Farmers in Ondo, Osun and Ekiti have identified a lack of storage facilities, poor road networks, unreliable power supply and security as challenges confronting farming activities and often leading to massive post-harvest losses.
The farmers, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), also noted that the high cost of farm inputs undermines farming activities and further reduces yields.
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They observed that these challenges make it increasingly difficult for farmers to maintain their livelihoods.
The farmers appealed to the government for timely intervention in tackling these challenges, which, by extension, will boost high yield and curb post-harvest losses.
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In Akure, the Ondo State capital, Abayomi Monilari, the president of the Ondo State Farmers Congress, lamented that insecurity and inadequate rainfall have contributed mainly to the low yield of farm produce.
Mr Monilari, who attributed the current fall in the price of food items to the harvesting period, frowned at the non-availability of storage facilities for farmers, urging the government to give directive on the usage of silo in the state.
“So, When supply is higher than demand, definitely the price of products will fall,” he said.
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Mr Monilari appealed to the government at all levels to ensure the security of farmers, particularly in rural areas, and make their safety and the safety of their farmland a priority.
He called on the government to assist farmers with the needed support and facilities, particularly storage facilities to prevent post-harvest losses.
Also, Joshua Ayantayo, SIWES coordinator, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), said the drop in the price of some food items could not be attributed to government policy, rather, the period of harvesting of produce and lack of storage facilities for farmers.
Mr Ayantayo, while lamenting that farmers were making losses on their investments annually owing to poor storage facilities, begged the government to intervene in this regard.
“I do not see any significant policy that can affect price at the moment. A visit to the market and some farm areas will testify to this.
“The price of tomatoes, pepper, yam, among others are falling due to the harvesting season and inadequate storage facilities,” he stated.
Kole Akinmorin, a farmer in Okitipupa, told NAN that the harvest season had greatly impacted on the low prices of food in the market because more farmers were harvesting their crops.
“If this continues, I think the economy will be better for the citizens, especially the masses.
“We only need government intervention through finances, fertiliser and others for next year’s plantation to boom,” he said.
Funmilola Oke, a farmer in Ede town, Osun State, said the government must come down to the locals to understand their plights before taking any decision.
She said the current drop in food prices has not been felt by consumers due to some loopholes that needed to be tackled by the government.
“You may reduce the price of food and even put a price to them, but there’s need to bring down the cost of farm inputs and other basic things that impact on transportation.
“The reason some farmers are selling to wholesalers at the present price is because of transportation, and government must look at the bottom to top approach, not the top to bottom approach,” she said.
Similarly, Wale Adebayo, the convener of Good Governance for Nigeria Citizens, an Osogbo based Civil Society Organisation, said the security challenge confronting farmers on their farmland was also affecting the cost of agricultural produce.
Mr Adebayo, an agriculture expert, said many farmers have been chased from their farmland by bandits, making farming activities difficult for them and, in turn, affecting the cost of agricultural produce.
Wahaab Bello, the chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Osun, however, noted that the state government has been providing farmers with the needed support and facilities.
According to him, the government efforts have encouraged more people, especially youths, to engage in farming.
Mr Bello said the influx of people, especially youths, into farming leading to bountiful harvest was the reason food prices have equally reduced.
“A lot of youths are now into farming and joining the agricultural value chain because the government has provided land and farm settlements for farming, and tractors to ease operations,” he said.
He said farmers in the state are experiencing relative peace, as security has been put in place by the government to ensure that farmers and other businesses operate without hindrance and fear.
He appreciated the federal and state governments for providing farmers with fertiliser, chemicals, seedlings, and other farming implements, which he said were enhancing their operations.
Mr Bello, however, said many farmers are not able to store their farm produce, and have to sell it on time to avoid losses.
According to him, if farmers have access to funds or grants, they can procure storage facilities for their produce.
In Ekiti, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, disclosed that the government has set up storage facilities in different locations in the state.
He explained that the sole aim of the storage facilities was to prevent waste and buy farm produce from farmers during the harvest season, which would be released to the populace during food scarcity.
“Building the storage facilities is one of the government’s plans to avert food scarcity that was experienced in the state last year,” Mr Olatunbosun said.
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He also said the state government has approved N316.9 million for the construction of security posts in farm settlements as well as recruiting 500 Amotekun officers towards ensuring safety of farmers and farm produce.
In the same vein, the Ekiti Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, said the state government has launched agricultural development clusters to ensure food security.
Mr Boluwade said the goal was not only to tackle hunger, but to also create opportunities for youths in agriculture.
(NAN)
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