concern about the state government’s strategy for the distribution of fertilizers donated by the Federal Government to support cropping activities during the last rainy season in the state.
The farmers who expressed concerns in separate interviews with Sunday Sun in Gombe lamented their inability to access the fertilizers to support farming activities.
They alleged that the commodity was not distributed, hence, the desired results were not achieved.
Mr Ayuba Ali, a farmer from Billiri community in Billiri Local Government Area of the state, said that farmers in his community and neighbouring villages did not benefit from the free fertilizers.
He said that the fertilizers would have empowered peasant farmers to boost food production, and increase farmers’ income, as well as the livelihoods of rural dwellers if they were distributed.
Malam Umar Hamisu, a sorghum and wheat farmer in Nafada, revealed that the 2024 cropping season was the worst for him as he was unable to buy inputs to carry out farming activities.
He attributed the reason to the high cost of fertilizers and other agrochemicals and the lack of support from the government.
“We heard that President Tinubu supported farmers in the state with fertilizer, but we didn’t see anything in our villages,” he said.
The Gombe State government has, however, said that plans were underway to support and encourage dry-season farming in response to the anticipated food crisis in the country.
The government stated this would be in addition to the support it provided for farmers at the just-concluded rainy season farming.
According to the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Barnabas Malle, the decision was taken by the state government to ensure food security for the populace.
He explained that with the looming food crisis, supporting dry-season farming has become essential to increase agricultural productivity and guarantee food availability throughout the year.
In response to the allegations levelled against the government by some farmers and the government’s plans for dry season farming, Malle disclosed that the fertilizer provided by the Federal Government was distributed by the state government through cooperative organisations, adding that it was in addition to the 50 per cent subsidized fertilizer provided by the state.
He assured that the government was taking proactive steps to boost agricultural production and improve the livelihoods of farmers in the state.
“We are not just looking at providing fertiliser, but all other implements and initiatives in ensuring food security, economic development and growth,” he said.
Abia
In Abia State where lack of modern farming equipment, high cost of fertilizer, and seeds, as well as a dearth of labour combined to rob farmers of robust harvest in the current farming season, the state government said it is working assiduously to reverse the trend.
Although the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Cliff Agbaeze, was not available for comment when Sunday Sun visited, a senior official of the Ministry who spoke on the condition of anonymity highlighted efforts being put in place by the government to address the challenges confronting farming in the state.
One of such measures taken by the state government, he said, is the recent interest-free loans given to genuine farmers in the state, through the various farmers’ cooperative societies.
With the loans which he said ran into nine digits, he expressed optimism that farmers in the state were going to produce enough food that would mitigate whatever shortage might occur between June and August, next year.
“If not for any other thing, the government has, with the loans which ran into nine digits, given farmers in the state the needed boost to produce enough food that would mitigate whatever shortage that may occur between June and August, next year,” he revealed.
Apart from the loan, the official said the government was also planning as from the next planting season, to subsidize the high cost of fertilizer to enable farmers to get them at reduced cost for optimal food production.
He hinted at the government’s plan, beginning from this harvesting season, to buy enough food items for storage.
Kaduna
Farmers in Kaduna said that banditry remains one of the major threats to food production in the state.
Multiple sources in the state claimed that the onslaughts of bandits who set farms on fire have continued to undermine the efforts of farmers in the state.
Sunday Sun gathered that several hectares of farmlands have been devastated by fire with the latest being the penultimate Sunday’s attack on two villages of Kwaga and Ungwan Zako in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of the state, where bandits reportedly set fire to harvested maize in six farms.
Villagers lamented that bandits had set multiple farms ablaze around Zako near Kwaga, along the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway.
A source who craved anonymity said the latest attack saw several hectares of maize farms go up in flames, including that of a farmer, Malam Tanko, who owned six hectares of maize in Kwaga.
The Chairman of the Birnin Gwari-Niger Interboundaries Communities Association, Ishaq Usman Kasai, said the bandits responsible for the destruction were part of the notorious group led by Yellow Jamboros, who had been terrorising communities in the area.
He called on the Federal Government to synergise with state governments to develop a national strategy to tackle banditry and ensure the safety of citizens.
Nasir Dambatta, the senior special assistant on Print Media to the state governor, explained that in a bid to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable citizens and support food security, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has launched two major initiatives: a massive grain delivery programme and an agricultural support scheme.
These initiatives: grain delivery programme and agricultural support scheme, according to Dambatta, are expected to have a significant impact on food security in Kaduna State, particularly among vulnerable groups.
Benue
In Benue State, farmers said they are facing several challenges ranging from insecurity, unavailability of seeds, and inputs, theft of farm produce and lack of cooperation from land owners and community members.
