From Umar Dankano Yola
Adamawa farmers are contemplating of cultivating their farmlands as a result of high cost of farming inputs and bad yields recorded by many last year.
Some farmers decried the impact of their losses saying that they may not cultivate their farms until the situation improves while others expressed willingness to go ahead with their farming urging the federal and state governments to invest heavily so that food sufficiency and security are assured to teeming Nigerians.
Mohammed Ismail,a small scale farmer in Yola South local government area said the terrible experience he underwent while cultivating his one hectare farm forced him to lost interest in partaking this cropping year until he recovers from the gravity of lost he recorded.
Ismail regrettably explained that after all the farming activities right from clearing of farmland and planting of seedlings, the expenditure was expensive due high cost of farming inputs like the fertilizer, seedlings and herbicide noting a bag of fertilizer was sold at N60,000 while some of the herbicide goes to N25000 then to talk of labourers.
Ismail called on government to subsidize these inputs so that farmers like him can go back to farm to cultivate what to feed themselves as has been the practice for many years past.
But Pwado Nathaniel who is a farmer and civil servant attributed the challenge faced last year to high cost of farming inputs and climate change where most farmers recorded loses in their different capacities.
Nathaniel stressed that he will still go back to cultivate crops this farming season without any hesitation noting in life one must to loose in some and to win in some cases.
Nathaniel stated that he cultivated rice on his farm where he was expecting to harvest 150 bags of rice but ended up getting 69 bags after investing worth N3m emphasizing that government need to intervene because food prices have gone down in the country.
According to him,a farmer will buy a bag of fertilizer for N60,000 to N65,000 per bag while after harvesting he sell a bag of rice for as low as N40,000 which is discouraging indeed.
Speaking on the development in a mobile phone interview on Tuesday in Yola, the Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon.Salihu Idris assured that the state government has mobilized readily to intervene in the 2026 farming season.
Idris said that the government under Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has just distributed forty two (42) brand new tractors to the twenty one local government areas in the state to improve machanised farming.
Idris added that as a first phase, over 70, 000 bags of fertilizer, improved seedlings and herbicide have been procured with a view to improving food production in the state.
He also said the government is mitigating the farmers/herders crisis maintaining that grazing spaces have been provided for herders while farmers are encouraged to be at peace with their neighboring communities of herders in case of any eventuality.
“We have been hosting meetings with the leadership of farmers and herders to be working in synergy for peace and harmony among all.
“This government is working assiduously to ensure farmers are given all desired attention so that food security can be attained to.We just distributed new tractors to the 21 local government areas on the 25th May 2026 so that our people can be ready for farming timely”. The Commissioner highlighted.