“Government Has Failed Us” — Ondo Farmers Cry Out Over Tractors, Storage and Roads
By Our Correspondent . 23nrd September, 2025.
Farmers in Ondo State are raising alarm over what they describe as government’s total neglect of the agricultural sector, accusing officials of corruption, insincerity, and lack of political will to support genuine Farmers. A farmers expert who has spent years tilling the soil, paints a grim picture of the senerio in an exclusive interaction. According to him, while China is producing mini-tractors that cost as little as ₦5 million to ₦6 million, Nigerian farmers are being pushed toward machines worth over ₦20 million — far beyond their reach.
He argues that the system is riddled with corruption, with most government interventions hijacked by cooperative leaders and civil servants who claim to represent farmers. “The leaders of the cooperatives, in the Nigerian sense of embezzlement and nepotism, corner everything to themselves. They are the so-called beneficiaries. Genuine farmers are left out.”
Beyond tractors, the farmer lamented the absence of storage facilities and preservation technologies to reduce post-harvest losses. He noted that while the federal government had once announced plans to build silos nationwide, “the state is not doing anything.”
Poor infrastructure is another thorn in the flesh. He described how roads to major food-producing communities become impassable for months during the rainy season. “Every year, two or three months, my farm is not accessible in Oke Agunla, Ogbese. It gets overtaken by water. It won’t cost the government much to build a simple bridge. That area is a major food basket of the state, yet it is abandoned,” he said bitterly.
He also pointed out the high cost of running farm machinery due to soaring diesel prices and long distances farmers must cover to access equipment. “If tractors and implements are kept zone by zone, nearer to farmers, costs will reduce. But as things stand, everything is concentrated in the cities.”
Drawing comparisons with Ghana, he said the West African neighbour exempts agricultural equipment from import duties, unlike Nigeria where farmers are forced to pay heavily. “In Ghana, farm implements like (Outboard Engine ) are import duty free. In Nigeria, we pay through the nose, and that is why equipment is so expensive here,” he said.
Asked to rate the government’s performance in agriculture, his response was blunt: “Very, very low. Extremely low.”
