Nigeria: How maize price pushed more Katsina farmers into massive cultivation

Despite the insecurity that prevented many farmers from accessing their farms, the volume of maize cultivated in Katsina State this year is said to be unprecedented in the last ten years. According to the farmers, high cost of the produce and the general food crisis compelled them to produce more. Sani Aliyu, a farmer in Malumfashi, said farmers have learned their lessons from the general high cost of living, hence they concentrated more on food production this farming season. “It got to a point where a 100kg bag of maize was sold for N97,000 in this zone and in other zones, N100,000, with many households going to bed on empty stomach. As you can see, farmers have done their best by massively cultivating maize this season to mitigate the food crisis we are experiencing,” he said. Aliyu added that from Sabua Local Government Area in the southern part of the state to Danmusa, Dutsinma, Kurfi, Kankiya, Charanchi in the northern part, maize was cultivated with very high hopes of ...