Farmers’ associations have praised the Federal Government for stabilising food prices over the past year but called for increased welfare support and improved conditions for local farmers.
In separate interviews on Wednesday in Lagos, leaders of the associations acknowledged progress but stressed that sustainability depends on empowering domestic producers rather than relying on imports.
Mr Femi Oke, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in the Southwest and Lagos State, noted that government measures, including import waivers, had helped reduce commodity prices.
“Looking at the food sector itself, we can say prices of commodities slightly went down. This was because the present administration was able to take some measures. The import waivers by the President and other measures helped crack down some prices. But apart from the prices going down, we farmers are not too happy, because we cannot sustain the food sector through imports,” he said.
Oke urged government to provide more farm inputs, rehabilitate rural roads and revive abandoned farm extension offices to improve productivity.
“The state governors should align with farmers, particularly heads of associations, so they can identify critical routes in bad condition affecting produce transportation,” he added.
Also speaking, Mr Godwin Egbebe, National Publicity Secretary of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), said that while food prices had stabilised, many farmers were struggling to stay in business due to high costs of inputs.
“As a sector, we used to experience egg gluts due to high productivity. Presently, many farmers are out of business because of costly inputs, so gluts no longer occur. When people are out of business, scarcity of food results from reduced cultivation. Though prices are stable, many people cannot afford food,” he said.
Egbebe described the price stability as largely government-driven and therefore artificial, arguing that true progress would only come when farmers can independently produce enough to meet demand.
“We can say food inflation is coming down, yet many still cannot afford to eat. The government must follow through on its policies. Let people themselves testify to the impact of government policies on food, and not government declaring results when citizens cannot confirm them,” he said.
(NAN)