Some farmers in Katsina have urged the federal and Katsina state government to provide fertilisers and inputs at subsidised rates to boost agricultural productivity and enhance food security.

The farmers made the call in separate interviews with journalists on Friday in Katsina.

They said the call was imperative in view of the high cost of the commodities occasioned by the economic crunch.

Farmers were upscaling farm clearing activities ahead of the 2024 cropping season across the state.

A check at Katsina markets showed that a bag of fertiliser was sold between N39,000 and N42,000, depending on the brand.

Aliyu Muhammad, a farmer, said that most farmers could not afford the commodity due to exorbitant prices.

He recalled that a bag of fertiliser was sold at about N22,000 during the last cropping season, adding that, “a bag of fertiliser is being sold at about N40,000, and not everyone can afford it due to the economic situation.

“We need urgent intervention, else a lot of farmers will abandon farming due to high cost of fertilisers and inputs”.

A maize grower, Aminu Dahiru, said that he decided not to cultivate the crop this season due to the high cost of fertilisers.

He said that he now prefered cow dung and manure to nourish his farm which is cheaper and readily available.

“Manure is very important to the crops, usually we apply it together with the fertiliser to achieve higher yields at harvest.

“This time around, we are left with no option than to use only manure with little or no application of granulated fertilisers,” he said.

Tukur Isa and Idris Abdullahi said the situation would prevent most farmers from cultivating their farmlands which might result in a drop in crop production.

“We urge the government at all levels to support us, provide fertilisers and inputs in good time to boost agricultural production,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi also urged the state government to adopt proactive measures to ensure that genuine farmers were accessing its agricultural interventions.

 (NAN)