Kano farmers decry high cost of fertilisers, seek govt. support
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State Chapter, has decried the high cost of fertilisers, stressing the urgent need for the government to subsidise farm inputs to boost agriculture.
The Chairman, Abdullahi Ali-Maibread, made the call in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Kano on the preparations for the 2026 cropping season.
He expressed concern that farmers in Kano had not received support so far from all levels of government.
The Chairman therefore stressed the need for urgent government intervention on the distribution of improved seeds and fertilisers at subsidised rates, and to ensure security measures to protect farmers working on their farms.
He said that the association was working with other stakeholders to ensure timely access to improved seeds and agrochemicals for better crop yields.
“We are also promoting climate-smart farming practices, including proper ridging and drainage systems, to mitigate the risks of flooding and erosion during the peak rainfall period,” he said.
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Ali-Maibread added that the association was intensifying awareness on pest control and engaging security agencies to safeguard farms during the farming season.
Meanwhile, some farmers interviewed in Gezawa, Warawa and Gabasawa LGAs also expressed deep concern over the rising cost of fertiliser and other farm inputs, noting that it may lead to reduced productivity.
A maize and millet farmer, Malam Muntari Al-hassan, lamented that the price of a bag of NPK has surged from about ₦35,000 last year to over ₦51,000 this season.
He explained that due to the high cost of the fertiliser, he would reduce his cultivation from 12 to seven hectares to avoid potential total losses.
On her part, a vegetable farmer, Hajiya Nusaiba Bako, noted that many women farmers might abandon farming this year because they cannot afford the current market prices for inputs, especially fertiliser.
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Another farmer in Gabasawa, Aliyu Lawal, told NAN that he would be unable to cultivate maize for the 2026 planting season due to the high cost of fertilisers.
“I cannot plant maize this season due to the high cost of fertilizer; I will rather plant millet instead, and even then, I will have to rely on organic manure to cope,” he said.
The farmers also appealed to the Kano Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to clamp down on fake fertiliser dealers and ensure direct distribution of subsidised inputs. (NAN)
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