A growing number of farmers in Kaduna State are abandoning the cultivation of staple crops like maize, sorghum, and rice in favour of vegetables, as the rising cost of fertiliser and other inputs makes food crop production increasingly unprofitable.
This troubling shift in cultivation patterns is raising serious concerns over Nigeria’s food security, with experts warning of possible grain shortages and rising food prices in the months ahead.
Speaking to the Newsmen on Tuesday, Professor Faguji Ishiyaku, former Executive Director of the Institute for Agricultural Research at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, said many farmers are deliberately avoiding grains due to cost concerns and are switching to pepper, chilli, soybean, and cowpea instead.
“The cost of inputs has not reduced, and farmers already know maize may not be profitable this year,” he said. “But this trend is dangerous—it means we may soon depend more on foreign grain imports, putting our economy at risk.”
Professor Ishiyaku warned that a drop in local grain production could drive up food prices and leave many farming families without enough to eat. He urged farmers to maintain a balance in production and noted that there is still time to plant staple crops.
Farmer Ahmed Abubakar, based in Zaria, confirmed that many in his community have dropped maize, rice, and sorghum for more lucrative vegetables like onions, okra, and chilli.
He blamed the development on both the poor market value of grains and the unaffordable cost of fertilisers.
“Right now, a 100kg bag of maize goes for between N38,000 and N45,000, while a 50kg bag of fertiliser like GDAP is about N75,000. That’s more than the entire value of the maize,” he explained.
He also listed other fertiliser prices: NPK 20:10:10 sells for N40,000, NPK 15:15:15 is over N50,000, and Urea is about N40,000, excluding the cost of herbicides, land preparation, and labour.
Abubakar noted that while farmers can still plant maize up until July 16 and transplant sorghum and rice by the end of July, many are unwilling to take the financial risk.
He stressed that Kaduna, being one of Nigeria’s top maize-producing states, could suffer a production setback this season, widening the national supply gap.
“We need at least eight million tonnes of maize every year, but we currently produce only 6.5 million tonnes. If Kaduna farmers drop out, the deficit will grow,” he warned.
The Kaduna State Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Nuhu Aminu, also confirmed the worrying shift and linked it to the lack of support from both federal and state governments.
“As we speak, fertiliser and other critical inputs have not been distributed to farmers for the 2025 wet season. This has discouraged many large-scale farmers from cultivating anything at all,” Aminu said.
He called on the government to urgently support smallholder farmers with subsidised inputs and encourage them to return to food crop production to prevent a worsening food crisis in the near future.
“This is not just a farming issue, it’s a national concern,” he added. “We must act now before the damage becomes irreversible.”
