An Ogun State-based farmer, who has been doing full-time vegetable farming for about five years, Mr. Raheem Akinsanya, of Awetan Farms International, located at Igan Okoto, Yewa North, has sounded the alarm on the challenges faced by cucumber farmers in the Southwest region of Nigeria.
Lamenting about the disparity in cost and market price of cucumbers in some place in Southwest Nigeria, he stated, “Farmers are really in mess. Cost of production of a bag of cucumber is about 6,800, if you have good yield, excluding cost of transportation; which is 1500 per bag”. Farmer Akinsanya complained that many farmers are frustrated as some do not yet know how to utilise organics for fertiliser as well as solar energy in order to reduce costs. Earlier, on a farmers’ community page, named Joshua’s Farm House, where he had asked for how much a bag was selling for in Ibadan, Akinsanya expressed his shock at the response of N6,000 – N7,000 per bag for the selling price in Ibadan, Oyo State, a neighbouring state.
He lamented; “Now we are selling cucumber the same price we sell four years ago when petrol was N180, seeds N10,000, NPK was N8,500 and MOP was N26,000. We still sell at the same price when petrol now go for N650 per Litre, seeds turn to N22,500 for 50g, NPK for N35,000 and MOP turns to N55,000. This means that farmers are just working for agents in the market. Farmers keep buying chemicals, seeds and fertilizers while the agents keep building houses and buying cars. No loan, grants for farmers especially in the Southwest. We are in deep mess. We now farm because we don’t have any means of income. Just to feed ourselves”.
“The only thing that can save farmers is to sell minimum at N10,000 per bag. If we sell lower than that, then we would have to keep praying you have more than six harvests, which most times, is not realistic in cucumber”, he added. Speaking on fair price for a bag of cucumber; he said “A bag should not be less than N10,000 in this period. But if I see buyers at N8,000, I’ll be happy”. This disparity between the rising production costs and stagnant market prices paints a dire picture for cucumber farmers like Akinsanya, prompting a deeper examination of the systemic challenges affecting the agriculture sector in the region.
On the way forward, collective action and collaboration among farmers hold immense potential in addressing the broader challenges of cost and market price disparities in the agriculture sector. In a chat with FarmingFarmersFarms, Farmer Akinsanya highlights the critical role of unity among farmers, emphasising that a collective approach could empower them to negotiate better prices for their produce. By forming cooperatives or alliances, farmers can pool resources, share knowledge on cost-effective farming practices, and collectively market their products, potentially bypassing middlemen, who often contribute to the current market price woes. Furthermore, collaborative efforts enable farmers to explore bulk purchasing of inputs, reducing individual production costs.
This shared knowledge and resource pool could also open avenues for exploring alternative and sustainable farming practices, such as organic fertilizers and solar energy, which may contribute to cost savings in the long run. In the face of limited financial support and grants for farmers in the Southwest, collective action becomes a means of self-empowerment. By advocating for policy changes and seeking government support as a united front, farmers can address systemic issues affecting the agriculture sector. This collaborative advocacy could potentially lead to the development of more farmer-friendly policies, access to loans, and grants tailored to the unique challenges faced by cucumber farmers and others in the region. In essence, the call for collective action echoes the necessity for a united front among farmers to, not only to weather the current challenges, but also to proactively shape a more sustainable and equitable future for agriculture in the Southwestern, Nigeria.
