Nigeria@66: Stakeholders Urge FG to Cut Production Costs, Boost Farmers’ Productivity”
Nigeria@66: Stakeholders Urge FG to Cut Production Costs, Boost Farmers’ Productivity
Agricultural stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to implement practical measures aimed at reducing production costs and improving farmers’ productivity across the country.
The stakeholders made the call in separate interviews in Lagos on Thursday while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s 66th Independence Day address, in which he pledged to reduce production and transportation costs across key sectors of the economy.
President Tinubu said lowering the cost of production and transportation, particularly in agriculture, would help create the conditions needed for Nigerians to achieve shared prosperity.
Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Lagos State, Sakin Agbayewa, commended the administration for its efforts to support farmers but urged the government to increase funding and other forms of assistance to the agricultural sector.
Agbayewa said the government had taken steps towards reducing farmers’ production burden, citing the distribution of fertilisers to farmers across 26 states as evidence of its intervention.
“In all sincerity, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has been trying to reduce the cost of production for us farmers, and he has done well. The distribution of fertilisers to farmers across 26 states of the country is a testament to this,” he said.
He also expressed optimism that the Nigeria Forest Security initiative would strengthen security around farming communities and protect farmlands from threats that could undermine agricultural production.
Similarly, farmer and agricultural analyst, Omotunde Banjoko, urged the Federal Government to subsidise farm inputs and introduce policies capable of discouraging the importation of agricultural commodities that can be produced locally.
Banjoko described the President’s commitment to reducing agricultural production costs as a welcome development, particularly amid rising input and operational expenses confronting farmers.
“It is a welcome development that President Tinubu’s administration wants to reduce the cost of production in the agricultural sector. Given the rising cost of production, the promise to reduce production costs is welcome because that is what we have been clamouring for,” he said.
He called on the government to sustain financial support for farmers and ensure that announced agricultural interventions were effectively implemented to achieve their intended objectives.
Banjoko further advocated the provision of mechanisation equipment to farmers at subsidised rates across local government areas, noting that improved access to machinery would increase agricultural output while reducing production expenses.
On his part, strategic agricultural communication expert, Ismail Olawale, said reducing production costs would require a comprehensive understanding of the various stages of the agricultural value chain.
Olawale noted that while the President’s commitment was a positive development, the Federal Government must properly understand the challenges confronting farmers and other stakeholders at every stage of agricultural production, processing, distribution and marketing.
“From all indications and from the President’s speech, ensuring lower production costs in the agriculture sector is a good promise. But for the President to achieve this, with whatever policy he wants to set up or plan, the Presidency needs to understand the value chain across agriculture,” he said.
In his Independence Day address, President Tinubu said his administration would intensify efforts to reduce the cost of living by lowering production and transportation costs across various sectors.
He also highlighted what he described as gains from the government’s economic reforms, including economic growth of more than four per cent, reduced oil theft, improved foreign exchange stability and $6 billion in non-oil exports recorded in 2025.
The President further outlined plans to expand mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, while improving roads, railways and port infrastructure. He also highlighted social intervention programmes, education loans and consumer credit initiatives through CREDICORP as part of efforts to ease economic pressure on Nigerians.
