…AFAN chairman stressed the importance of protecting farmers and farmlands to guarantee national food security.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The iNews Times| The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State Chapter, has blamed the rising cost of food items across the country on the activities of middlemen, increasing transportation expenses, and fertiliser shortages.
Acting Chairman of AFAN in Lagos State, Sakin Agbayewa, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
According to Agbayewa, middlemen often take advantage of festive periods such as the upcoming Ileya (Sallah) celebration to hoard food items and resell them at inflated prices for profit.
“There is no doubt that food prices are currently rising across the country, but some of the factors are man-made,” he said.
“We are approaching the Ileya celebration, and foodstuff, especially vegetables, usually become more expensive during festive periods. The middlemen are already buying up food items and reselling them at higher prices. This has become a recurring trend during major celebrations.”
He called on governments at all levels to take deliberate action against exploitative practices by middlemen in order to protect consumers during festive seasons.
Agbayewa also linked the rising food prices to disruptions in global supply chains, particularly the scarcity of fertilisers caused by ongoing tensions involving the United States, Iran, and Israel.
According to him, the situation has affected fertiliser imports and significantly increased production costs for farmers.
“Ships are not coming in as expected, fertilisers are scarce, and the little available is expensive,” he explained.
He, however, noted that the government, through the National Agricultural Development Fund and the Lagos State Government, plans to distribute free fertilisers to farmers to ease the burden.
The AFAN chairman further identified the soaring cost of transportation as another major factor driving up food prices nationwide.
“The cost of moving food items from farms to markets has increased significantly, and this is reflected in market prices,” he said.
“The government needs to address the rising logistics costs before the situation worsens.”
Agbayewa stressed the importance of protecting farmers and farmlands to guarantee national food security, adding that increased agricultural productivity would boost employment, economic stability, and peace across the country.
“When there is food security, there is peace of mind, employment and security in the country,” he added.
