Local farmers have lauded the drop in July food inflation as indicated in the recent data from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.

The farmers said this in separate interviews with journalists in Lagos.

The South-West Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Femi Oke, said the palliatives of the federal government to the sector also aided the drop in the July food inflation.

“It is laudable that the food inflation rate dropped in the month as reported by the NBS. It is good that the government is now taking cognisance of agriculture.

“The palliatives to the farmers and subsidisation of agro-inputs by the government have really been helpful this period. Their prices have been subsidised by the government,” Mr Oke said.

He also noted that “we were also pre-informed on when to begin our farming because of the effect of climate change. So this helped most farmers prevent loss of crops and capital.

“With these measures the government has put in place for the benefit of the sector, we are not surprised the prices came down a bit in the month of July. If the government continues with its palliative measures, a definite drop in food inflation rates will be sustainable. With the introduction of mechanised farming that the government is promoting, there is no way a farmer cannot produce all year round if he so desires. The reason we were not able to produce all year round is because of the nonchalant attitude previously paid to the agriculture sector,” The AFAN chairman said.

According to Mr Oke, currently the price of tomatoes and habanero pepper, also known as “Ata rodo, has drastically dropped compared with previous months.

“Some state governments have also started giving interventions and helping various value chains in the agriculture sector. We, however, need enough extension service agents to help educate farmers on adequate farming techniques for greater yields. They should be educated on seed varieties, soil tests, and the application of fertilisers and agrochemicals to help increase yields,” he said.

The Lagos State Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Mojeed Iyiola, also urged the government to put in more efforts for food price stability.

“The reason for the drop in food inflation rate in July is largely because of the harvest season, as attested to by farmers. However, after some time, if adequate measures are not put in place and sustained, we may return to the status quo.

“Two tubers of yams were sold at N5000 last week and this week, but weeks ago one tuber sold for as high as N7000. This price drop is only sustainable for a while because of the harvests. However, to a limited extent, the government’s palliatives to the sector have also contributed to the drop in some food prices. We hope the government’s intervention in the sector will be sustainable, so we do not experience a price reduction just for a few weeks and a price hike in later weeks. We need a programme that will cushion the effect of the issues prompting food hikes at least for a period of time,” Mr Iyiola said.

He also reiterated the importance of investing in irrigation systems to ensure consistent harvests.

“We also need to invest in irrigation systems due to inadequate rainfall to achieve continuous harvests. Irrigation systems will help us ensure timely harvests to stabilise food prices. If the majority of farmers are waiting for the rains, then this will be disastrous to food prices,” the PAN Chairman said.

 (NAN)