Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the North West Agricultural Commodities Association NOWACAS, Shuaibu Idris Mikati, has cautioned that Nigerian farmers are sliding into a worsening crisis as rising production costs meet sharply falling farm prices.
Mikati raised the alarm on Tuesday during a press briefing in Kaduna, describing the situation as unprecedented and capable of undermining national food security if urgent action is not taken.
He explained that although food prices appear high in naira terms, a proper analysis using foreign exchange benchmarks reveals a more complex reality.
According to him, when prices are indexed in dollar terms, some commodities are effectively cheaper today than they were years ago.
Alhaji Shuaibu Mikati noted that farmers who purchased fertiliser at nearly ₦100,000 per bag are now forced to sell maize for as low as ₦30,000 per bag, a situation he described as painful and unsustainable.
He recalled that in the past, farmers could exchange one bag of produce for one bag of fertiliser, but today they must sell between two and a half and three bags to afford a single bag of fertiliser.
He warned that without affordable access to farm inputs, food production would decline sharply, posing a serious threat to Nigeria’s food security.
The NOWACAS chairman criticised government policies that allow the importation of agro-commodities at highly competitive prices without providing guaranteed minimum prices to protect local farmers.
According to him, imported commodities are depressing local prices while Nigerian farmers are left without any safety net against losses.
Mikati called on the National Assembly to urgently pass the long-delayed National Trust Receipt (Warehouse Receipt) Bill, which he said would enable farmers to access credit using warehouse receipts as collateral.
He also faulted the suspension of agricultural finance interventions due to past abuses, arguing that blanket restrictions have punished genuine farmers.
Shuaibu Mikati urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to channel agricultural funding through the Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Development Bank to ensure targeted and sustainable support.
He reaffirmed NOWACAS’ readiness to work with government at all levels and appealed to the media to amplify farmers’ concerns, stressing that food security remains critical to Nigeria’s survival and economic stability.
COV/YUSUF ZUBAIRU
