Some women farmers in Bauchi State, have expressed concern over the hike in farmland rental rates and input prices as the 2025 cropping season sets in.
They also decried lack of farmers access to extension and agricultural financing services.
A cross-section of the farmers, who spoke in separate interviews with the Newen on Tuesday in Bauchi, said the trend was negatively impacting their capacities to produce more.
The rental rate ranges between N60,000 and N100,000 per hectre, as against N20,000 and N40,000, during the 2024 season.
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NPK brand of fertilisers was sold between N25,000 and N45,000, as against N18,500 and N40,000, depending on its quality.
While, Urea fertilisers was also sold between N35,000 and N38,500, as against its previous price of N33,000.
Mrs Rahma Mutashi, a maize grower, said the rise in rental rate was a bad sign to small holder farmers, and discouraged productivity.
She said the trend had forced many farmers to reduce the size of lands to be cultivated as they could not afford exorbitant rates.
“I reduced the size of the land this year to enable me to manage farm expenditure. In 2024, I cultivated a two-hectre land, but I can’t afford it anymore,” she said.
Another farmer, Felicia Moses attributed the hikes in rental rate to the increase demand of fertile land, as more people were practicing agriculture.
She blamed landowners of unilateral hike in the rental rates to exploit desperate farmers, adding the trend would negatively impact crop production.
“It is difficult to achieve growth in food production this season in view of the high cost of inputs, labour and rental rates,” she said.
Also, Hajiya Maryam Yalwa, called for early distribution of fertilisers and inputs to the farmers through government agric intervention programmes.
“Last year, the government subsidised fertilisers, and sold to the farmers at N15,000 per bag, as against N21,000 in the open market,” she said.
Reacting, Ibrahim Garba, a land owner, said the rental rates would further go up in view of the increasing demand of lands by individuals, agric and manufacturing companies.
He said the situation was compounded by the farmer population, which was on the increase in the last three years.
This, he said, resulted to competition over agricultural lands and hike in rental rates
“Many families are now cultivating inherited lands collectively to improve food security.
“The trend drastically reduced the availability of land for rent, as even those who previously leased out their plots are now farming on them,” he said.
NAN/Wumi