Kaduna State grain farmers have reported significant losses totaling N10.16 billion during the 2025 farming season, prompting an appeal to the Federal Government for urgent intervention. The 2,143 farmers, spread across 23 local government areas, are seeking free or subsidized farm inputs to mitigate the financial strain.
The farmers, operating under a maize farming scheme coordinated by Alhaji Rufai Muazu Dikko, were hit hard by a sudden crash in maize prices nationwide, despite increased costs of agricultural inputs. The scheme, which began in 2017 with 1,000 hectares, has expanded to 10,000 hectares cultivated by the affected farmers. Under the arrangement, the coordinator provides capital, inputs, and logistics, while farmers repay in maize after harvest and sell the remainder for income.
The 2025 season proved disastrous, with a 50kg bag of NPK fertilizer selling for N60,000 and urea rising to N50,000 per bag. As a result, the total cost of cultivating one hectare of maize climbed to over N2 million, up from N1 million the previous year. With an average yield of 45 bags of 100kg per hectare, each bag needed to sell for N44,578 to break even. However, the prevailing market price crashed to N22,000 per 100kg bag, resulting in a loss of N22,577 per bag.
The farmers calculated an aggregate loss of over N10.16 billion from their total output of 450,000 bags harvested across 10,000 hectares. They warned that unless urgent support is provided, many producers, particularly in northern Nigeria, may abandon farming in the 2026 season, undermining the government’s food security agenda. The farmers requested a bailout through the Central Bank in the form of free or heavily subsidized inputs, such as fertilizer and urea, for the 2026 farming season.
In return, they proposed to reimburse the government with maize equivalent to part of the value of the inputs at the end of the season. The farmers argued that such an intervention would stabilize grain production, boost food availability, and deliver economic dividends. They also requested an urgent meeting with government officials, noting that preparations for the next planting season would soon begin. The situation reflects the wider crisis facing maize farmers across Nigeria, and the farmers’ appeal highlights the need for prompt action to support the agricultural sector.
