As the 2025 cropping season begins, women farmers in Bauchi State are raising alarm over skyrocketing farmland rental prices and soaring agricultural input costs—issues they say are threatening their ability to cultivate crops effectively.
It was gathered on Tuesday that several farmers expressed frustration at the sharp increase in production costs, combined with limited access to agricultural extension services and financing support.
Rental prices, which ranged between N20,000 and N40,000 per hectare during the 2024 season, have now surged to between N60,000 and N100,000.
Similarly, the cost of fertilisers has risen steeply, with NPK now selling between N25,000 and N45,000, and Urea going for as much as N38,500—up from N33,000 last year.
Mrs. Rahma Mutashi, a maize farmer, described the new rental rates as a setback for small-scale farmers:
“I reduced the size of the land this year to enable me to manage farm expenditure. In 2024, I cultivated a two-hectare land, but I can’t afford it anymore,” she said.
Another farmer, Felicia Moses, linked the price hike to rising demand for fertile land, accusing landowners of exploiting the situation.
“It is difficult to achieve growth in food production this season in view of the high cost of inputs, labour and rental rates,” she noted.
Farmers are also calling on the government to step in with early interventions.
Hajiya Maryam Yalwa appealed for timely distribution of subsidised fertilisers and other farming inputs through public agricultural programmes.
“Last year, the government subsidised fertilisers and sold to the farmers at N15,000 per bag, as against N21,000 in the open market,” she recalled.
Landowners, however, argue that the surge in rental prices is driven by increasing demand from both individuals and companies.
Ibrahim Garba, a farmland owner, explained that more families are now cultivating inherited lands, leaving less land available for lease.
“Many families are now cultivating inherited lands collectively to improve food security.
“The trend drastically reduced the availability of land for rent, as even those who previously leased out their plots are now farming on them,” he said.
