Farm gate self-defeating,recipe for food insecurity

Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development yesterday released the 2026 farm gate prices, a minimum buyers can offer farmers for their produce all things being equal. But the prices raise a dire question: How can farmers continue to produce when prices fall below the cost of production? While authorities face a delicate balancing act of keeping maize prices low to tame inflation, the current pricing structure appears dangerously disconnected from the realities on the ground.

Today, farmers invest heavily in essential inputs, including fertiliser, seed, labour and transport. These costs have climbed steadily, turning agriculture into an increasingly risky and expensive venture. Therefore, by setting farm gate prices that fail to reflect these overheads, the government is effectively forcing farmers to operate at a loss.

This is not only unrealistic, but also fundamentally unfair. While low maize prices may provide short-term relief for consumers, they come at the expense of the producers who sustain the entire food system. A policy that protects the buyer while neglecting the producer is unsustainable.

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If farmers cannot recover their costs, they will inevitably scale back production or abandon the fields altogether. This concern is most acute for smallholder farmers who lack the cushion of subsidies. For them, farming is not just a business; it is a matter of survival.

Without fair pricing, their ability to produce—even for their own households— is under threat. The government must clearly explain the rationale behind these figures. Transparency is critical, but alignment with economic reality is even more so.

History warns us that when prices are artificially suppressed, unintended consequences follow. To avoid a cycle of hoarding, artificial shortages, and eventual price spikes that undermine the very goal of inflation control, the State must ensure that the “reward” for farming actually covers the “cost” of the harvest.

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