Imagine selling five bags of maize just to afford one bag of fertiliser. That is the harsh reality for farmers in Plateau State right now, and it is putting our food security at serious risk.

The rising cost of fertiliser is placing increasing pressure on local farmers, threatening productivity and livelihoods despite government efforts to make it more affordable.

CBI News Correspondent Abideen Muhammad visited Babale Village to find out how farmers are coping.

For many, fertiliser has gone from being a farm input to the biggest obstacle to successful farming. Muhammad Ya’u, a local farmer, told cbinews.tv that the continuous price hike has forced him to reduce his farmland, making the bountiful harvests he once enjoyed almost impossible.

“Now the price of fertilizer has increased. Dangote Urea now costs not less than ₦45,000 per bag, while others are almost ₦60,000. We farm maize and millet, but as the price of fertilizer becomes higher than the value of our farm produce, we can no longer farm the way we used to.”

Another farmer, Muhammad Tukur, shares a similar frustration. According to him, the maths simply no longer adds up for the common man.

“Sincerely, the issue of fertilizer is affecting the common man. Before you can buy one bag of fertilizer, you have to sell two or more bags of maize. If it is rice, you have to sell about three bags before you can buy one bag of fertilizer.”

And it is not just the farmers feeling the heat. Retailers are also counting their losses. Shu’aibu Muhammad told cbinews.tv that sales have dropped sharply because farmers can no longer afford to buy in the quantities they need.

“Before, we sold about 20 bags a day, but now, because of the high price of fertilizer, we hardly sell eight to ten bags daily.”

Musa Muhammad also confirmed that the sharp increase is hitting both farmers and retailers hard, and is calling on the government to step in.

“For now, we get Dangote Urea from dealers at ₦45,000 wholesale, while other brands cost about ₦52,000. We still have to pay for transportation and labour. We need the government to help us.”

For Martina Sunday, a local farmer, the cost is simply beyond what many can bear.

“Our main problem is that the price of fertilizer is beyond our strength. Now you have to sell five bags of maize before you can buy one bag of fertilizer. It is very difficult. With transportation costs included, we are really suffering. We need government support.”

In response to these challenges, the Plateau State Government has begun distributing subsidised fertiliser through the Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP).

The cbinews.tv visited the PADP office where the distribution exercise is ongoing. Speaking during the exercise, Longkat Dashal, the officer in charge of fertiliser distribution, said the programme is designed to ensure genuine farmers have access to subsidised fertiliser, thereby boosting production across the state.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Fertilizer and Agro-Allied Dealers Association, Yusuf Abdullahi, explained to cbinews.tv that fertiliser is an internationally traded commodity whose price is influenced by global market forces.

Despite the intervention, some farmers insist they have never benefited from the subsidised programme and are still left to buy at the prevailing market price.

“Regarding subsidized fertilizer, we hear about it, but in our area there is nothing like that. We are calling on the government to intervene and bring it closer to us. We need it to reach the real farmers.”

“In our community, I have never seen anyone buy fertilizer at a subsidized price. If we had access to subsidized fertilizer, our farming would improve. As it is now, not every farmer can afford to cultivate as much as before. When subsidized fertilizer was available, we farmed more.”

Yusuf Abdullahi adds that beyond local challenges, geopolitical tensions and exchange rate fluctuations are also pushing prices up.

As the farming season progresses, the call from Babale is loud and clear: improve access to subsidised fertiliser and make the distribution process transparent.

Farmers believe getting the commodity to genuine farmers is critical to increasing food production, improving livelihoods and strengthening food security.

#CBINewsTV #PlateauFarmers #FertiliserCrisis #FoodSecurityNigeria #BabaleVillage #AgricultureNigeria #SubsidisedFertiliser #PlateauState