When sugarcane farms across Kura Local Government Area of Kano State started failing at the same time, farmers knew something was wrong. Large areas of farmland were destroyed, harvests were lost and years of hard work disappeared. The problem was later linked to a destructive insect known as Eldana saccharina, the African sugarcane borer.
Agro Climate News reports that sugarcane farmers lost billions of naira in the just concluded sugarcane farming season due to a strange disease that destroyed their farms. It was later discovered to be a deadly sugarcane borer.
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Nigeria’s sugarcane industry has expanded in recent years, with an estimated about 100,000 hectares now under cultivation nationwide. National raw sugarcane output is put at over three million tonnes annually, yet local sugar production remains far below demand. Nigeria produces less than 50,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar each year, compared to national demand of about 1.7 to 1.8 million metric tonnes, making the country heavily dependent on imports.
Northern states, including Kano, are key sugarcane-producing areas, with communities such as Kura and parts of southern Kano playing an important role in local supply and rural employment.
In Kano State, farmers and local leaders estimate that the recent outbreak of the African sugarcane borer has caused losses running into billions of naira across affected communities. In Kura Local Government Area alone, farmers report that large sections of farmland were destroyed, with some estimating combined losses of over ₦2 billion, while individual farmers lost millions of naira each in a single season. The scale of the damage has raised concerns about livelihoods, rural employment and the wider impact on sugarcane production in northern Nigeria if the pest is not quickly brought under control.
As the crisis deepened, intervention came through an unusual but effective partnership between Himma Radio, a community radio station dedicated to reporting Agriculture in Kano, and researchers from Bayero University Kano (BUK).
Himma Radio first brought the problem to public attention after farmers began calling into its agricultural programmes to report widespread crop failure. The station followed up with field visits to sugarcane-producing communities including Dukawa, Kunshama, Danga, Tofa, Kwari, Gamadan, Yadagungume, Tudu and Gidan Makera, confirming the scale of destruction.
In response, the station linked affected farmers with crop protection experts from BUK, who collected samples from damaged farms. Laboratory analysis confirmed the pest as Eldana saccharina, a stem borer known for attacking sugarcane and other cereal crops.
“This level of infestation is extremely worrying,” said Dr Baba Sani Wudil of BUK’s Department of Crop Protection. “The pest has existed in Nigeria for years, but the intensity of damage in these communities is unusually high.”
According to Dr Wudil, the larvae bore into sugarcane stalks, weakening the plants and sharply reducing yields. Beyond sugarcane, the pest also attacks sorghum, millet, wheat, rice and maize, raising broader food security concerns.
Using Himma Radio’s platform, BUK researchers began educating farmers on practical ways to manage the outbreak. On-air discussions and community meetings focused on integrated pest management, rather than heavy dependence on chemical pesticides.
Dr Wudil advised farmers to practise crop rotation and proper farm sanitation to disrupt the pest’s life cycle. He also recommended the use of bio-pesticides such as neem oil and neem seed extracts, warning that overuse of chemicals has led to resistance among the larvae.
“Farmers need to combine methods,” he said. “Relying only on chemicals is no longer effective.”
For many farmers, the intervention came after devastating losses but provided clarity and hope. Shehu Danga, a sugarcane farmer in Kura, said he lost more than ₦6 million this season.
“We could not harvest even a single stalk in some fields,” he said. “But now we understand what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again.”
Another farmer, Hassan Ubale Shawai, said his earnings dropped sharply compared to last year. “I made over ₦6.8 million last season, but this year I didn’t even make one-third of that,” he said. “Listening to the experts on radio helped us understand the problem.”
Beyond information sharing, Himma Radio also launched a small support fund to assist the most affected farmers, helping them cope with immediate needs such as feeding their families and paying labourers.
“Our responsibility as a community radio station is to connect people with solutions,” said Himma Radio’s Station Manager, Ismail Yusuf Makwarari. “We gave farmers a voice and brought researchers to the table.”
Community leaders say the intervention has been timely but stress that government involvement remains crucial. The Village Head of Danhassan, Alhaji Adda’u Sani, said sugarcane farming is the main source of livelihood for most households in the area.
“We appreciate the role of Himma Radio and BUK researchers,” he said. “But we need government support, relief packages and a permanent solution to this pest.”
Dr Wudil agreed, stressing that sustained research funding is essential. He revealed that a PhD student at BUK has begun detailed research on Eldana saccharina but faces funding constraints.
“Without adequate funding, research cannot progress,” he said, calling on government and relevant agencies to invest in developing pest-resistant sugarcane varieties.
BUK has already notified national agricultural authorities, warning that failure to contain the infestation could see it spread to other sugarcane-producing states.
For now, the collaboration between Himma Radio and BUK offers a practical example of how local media and scientific research can work together to protect farmers’ livelihoods. As the next planting season approaches, many sugarcane farmers in Kano are hoping that timely knowledge — shared over the airwaves and backed by science — will help them reclaim their farms.
Agro Climate News
