Women farmers in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State have urged state and local authorities to invest in value-added agriculture, saying it would empower women, increase incomes and strengthen livelihoods.

They made the call in separate interviews on Friday in Biu town, emphasising that processing farm produce locally would create jobs and significantly raise earnings.

According to them, such investment will help women farmers process harvested crops into higher-value products, enabling them to earn better returns than selling raw produce immediately after each season’s harvest.

Sarah Suleiman, a groundnut farmer, said rising production costs meant many women farmers earned barely enough profit to support their households and meet essential family needs and daily expenses.

She said agriculture was no longer sufficiently rewarding for women who sold harvested crops alone, hence the need for government training, equipment provision and skills development to support value-added processing enterprises.

Ms Suleiman said embracing agricultural value chains had become essential for profitability, prompting her to process harvested groundnuts manually into kulikuli and groundnut oil for wider markets and improved income generation.

“It was then I started making more profit supplying kulikuli and groundnut oil to customers in Maiduguri and Gombe State. Today, I make enough because I process and add value before selling.

“We need to be empowered with modern equipment, training and improved processing facilities to strengthen our businesses, increase productivity, expand market access and ultimately raise profit margins for women farmers sustainably,” she said.

Corroborating Ms Suleiman, Hauwa, a 24-year-old masa seller, said marketing harvested crops alone kept farmers poor and unable to sustain farming activities, urging government support for processing, packaging and value-addition initiatives nationwide.

Fatima Hamisu, a maise farmer, said she often sold harvested crops without processing because she lacked the means to add value, describing the situation as surrendering profits to others.

According to her, many women farmers cultivated only small plots, making knowledge of value addition, modern processing equipment, and packaging facilities critical to reducing poverty and improving household economic security.

Rebecca John, who produces ‘awara’, tofu food made from soya beans, said cultivating the crop specifically for processing helped her increase earnings and maintain a viable small business venture.

She recounted benefiting from a state government and non-governmental training programme four years ago, which taught produce processing techniques that improved household nutrition and inspired her business journey and personal growth.

“That’s how I started making ‘awara’ for my siblings and later turned it into a business to meet personal needs, earn income consistently and support myself through agriculture-based entrepreneurship and work,” she added.

Ms John urged governments at all levels to invest more in value-added agriculture, describing it as a practical tool for empowering women and girls toward self-reliance, economic inclusion, sustainable livelihoods and prosperity. 

(NAN)