Food production in Nigeria is declining as many commercial farms have become moribund due to widespread security challenges, according to findings by Daily Trust.
These farms, once prominent along major highways such as the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, Abuja-Keffi-Jos expressway, Abuja-Lokoja highway, and Zaria–Funtua-Gusau road, have largely ceased operations due to banditry and kidnappings.
A Kaduna State House of Assembly member, who owns a farm in Birnin Gwari LGA and prefers to remain anonymous, stated he has abandoned his farm because of bandit activities. “I have no choice but to cease visiting the farm,” he said. “Before assuming office, I regularly checked on the workers and saw the farm thriving, but not anymore.”
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Similarly, Imam Hussaini Udawa, who owns a large farm on the Kaduna-Niger State boundary, has abandoned it out of fear. He lamented the closure, which has left his workers jobless. “I was forced to shut down the farm where I used to harvest over 500 bags annually. Bandits have overrun the area for years,” he said.
Udawa warned that the continued closure of large farms could worsen food security and lead to widespread hunger, also pointing out that many commercial banks in the state have closed due to the severity of the situation.
Hajiya Mairo Ahmadu, a civil servant, shared her family’s ordeal, saying her father had to abandon his large farm in Sokoto because of insecurity. “It was a big farm where cattle were raised for milk production and sale. Due to bandits’ activities, he dares not visit the farm,” she said.
A rice farmer, who wished to remain anonymous, reported abandoning 1,000 hectares of rice fields in Shendam LGA of Plateau State after kidnappers attempted to abduct him on the farm.
Daily Trust also found that a company with extensive land at the federal government’s Gurara irrigation site near Abuja has halted production due to insecurity threatening its staff.
In Taraba State, commercial and medium-scale farmers have similarly been affected. Bashir Haman, who farms in the Kwando area of Ardo-Kola LGA, abandoned his large maize farm last year because of bandit activities. “I had to hire hunters to provide security before I could harvest the maize,” he said.
In Benue State, many large-scale farmers have abandoned their farms in flashpoint areas due to insecurity. Vitalis Tarnongu, a farmer who cultivates rice, cowpea, soybean, and cassava, survived an attack last year but has since abandoned his farms. “I cleared land and prepared a nursery for rice but had to abandon it due to insecurity,” he said.
Omakwu Madaki, a commercial farmer in Umogidi village of Adoka district in Otukpo LGA, has also ceased farming activities on his 600 hectares of land following armed herder attacks. “We lost a whole lot of cassava because we couldn’t harvest in time,” he stressed.
In Yobe State, insurgency has driven many farmers from their land. The restriction on fertiliser supplies to prevent the production of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by terrorists has further impacted crop production. Bukar Adamu, a farmer in Goniri town, Gujba LGA, said many farmers have been affected. Abubakar Bulama, a sesame farmer in Geidam LGA, highlighted that the ban on urea fertiliser has severely affected rice yields.
Abdulrahman Ali Musa, an agronomist, noted that smallholder farmers also suffer from insecurity, stressing that while some large-scale farmers can hire security personnel, smallholders lack such resources.
Architect Kabiru Ibrahim, National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), described a “partial or total collapse of commercial farming in the North Central, North West, and North East” due to insecurity. He called for government intervention to provide subsidies and security to enable large commercial farms to resume productivity.
Amos Banda, an independent agricultural economist, emphasized that the affected regions are key food production hubs. The closure of these farms has contributed to the high cost of food in Nigeria. Malam Isma’ila Bello, another agricultural economist, added that those still operating face increased production costs due to the need for additional security.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture officials stated that the government is working to protect farms, with agro rangers from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) soon to be deployed to guard commercial farms across the country.