The immediate past Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Benue State Chapter, Mr Aondongu Saaku, told Sunday Sun that “farmers in the state have difficulty in accessing improved seedlings and inputs especially water pumps which they need to carry out dry season farming.
“Insecurity is also a major challenge. Even now that we are trying to go into dry season farming on our own, the herders are still around waiting for us to plant. So insecurity is a major challenge and we have to address it because without addressing it, it will be impossible for us to do what is required of us,” he stated.
Meanwhile, as part of its efforts to boost large-scale food production, the Benue State government said it has assisted farmers in the state to go into dry season farming.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof Moses Ogbaji told Sunday Sun recently that the state government was committed to boosting food production in the state and disclosed that the government had distributed inputs; assorted fertilizers, chemicals, improved seeds, improved species of chicks, fingerlings and fish feeds to farmers in the state as part of efforts to boost food production in the state.
Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, the acting Director of Extension, Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (NADP), Zakari Usman, has assured that the state was prepared to mitigate the risk of a potential food crisis as predicted by a United Nations report.
According to him, the state has rolled out a number of initiatives aimed at boosting food production in the state.
Notable among these initiatives is the large-scale cultivation of rice on a 2,000-hectare farm in Jangwa, which is now in the harvesting stage. “The state government has not only invested in land but also distributed 23 tractors to farmers, with an additional 30 tractors ready for distribution. This shift from manual to mechanized farming will enhance productivity, ensuring that we can meet food demands,” Usman explained.
He also outlined efforts made through the Value Chain Development Programme, which has been supplying fertilizers, seeds, and herbicides to about 140 farmers.
“The programme has provided essential resources like fertilizer, herbicides, and even machinery to support farmers,” he said, emphasizing that these inputs are part of a broader mission to elevate farmers’ productivity.
Rivers
In Rivers State people living in the rural communities, particularly those in flood-prone local government areas, have raised the alarm over looming hunger following the devastating effects of flood on their communities and means of livelihood.
Notable among flood-impacted LGAs in the state are Abua/Odual, Ahoada East Ahoada West and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local (ONELGA).
Speaking to Sunday Sun, Madam Margaret Ikedi, a farmer in Egi, ONELGA, lamented: “We are afraid of how we are going to cope with hunger next year (2025).
“Though the flood is reducing in some communities, what we are concerned about now is to save our lives from the flood. As for our crops, no one is talking about them because the flood has destroyed everything.”
But the Rivers State government said it is committed to boosting food security in the state. Earlier in the year, the government outlined several initiatives to boost agriculture.
These initiatives included the formation of the Rivers State Economic Summit, visits to the state’s 45,000 metric tons cassava processing plant, the revitalization of the Rivers State Songhai Initiative, and the development of the Rumuodumaya Feed Mill.
Enugu
In Enugu State, the Special Adviser to Governor Peter Mbah on Agriculture, Mike Ogbuekwe, assured that the state was on track to attain food sufficiency with a two-pronged approach aimed at boosting the efficiency of small-holder farmers and large-scale commercial farmers.
Ogbuekwe said that for the smallholder farmers, “the state government has commenced a farm estate programme which aimed at setting up 200 hectares of land in every ward where farmers will get one hectare each. A warehouse will be put on the land and tractors will be made available to the farmers in clusters.
“So, we are organising farmers to have a more organised system of farming so that they can now begin to have access to mechanized farming. At the same time, seeds and other inputs will be supplied to them. They will be given extension services in those clusters. Their produce will have access to organized markets. We will link them up with buyers. That’s the measures we are putting in place.
“This is in addition to various support that the government has been giving farmers through various programmes such as the EFAD programme where they supply farmers with machinery, inputs and training.
“We also had the APPEALS programme. We are doing the FADAMA programme now through NG-CARES where we are giving farmers inputs and machines. This is so that we can achieve processing and reduce post-harvest losses.”
Lagos
In Lagos State, the government is optimistic that its recent efforts in agriculture will in no time result in crashing prices of food items and other consumables in the state and in the long run boost food production.
About 10,000 farmers that cut across fishermen, aquaculture, poultry, piggery, and vegetable farmers recently benefited from the fourth cycle distribution of farm inputs by the state government as part of efforts aimed at boosting food production.
Sunday Sun gathered that some of the farm inputs distributed to farmers include: 32,750 fish juvenile, 4,740 bags of poultry feeds, 61,500 day-old chick, 1,004 bags of fertilisers, 596 kilos of vegetable seed, 2,198 bundles of fishing nets, 72 canoes, 351litres of Agro chemical and 25 water tanks.
Following the distribution of the farm input, farmers are expected to supply produce from their farms for sale at the return of 25 per cent discount on the Sunday Market in the state.