The exorbitant cost of fertiliser – which has leapt from ₦8,000 to ₦40,000 – has pushed farmers to use organic manure to cultivate their crops

The prohibitive cost of fertiliser has forced many farmers in Borno State to leave their lands and seek other ways to make a living – but some have gone back to their roots and are using organic manure to cultivate their lands.

The cost of fertiliser has skyrocketed. A 25kg bag used to cost about ₦8,000, now it costs ₦40,000. And one bag doesn’t go far.

The hike has left irrigation farmers floundering.

The price of fertiliser began to soar when the then newly elected president, Bola Tinubu, scrapped the fuel subsidy in July last year.

Immediately the price of fuel – and all other commodities – increased. This was compounded by the ailing naira and ever-rising inflation.

Nigerians – particularly the poor and indigent – have been struggling to put food on the table. Even basic goods are out of reach for many.

The role of farmers has never been more important but many have had to leave their lands in search of other work because of the rising costs associated with agriculture, including equipment, fuel to run generators to pump water to their fields, and.fertiliser.

Abdul Bashir, an irrigational farmer from Fariya, an agrarian community in Maiduguri, Borno State, said he resorted to the old practice of using organic manure because he could not afford fertiliser.

The manure consists of slaughterhouse refuse and biological waste – bones, tendons, skin, parts of the gastro-intestinal tract and blood that cannot be sold as meat products.

“I used to buy a 25kg bag of NPK fertiliser for ₦8,000. Now one bag costs ₦40,000. The massive hike forced me to go back to using manure. As a smallholder farmer, I simply cannot afford fertiliser at the current cost. It was a choice – leave farming and look for other work or go back to my roots.

“Manure is a lot cheaper. The price of a 50kg bag of manure is ₦1,000. I usually pay for a mini pick-up vehicle to collect the manure. That costs ₦5,000. I have to buy many bags that I use for several acres.

“Sometimes I collaborate with other farmers and together we put in money for transport. That helps to bring the cost down even more.”

Bashir said many other smallholder farmers were now using manure instead of fertiliser.

“The only thing that worries me is the effectiveness of organic manure. I will see if it affects the output.”

But Isa Bukar Kumshe, a lecturer at the Mohammed Lawan College of Agriculture in Maiduguri, said animal waste was ideal for soil and he highly recommended its use.

“It is rich in nutrients and will make the soil more fertile. It is long-lasting and contains everything farmers need to grow their crops. And it is much cheaper than fertiliser.

“At this time when costs of everything are soaring, I would recommend that farmers use manure instead of costly fertiliser.”

The demand for manure has created work for formerly unemployed young people.

Usman Sale, 27, said he had been struggling to get a job for four years.

“I tried everywhere but could not find work. Then, a few months ago, I heard that more farmers were using organic manure instead of fertiliser. I decided to start a business processing and selling manure. I buy the animal waste from abattoirs. It is cheap. Abattoir owners are only too pleased to get rid of it.

“It is turning out to be a lucrative business. Many smallholder farmers are now my customers. And I don’t only sell it to farmers in Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State. I have customers in Potiskum in Yobe State, Azare in Bauchi State and Zaria in Kaduna State.”

Sale said he knew of quite a few young people who had started their own businesses and were now selling manure to smallholder farmers.

“We have jobs and we can feed our families. We are happy and the farmers are happy. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

FALMATA MOHAMMED ALI