Jigawa farmers face LPG scarcity after switching from petrol

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us Jigawa farmers face LPG scarcity after switching from petrol News October 9, 2026 3:14 pm A queue at an LPG filling station in Hadejia, Jigawa State. Photo: Salisu Kabuga

Farmers in Jigawa State who switched their irrigation pumps from petrol to Liquefied Petroleum Gas to reduce operating costs are now grappling with gas scarcity, rising prices and long queues at filling stations.

The farmers, who mainly cultivate rice and wheat through irrigation, told PUNCH Online that LPG sells for between N1,450 and N1,500 per kilogramme at conventional filling stations, while roadside vendors charge about N1,700 per kilogramme.

They said the product had become difficult to obtain across several communities, forcing some farmers to spend hours queuing or go without the gas needed to pump water to their crops.

Jigawa is predominantly an agrarian state, where many farmers depend on irrigation during the dry season and periods of inadequate rainfall.

With petrol costs putting pressure on their operations, some farmers have switched to LPG in search of cheaper alternatives. However, the reported scarcity and price increases have created fresh difficulties for those who rely on gas-powered pumps.

A 42-year-old farmer in Hadejia, Musa Bawa, told PUNCH Online that only a few filling stations were consistently supplying LPG in the area.

“At present, only AA Rano and Three Brothers gas stations are prominent in supplying the product across Hadejia and environs, a development that has worsened the queues.

“Farmers now go out as early as 4 am to join long queues and remain in line till 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. before getting the product.

“At the black market, the situation is even worse as LPG is sold for about N1,700 per kg, with under-filling of cylinders adding to the farmers’ frustration,” Bawa said.

Another farmer, Adamu Hussain, from Tashena village, described the situation as unbearable.

“We join the gas-buying queue from 4 pm until 9 p.m., and sometimes we don’t get it. We are suffering,” Hussain said.

Suleiman Musa, a farmer from Matsaro village, said the queues began before daybreak, with some farmers sleeping at filling stations while waiting for sales to commence.

“At 3 am I saw farmers sleeping on the floor at the gas station along Kano Road, waiting for them to open. This is what we go through every day,” Musa said.

Haruna Guri, a farmer from Guri Local Government Area, accused black-market traders of worsening the scarcity by buying large quantities of gas as soon as supplies arrived.

“As soon as the gas is brought, black market traders are at the forefront of buying it in bulk to resell to us at high prices. We need urgent intervention,” Guri stated.

For rice farmers, the shortage threatens production because their crops require regular watering.

Ibrahim Dan-Borno, a farmer in Auyo, said the lack of gas had left some farmers unable to irrigate their fields for days.

“We converted to LPG to alleviate our suffering, but now we spend days without irrigating our farms because there is no gas. Our crops are at risk, considering the nature of this year’s rainy season with not much water as expected,” Dan-Borno said.

The farmers called on the government and relevant stakeholders to intervene, while some linked the rising cost and scarcity to the Federal Government’s management of the product.

Confirming the situation, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria in Jigawa State, Idris Yau Maiunguwa, said he had personally observed queues at filling stations in Hadejia and other parts of the state.

“I have seen the queue myself recently while passing along filling stations in Hadejia domain and some areas in the state,” Maiunguwa said.

Maiunguwa said that although the affected farmers had not formally submitted a complaint to the association, AFAN would write to the government and relevant authorities to draw attention to the problem.

“Though the complaint was not officially written to us by the affected farmers, the association will still write to the government and relevant authorities, drawing their attention to ensure they do the needful in earnest,” he said.

He warned that prolonged scarcity could undermine farm output and national food security targets.

“If this continues, the problem is capable of affecting the expected farming outcome by the farmers and the food security targets of the country,” he added.

As part of efforts to ease the burden on irrigation farmers, Maiunguwa said AFAN had recently facilitated the distribution of solar-powered pumping machines to some farmers in collaboration with relevant Jigawa State government authorities.

“Not very long ago, through our foresight and collaboration with relevant government authorities in Jigawa State, some solar-powered pumping machines were distributed to some irrigation farmers in the state with a payback timeline of two years, and the programme will be continued,” he said.

He assured farmers that the association would continue to explore alternative energy sources to support agricultural production in the state.

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