Bauchi (Nigeria): Agricultural and economic experts have identified the massive importation of grain as a primary factor in the decline in the prices of staple foods in Nigeria.
The experts, who spoke in Gombe and Bauchi, stated that the persistent decline in grain prices was primarily due to deliberate government policy rather than the harvest.
They said the market glut occasioned by the harvest further pushed prices down, thereby exposing farmers to losses.
Dr Musa Arab, a Gombe-based agronomist, warned that the trend would discourage farmers and make agriculture less attractive.
He said the Federal Government‘s policy to crash food prices, destabilised the commodity market and allowed foreign goods to flood the local market.
Arab argued that the price crash preceded the harvest season due to the importation of grain into the country.
“Early this year, during the Ramadan fast, prices of grains took a downward trend, which is unusual, and since then, it has never gone up; instead, it keeps falling.
“The opening of the border to import some of the crops that farmers are growing locally primarily resulted in the fall of prices.
“Yes, during harvest, there are usually drops in prices of grains as farmers bring in new produce, but the prices wouldn’t have been as low as this.
“The prices are so low that a bag of maise was sold for N18,000 at harvest as against N75,000 last season,” he said.
Arab noted that the policy favoured consumers and discouraged hoarding, at the detriment of farmers and national food security.
To remedy the situation, Arab advocated for the reintroduction of the marketing board to mop up excess grain and regulate prices, thereby protecting farmers and encouraging productivity.
He also called for a review of the Anchor Borrower’s Programme (ABP) to enhance farmers’ access to inputs and agricultural financing.
Arab said the measure would guard against price volatility and encourage farmers to produce more, resulting in a win-win for all.
Corroborating this, Ali Musa, Secretary of Tudun Hatsi Grain Market, Gombe, stated that prices would further decrease due to the significant increase in supply to the market as farmers harvested their crops.
“There is also the issue of middlemen who hoard grains, and since the prices didn’t go up during Ramadan, they were forced to push their commodities into the market.
“This resulted in excess supply, which further forced the price to go down, considering the law of demand and demand,” he said.
Musa urged the government at all levels to support farmers, adding, “They really had a bad outing this farming season.”
However, a Bauchi-based economist, Dr Abdulmajeed Musa, highlighted that the declining prices were driven by harvest and relatively stable transport costs.
He advised the government to sustain the trend by expanding storage facilities, subsidising inputs, and ensuring security across farming communities.
“If post-harvest losses reduce and farmers feel safe, food supply will remain high and prices stable,” he said
A check in Bauchi metropolis indicated a galloping decrease in food commodity prices since the beginning of the harvest season.
At the Muda Lawal market in the metropolis, prices had dropped by about 15 per cent in the past few weeks.
A measure of maise was sold for N900, as against its old price of N1,200.
While a 100-kilogramme bag of the produce was sold at N28,000, and local variety rice was sold at N50,000 as against N35,000 and N60,000, respectively.
Sule Idris, a grain dealer, described the market trend as usual.
“It’s normal during harvest, but it does not always last. Prices might go up at the end of the season,” he said.
Idris said the drop in gain prices might be short-lived unless the government adopts proactive measures to stabilise the market.
“It is good for the government to put in place a sound and stable transportation system to sustain good market conditions,” he said.
A rice dealer, Malam Saminu, called for the introduction of preservation technologies to reduce the wastage of agricultural produce.
“If we have better storage facilities, we can keep food longer and sell it cheaper,” he said.
Aldo, Hassan Durumi, a grocer, attributed the drop in the price of perishables to the prevailing cold weather conditions.
He said that a basket of tomatoes was sold for N7,000, as opposed to N12,000, before the onset of the harmattan.
Durumi said prices usually increase during the hot season due to a lack of storage facilities to preserve the produce.
“Irrigation and preservation support are key; without it, production will fall and prices will go up,” he said.
Moreso, Sani Saidu, a farmer, urged the government to invest in rural roads, improve market monitoring, and assist farmers with inputs to encourage productivity.
According to Saidu, sustaining the downward trend in food prices depends on consistent policies that support both producers and the trading community.