Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Distribution and Supply of Agricultural and Farm Inputs in Southeast; Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the distribution and supply of agricultural and farm inputs in Southeast Nigeria. It therefore, assessed the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the distribution and supply of agricultural inputs, identified agricultural inputs distributed during the COVID-19 lockdown, examined the challenges encountered in the distribution of agricultural inputs during the COVID-19 lockdown, evaluated the implications of shortage of agricultural inputs on agricultural production, and proposed strategies for effective distribution of agricultural inputs during COVID-19 or other disasters. Descriptive survey design was used for this study. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The study established that the COVID-19 lockdown adversely affected the distribution of agricultural and farm inputs in the study area. The most distributed agricultural inputs during the COVID-19 lockdown include improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, veterinary drugs, animal feeds, and farm equipment. The effect of lockdown on the distribution of agricultural inputs resulted in production constraints such as low yield, high production costs, low income, low agricultural productivity, and food insecurity. The challenges faced in the distribution of agricultural and farm inputs during the COVID-19 lockdown comprised of disruption to transportation routes, disruption to supply chains, high transportation costs, and limited access to agro-inputs markets. The respondents suggested that boosting agricultural production requires strengthening agricultural supply chains, promoting local production of farm inputs, developing efficient transportation systems, creating agricultural input stockpiles, enhancing government agricultural support programmes, adopting digital platforms for agricultural input distribution, and encouraging partnership between the public and private sectors. The study concludes that there is a need to ensure effective agricultural input distribution system and emergency preparedness to avert the adverse effects of agricultural input shortage on agricultural production during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.