…NPK’s 50kg more expensive than bag of maize
The average price of NPK has surged by 41 percent over the past year, forcing farmers to abandon food crops in favour of cash crops that require less synthetic manure.
Food crops such as maize, rice, cassava, yam and vegetables require large amounts of fertilizer to thrive, while cash crops like sesame, sorghum, soybeans, groundnuts, cotton, millet and ginger can grow with relatively little, farmers say.
Fertilizer prices
The average cost of fertilisers has increased significantly, with a 50kg bag of NPK – a fertiliser blend mostly used by millions smallholder farmers – rising from an average of N43,000 to N60,500 within a year, indicating a 41 percent increase.
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BusinessDay market survey further shows that the average price of a 50kg bag of urea sells for N51,000 as against N36,500 sold 10 months ago, indicating a 40 percent increase in price. A 50kg bag of NPK15:15:15 now sells for an average of N60,500. The NPK 20:10:10 sells for N61,000 as against N35,000 per 50kg seen a year ago and N23,700 in 2023. This represents a 74 percent and 157 percent respective increases over the period.
The granulated diammonium phosphate (GADP) sells for N95,000 while single super phosphate is currently scarce in the market.
Farmers speak
Abubakar Aliu, a millet farmer in Taraba, said farmers are switching from maize and rice cultivation to other crops owing to the high cost of fertiliser, noting that they equally hope to get high returns on their investments.
“I didn’t cultivate maize this year owing to the high cost of fertiliser,” Aliu said, revealing that he had to switch to millet and sesame to remain profitable.
“How do I make profit after buying a bag of NPK 15:15:15 for N60,000, and I need at least six bags for a hectare to cultivate my maize farm?” he asked. “That is N360,000 for fertiliser alone, among other costs I will still incur,” he added.
He explained that cultivating a hectare of maize costs N1.1 million, yet yields only 2.5 tons and 3 tons. With the current price of N400,000 per ton, the venture won’t be profitable, he said.
Bala Mohammed, a farmer in Kebbi, said farming has been very tough and the situation is getting worse with the surging fertiliser prices.
“I have switched from cultivating maize and rice to growing sorghum and soybeans because their prices are attractive and require less fertiliser,” he said.
“You can imagine a 50kg bag of NPK 20:10:10 selling at N61,000. It is more expensive than the current price of a 100kg bag of maize which is N40,000,” Mohammed said.
Fertilisers were subsidised for farmers under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative through the Anchor Borrowers Programme, which has been suspended indefinitely by the President Tinubu administration over corruption.
High global fertilizer prices
Experts attributed the high costs of fertilisers to the high cost of raw materials for blenders. Globally, fertiliser prices have continued to surge with the World Bank’s fertiliser price index up 15 percent since the start of 2025.
Nigeria imports 34 percent of the raw materials needed to produce different blends of NPK, which is used by millions of smallholder farmers.
The country gets all of its diammonium phosphate (DAP) from Morocco, muriate of potash from Russia, and granular ammonium sulphate from China. All three raw materials are used to produce NPK.
“The high cost of fertiliser is forcing lots of farmers to reduce their production areas while some are shifting to crops that have high market and economic value,” said Abiodun Olorundenro, managing partner at Prasinos Farms.
Food insecurity at risk
The recent shift of farmers from cultivating traditional staples to cash crops sparks concern about food security in the country.
Despite the enormous potential in the country’s agricultural sector, Nigeria is yet to leverage its opportunities to boost food production sustainably.
Of a total of 79 million hectares of agricultural land, only 44 percent have been cultivated. Nigeria is currently faced with inadequate food production, which led to the importation of N1.9 trillion worth of food in 2022.
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A weak farming sector is a threat to the government’s food security agenda, as farmers reduce farm sizes and shift to cash crops, experts say.
“This will worsen our food insecurity because fertiliser is a critical input for crop cultivation,” Olorundenro said. “We must ensure fertiliser affordability to be able to boost productivity and attain food security,” he added.
Nigeria has a high demand-supply gap for most of its staple foods, as the country’s population growth of 2.6 percent per annum rises faster than its food production.
Olorundenro explained that if the shift by farmers to cash crops continues, the country will experience a significant decline in maize and rice production, which are two major staples highly consumed by the population.
“The shortfall might result in surging prices, especially for maize and rice next year,” he said. “The upsurge will hurt the economy, deepening poverty,” he added.
