Farmers and agricultural experts have urged the Federal Government to take deliberate policy measures to sustain the recent decline in food prices across the country.
They made the call in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja, where they revealed that the decline in food prices was largely driven by the current harvest season and other short-term factors.
The stakeholders warned that the gains might not last unless key challenges facing farmers were addressed.
An agricultural economist, Mr Gabriel Godwin, said that the high transport costs, poor road networks, and foreign exchange volatility had continued to fuel food inflation in spite of temporary relief.
“Transportation directly affects food prices. When trucks spend days on bad roads, the cost is transferred to consumers,” he said.
Godwin emphasised that the government must fix infrastructure and improve logistics to sustain the current price reduction.
“Reducing the cost of production and improving rural access roads will help ensure the price decline is not reversed,” he added.
A farmer, Mr Owoicho Enemali, described President Bola Tinubu’s call for reduced food prices as well-intentioned but more political than economic.
According to him, sustainable relief will only come when the root causes are addressed.
“Farmers carry the heaviest burden. If the costs of fertiliser, fuel, and labour are not reduced, the current price drops may only last a few months,” he said.
Another farmer, Mr Sampson Tion, lamented that most farmers were operating at a loss, citing high production costs, insecurity, and inadequate government support as major setbacks.
“The cost of production in this country is very high. Farmers lack the right support, not to mention insecurity. Yet we are being asked to lower prices without subsidy or negotiation,” he said.
They urged the government to engage farmers’ associations in policy design and implementation to achieve realistic and sustainable results.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently announced a drop in the annual food inflation rate to 16.87 per cent in September 2025, from 21.87 per cent in August.
The report said that the reduction was largely due to the seasonal harvest of grains such as maize and millet.
Recall that the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Aliyu Sabi, attributed the decline in prices to improved local production and government intervention programmes.
However, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) said the development could only be sustained through consistent government intervention in the agricultural value chain.
AFAN said that although the minister’s statement reflected current market realities, the recent drop in prices was largely seasonal and not backed by structural improvement in food production.
“The minister’s statement reflects the current trend, but we must add that seasonal harvests, zero-tariff food imports, and low purchasing power are the real factors driving the temporary drop.”.
The organisation warned that without addressing key issues such as the high cost of fertilisers, agrochemicals, and labour, the prices could rise again once the harvest season ends.
“This may not be sustainable if farmers are not supported to go back to the farm. The government must ensure that input costs are reduced and that rural infrastructure is improved to sustain production,” it added.
