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The journey has been full of ups and downs but the interesting thing is that when we started in the early 90s, the enthusiasm was low but over time the interest has grown, especially around within late nineties & 2000 when a lot of peri urban dairy & commercial farms came onboard within the country. But the issue of cattle rustling and kidnapping has decimated most of these farms to an abysmally low level, especially in Northern Nigeria.....
According to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in August 2024, Nigeria had declared a non-oil export sector impressive growth in the first half of the year by generating $2.7 billion in revenue. This development led to a surge in the prices of staple food and cash crops. It was also projected that the price would continue to surge in 2025. However, recent reports indicate that food and cash crops market in Nigeria was witnessing a decline in the prices, especially in the northern part of the country.
The cost of a kilogram of beef and mutton has risen from 1,500 in 2023 to over 7,000 in some markets across the country. Similarly, the price of a cow, which ranged between 200,000 and 450,000 depending on size and weight, now falls between 450,000 and 900,000, with even higher prices in some eastern and western markets.
Tomato producers in Kano and other parts of the nation have been dealing with a devastating outbreak of a disease known as tuta absoluta, which is frequently referred to as tomato ebola, for the past several years.
Women crop farmers and pastoralists in Benue State are taking the lead to improve on their income and better the lives of their households as they unite to seek better options to develop their trade.
Many poultry farmers are currently facing challenges related to low egg consumption as a result of customers’ decreasing purchasing power and the demise of government schemes like the school feeding programme and other initiatives.
The state, which witnessed influx of irrigation farmers from across the country at the beginning of this year’s dry season farming, is now a hub of paddy rice following bumper harvest being witnessed by farmers.Â
Triggered by the frequent overflow of River Gurara, the flooding has displaced many from their primary occupations of farming and fishing. Once-thriving farmlands that produced maize, rice and cassava in commercial quantities have now been silted and abandoned.
First of all, one needs to get land, depending on his or her capacity, because rubber farming is capital intensive. After you get the land, you prepare it and get seedlings for planting. We get seedlings from Okomu Rubber Research Institute, Estate plantation, as well as some individuals who have nurseries, but it is not cheap. A seedling costs N400, and for you to plant one hectare, you need 1500 seedlings; that’s a lot of money. You also need chemicals and fertilizers to enable you to get a better yield.
The biggest obstacle ginger farmers in South Africa face is securing enough land to allow for at least a four-year rest period before replanting. Limpopo farmer, Ika Cronjé spoke to Lindi Botha about how she solved this problem by turning to hydroponic production.