Wet season: Farmers in Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa want inputs, security
By Reporters.
Farmers in Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa States have appealed to govenments address insecurity and provide subsidised farming inputs to farmers early as the rains intensify, to enhance food security.
Some of the farmers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, said that security and early provision of inputs and other agro interventions would go a long way to ensure bumper harvest and guarantee food security.
In Lokoja, Mr Caleb Agbaje, a farmer from Adavi Local Government Area, identified inadequate farming equipment as one of the difficulties farmers encounter during wet season farming.
“Insecurity in the country has made it dangerous for farmers to access their lands, harvest crops, or transport produce to markets, impacting food production,” he said.
Alhaji Abdullahi Mamood, a vegetable farmer, said that limited access to farming equipment and technology, which could help to boost farming was another major challenge to many farmers in Kogi.
According to him, most farmers rely on traditional farming methods due to lack of access to modern equipment like tractors, harvesters, irrigation systems, and fertilisers, hindering their ability to optimise yields.
He noted that high cost of inputs like fertilisers, improved seeds and agrochemicals/pesticides had made it difficult for small holder farmers to undertake massive land cultivation for massive food production in the state.
“We are appealing to the government to invest in farmers by implementing irrigation systems, and providing the necessary farm implements including solar-powered pumps, to help farmers overcome the challenges of erratic rainfall and droughts.
“Governments at all levels can also provide support by providing farmers with access to credit facilities, improved infrastructure and market information that can help us to overcome some of the challenges we face,” he said.
Mr Sule Mohammed, a farmers under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP-AF), also appealed to government and security agencies to help address the major challenge of insecurity and ensure provision of modern farm inputs.
“We want the government to help us to address the issue of herdsmen attacks, and destruction of our farmlands, provision of variety of improved seedlings with fertilisers and training, to improve our yield.
“We also need additional intervention in terms of storage facility such as more lock-up shops to keep and preserve our products to sell to the processors,” Mohammed said.
Also, Sadiyat Umar, another farmer, noted that insecurity was impacting negatively on food production and called on government to tackle the menace head-on .
“We are grateful to the VCDP for the dry season bumper harvest, and we are soliciting for more support for the wet season farming,” Umar said.
The farmers also appealed to the VCDP and the Kogi Government for more support and training to enhance their capacity and adopt best agronomic practices, especially for the rainy season.
Meanwhile, Dr. Stella Adejoh, the IFAD-VCDP Kogi State Coordinator, said Kogi VCDP remained committed to supporting small-holder farmers for both dry and wet seasons farming.
According to her, small-holder farmers with two to three hectares of farmland, through farmers’ organisations, including women and youths are being supported in the five pilot schemes of the local governments in Kogi to help them overcome some of the inherent challenges.
She disclosed that more than 3,000 rice farmers had been supported, while a 5,450 of both rice and cassava farmers were supported across the five benefiting local government areas of Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Olamaboro and Kabba-Bunu.
Adejoh assured the farmers of more support during the upcoming wet season farming with the necessary inputs, to build their capacity to use good technologies through best agronomic practices.
However, an agricultural expert, Dr Tunde Arosanyin, raised concerns that the growing insecurity in Kogi West Senatorial District posed a serious threat to agricultural production in the region especially during the wet season.
According to Arosanyin, urgent action is needed to address the security challenges, protect farmers, ensure food security, and safeguard the region’s economic future.
He stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to tackle the security challenges affecting farmers and threatening food production, particularly during the wet season farming.
“There is a pressing need for stakeholders to develop effective strategies to mitigate the impact of insecurity on the agricultural sector in Okunland,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of youth engagement in agribusiness, particularly during this wet season, and the need for adequate support from the political class.
He called for a holistic approach to address the challenges, including promoting tree crop planting, encouraging youth participation in agriculture, and securing stronger political backing for the sector.
In Nasarawa, a cross section of farmers emphasised the need for timely provision of farm inputs in order to boost productivity.
Mr David Alaku, form Lafia raised concern over the delayed distribution of subsidised farm inputs, which he said, had been hindering farmers’ ability to maximise their yield.
He added that due to insecurity and the fear of the unknown, they could not freely go to farms in some rural communities.
He urged the government to increase surveillance in rural settlements to enable farmers to go about their activities without fear.
Also, Gyuni John, a farmer from Akwanga Local Government Area, said the lasted provision of inputs affects crop quality and quantity.
He also appeals to the government to assist genuine farmers with loan facilities to support their activities that would guarantee bumper harvest .
Samuel Titus from the Agyaragu community of Obi LGA, advocated the establishment of community police to enable the personnel to protect rural communities and farmlands.
In Niger, many unskilled labourers in towns have returned to their communities to engage in farming activities.
Alhaji Aliyu Sani, a seasoned farmer from Shiroro, said farmers were optimistic about the new season, thanks to initiatives by the government and agricultural organisations.
“We’re excited to start the new farming season; We have been preparing our lands and are eager to plant our crops.
“With the government’s support, we hope to increase our yields and improve our livelihoods,” he said.
He, however, said farmers were facing several challenges, including flooding, limited access to farm inputs, inadequate funding, and security concerns.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Erena, a farmer from Shiroro, said insecurity was also a major concern, as farmers faced threats from bandits.
“We are worried about the security situation in our communities.
The government needs to do more to protect us from bandits.
“We need more support to adapt to changes and ensure our crops are resilient,” he said.
Also, Mahmud Etsy, a farmer from Mokwa Local Government Area, listed flooding as major challenge farmers faced in the area, saying many of them had already lost their crops worth millions to floods.
He said many farmers in the area lost millions of paddy rice to flood caused by the release of water from the Jebba Hydroelectric Power Dam, which submerged vast stretches of dry-season rice farms.
He said the flooding caused destruction to rice farms in several communities, including Ceganman, Sunti, Jaagi, Ketso, Kpanbo, Kpaceta, Zhiwu, Wuci, and Tate, all in Mokwa Local Government Area.
“Many farmers took loans to purchase inputs and labour, with the hope of repaying after harvest, but the hopes have now been lost,” he said.
He called on the state and Federal Governments to quickly intervene, to avert further flooding in the area.
Meanwhile, Niger Government has reaffirmed its commitment towards empowering farmers to boost food production.
Dr Matthew Ahmed, Permanent Secretary of Niger Ministry of Agriculture, said the state government had implemented a variety of empowerment programmes to support farmers and was doing everything to address insecurity in the affected areas.
He advised farmers to insure their farms against disasters, following recent floods that devastated farmlands in the state.
Ahmed said insuring farms against disasters would provide farmers with financial protection and support during times of crisis.
“Disasters such as floods, droughts, and pests can have devastating effects on farms, leading to significant losses for farmers just like it has happened.
“By insuring their farms, farmers can receive financial compensation for their losses, which would help them to recover quickly and continue farming,” he said.
He attributed the flood to excess water from Kainji and Jebba dams, associated with climate change.
He disclosed that the state government and the affected farmers would be linked with the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) for further intervention.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
