The scarcity of fuel is hitting harder on dry season farmers in Nigeria. The farmers report that they are finding it difficult to operate because they have no access to fuel amidst its soaring prices to engage laborers to help them work on large hectares of farms. This challenge is gradually exposing the country to food insecurity as the government makes more promises to reduce fuel prices as a first hand solution.
The current fuel scarcity hitting the nation has begun to take a toll on the farmers, especially those who are into irrigation farming.Most irrigation farmers rely on fuel-pumping machines to get water from nearby dams to keep the crops nurtured by watering it constantly as it is an integral component of growing crops until harvest time. In the immediate term, the government intends to deploy some savings from fuel subsidy removal into agriculture and focus on revamping the sector.
“We need to pump water to our farms, buy fertilizer and other necessary inputs that would support our crops to yield well, but we don’t have money at hand to buy, and even if you have money, the price of fuel has continued to increase on a daily basis. But we have no choice because we have gone far in farming this year and we cannot allow it to be wasted.”
Zhihu Godlove , President of the Irrigation farmers association – Nigeria
Nigeria, with its vast agricultural potential, heavily relies on irrigation practices to support its agrarian economy.Farmers relying on fuel-powered pumps and generators to draw water for irrigation find themselves grappling with higher operational expenses. The increased cost of fuel directly translates into elevated expenses for maintaining irrigation systems, putting a strain on the financial resources of farmers.
“The government should take action and make the naira notes available, as well as ensure that the price of fuel comes down because it can determine the cost of inputs. The fertilizer that was sold to us at N11,000 during the rainy season is now N25,000”
Igwe Roman, Farmer – Nigeria
According to economic experts, to address the challenges posed by the increase in diesel and petrol prices on irrigation practices, policymakers need to implement measures that support the agricultural sector. This may include subsidies on fuel for agricultural purposes, incentives for adopting renewable energy, and targeted support programs for smallholder farmers.
