(Ecofin Agency) - Manufacturing companies and the poultry industry in Nigeria have been hard hit by an 83% increase in the price of maize as a result of persistent armyworm infestation.

A metric ton of maize is now being sold at N183, 130 in Lagos compared to the N100, 000 per ton in June 2016, according to Novus Agro, an agro commodity price tracker.

Findings by BusinessDay have shown that the price of dry maize has remained at an average of N140, 000 per ton across the country since July 2016. Due to this, poultry farmers and manufacturers who use maize as a raw material at factories have been affected, as this had increased their production cost.

“The armyworm infestation, which affected a lot of farmlands in the South-West is still ravaging farmlands, especially in the Northern region now. Farmers are putting measures in place to ensure their farms are not affected by the outbreak so as not to suffer a loss on their investments,” Tunji Ademola, the National President of Maize Association of Nigeria (MAN) said.

Ademola noted that the Federal Government is yet to put enough measures in place to help farmers curb the infestation.

According to a wire report, 22 out of Nigeria’s 36 states have been affected since the outbreak of armyworm last year June. Many losses have been sustained in the affected states and farmers have predicted another decline in the country’s maize production.

Between April and May, Nigeria spent $15.2 million on maize imports. This amount equates 70,000 metric tons of maize, at a current market price of $217 per metric ton. In 2016, the nation imported 300,000 tons of maize to support domestic production which stands at 7.2 million tons.

Anita Fatunji