The House of Representatives on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently introduce policies to stabilise farm produce prices amid growing concerns over mounting losses by farmers across the country.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Bamidele Salam, who represents Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency of Osun State, during plenary.
Presenting the motion, Salam described agriculture as a key pillar of Nigeria’s economy, warning that a sharp decline in prices of staple crops such as cassava, rice and yams is already affecting farmers’ livelihoods and investments.
He said the trend has led to significant financial losses for farmers who invested heavily in seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, transportation and labour, often through loans and cooperative schemes.
According to him, weak post-harvest systems—including the absence of structured off-taking arrangements, inadequate storage facilities, limited agro-processing capacity and poor market linkages—have worsened farmers’ exposure to market volatility.
Salam cautioned that failure to address the situation could force many farmers out of business, reduce agricultural productivity and threaten national food security through shortages, inflation and increased dependence on imports.
Lawmakers therefore urged the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and relevant agencies to establish structured off-taking arrangements and price support mechanisms to cushion the effects of falling farm-gate prices.
The House also called for expanded investment in storage, processing and market access infrastructure, including strategic grain reserves and agro-processing zones, to reduce post-harvest losses and stabilise prices.
In addition, the chamber mandated its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to investigate the causes of the persistent price decline and report back within two weeks.
The lawmakers’ intervention comes amid a widening gap between falling farm-gate prices in producing communities and persistently high food prices in urban markets, a trend experts warn could discourage agricultural investment and weaken Nigeria’s long-term food security.
