Farmers to govt at 65: Thanks for food stability, but we need more support

Some farmers’ associations have commended the Federal Government for its efforts in stabilising food prices since last year but appealed for greater support, welfare, and enabling policies to sustain local production.

The leaders of the associations made their positions known in separate interviews with the Voice Of the People (VOP) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mr. Femi Oke, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Southwest and Lagos State chapter, praised recent interventions by the government but stressed that farmers still face critical challenges.

“Looking at the food sector itself, we can say prices of commodities have slightly gone down. This was because the present administration was able to take some measures, including import waivers. But apart from the prices going down, we farmers are not too happy, because we cannot sustain the food sector through imports,” Oke said.

He urged the government to provide essential farm inputs, rehabilitate abandoned farm extension offices, and improve rural roads to ease transportation of produce. He also called on state governors to work closely with farmers’ associations to identify and fix critical routes affecting agricultural logistics.

On his part, Mr. Godwin Egbebe, National Publicity Secretary of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), said while food prices appear stable, many farmers remain out of business due to high production costs.

“Basically, prices have gone down, but the assessment is twofold. Not everyone has the purchasing power to buy produce. In the past, we had egg gluts because of high productivity. Today, many farmers are out of business, so gluts no longer occur. When people leave farming, scarcity follows from reduced cultivation,” Egbebe said.

He described the price stability as “largely government-driven but artificial,” stressing that unless farmers are empowered to return to production, food security will remain fragile.

“Food inflation may be coming down, but many citizens still cannot afford to eat. Government policies must be felt in the lives of ordinary people, not only in official statistics,” he added.