Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has urged the government at all levels to prioritise ending farmer-herder conflicts and kidnapping to ensure a reduction in the price of rice.

Nnenna Ejim, vice president of RIFAN, made the call in an interview with journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

She attributed the current hike in the price of rice to insecurity, the farmer-herder crisis, the hike in input and the rice boom.

Ms Ejim identified other contributing factors to the non-implementation of government policy, such as the anchor borrower programme, a lack of insurance coverage for farmers, and climate change.

She decried that several farmers were not able to process or harvest their crops last year due to fear of being killed or kidnapped.

“Government policy on anchor borrowers was not implemented last year because of the election, and other factors like the impact of COVID-19 have created a huge gap in rice cultivation, hence the hike.

“The Russian-Ukraine war is affecting us seriously because they are the greatest provider of fertiliser and other input, which we are the moment we have difficulties getting such input.

“The way forward in ensuring a drastic reduction in the price of rice is for the government to prioritise the security of its populace both on farms and around communities,” Ms Ejim said.

Also, Ms Ejim recommended that the government subsidise inputs for farmers and sensitise them to climate-smart agriculture.

“There should be an issue of insurance packages or coverage for farmers and making sure that insurance companies come to farmers’ rescue in the event of any disaster,” she added.

The current price of a 50kg bag of rice ranges from N70,000 to N80,000, depending on quality, compared to last year’s price, which ranged from N32,000 to N36,000. 

(NAN)