Farmers across Taraba State have raised the alarm over rising petrol and diesel prices, warning that the development could force many of them to abandon irrigation farming in the coming season and worsen concerns over food production.
The farmers said the soaring cost of fuel, coupled with high prices of fertilisers, tractor hiring services and labour, had pushed production expenses beyond what many could afford, leaving them uncertain about participating in the next irrigation season.
They expressed concern that the situation could discourage hundreds of farmers from cultivating their fields, particularly as the prices of some agricultural produce remained too low to guarantee returns on investment.
For irrigation farmers, the challenge is particularly pressing because of their dependence on petrol- and diesel-powered water pumps to supply their farms with water during the dry season.
Speaking with our reporter, the state chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Tanko Bobbo Andami, said rising fuel costs had become a major obstacle to irrigation farming, especially in communities far from filling stations.
Andami explained that farmers operating in Karim-Lamido, Lau and Gassol local government areas often had to travel long distances to obtain fuel or buy from black-market vendors who charged considerably higher prices.
The large-scale farmer said petrol was selling for between N1,800 and N1,900 per litre in some remote farming communities, while diesel cost about N2,200 per litre, significantly increasing the cost of powering irrigation pumps.
He warned that the additional expenses could prevent many farmers from participating in this year’s irrigation season, with possible implications for rice production and other food crops cultivated during the dry season.
The situation is further complicated by what the farmers described as an unfavourable relationship between production costs and the prices they receive for their produce.
Alhaji Haliru Binnare, another large-scale farmer operating in the Binnare area of Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, said irrigation farming had become increasingly capital-intensive, with many farmers struggling to recover their investments after harvesting.
Binnare disclosed that he spent more than N3 million on paddy rice production during the last irrigation season but earned less than his total investment from the sale of his harvest.
He said the prospect of another increase in production costs had made him uncertain about returning to the farm this year, adding that many farmers were facing similar difficulties.
“You see, the price of a bag of NPK fertiliser is now N50,000, while an hour of tractor service costs N140,000. This is apart from other expenses,” he said.
He added that a 100-kilogramme bag of paddy rice was selling for between N40,000 and N43,000, with prices often declining further during the harvest period.
“In this situation, how can a farmer recover production costs and make a profit? It appears the government is not ready to encourage food production in the country,” Binnare said.
Beyond the immediate impact of fuel prices, the farmers’ concerns point to broader challenges facing agricultural production in Taraba State, where high input costs and uncertain market returns are threatening the viability of farming investments.
Zubairu Adamu, a farmer in Donada village in Lau Local Government Area, accused the government of failing to provide adequate support to farmers, particularly through the regulation of agricultural input prices and the provision of subsidies.
He said farmers were largely left to finance their operations with personal resources without sufficient government intervention, making it increasingly difficult for small-scale producers to remain in business.
Adamu also observed that some farmers were shifting from food crops to cash crops because of differences in profitability. He identified soybeans, melon seeds and sesame as crops that offered better financial prospects than maize, paddy rice and cassava.
He warned that rising petrol and diesel prices could further accelerate the shift away from irrigation farming, especially following the financial losses many farmers reportedly suffered during the previous season.
“With the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel, many farmers may not engage in irrigation farming this year because of their experience during the last irrigation season, when many could not recover their investments,” he said.
For farmers already struggling to balance rising production costs against declining or unstable market prices, the coming irrigation season presents a difficult choice between investing more money in farming and avoiding further financial losses.
Unless the challenges are addressed, the farmers fear that reduced participation in irrigation farming could affect rice and other crop production, placing additional pressure on food availability and the livelihoods of farming households across Taraba State.
Taraba farmers may stop irrigation farming over fuel price surge