100 days after Boko Haram attack, Zabarmari rice farmers still off farms
But the attack by insurgents on farmers in nearby Koshebe village, Mafa Local Government Area, late last year has made rice farming almost non-existent
Road to Zabarmari
Over100 days since the gruesome murder of rice farmers in Koshebe, near Zabarmari, in Borno State. Daily Trust reports that many farmers in the area have abondoned their rice fields ever since.
Many people reportedly ventured into rice farming in Zabarmari because of the presence of soft, puddled and water saturated soil conditions which led to high yield; it was profitable.
But the attack by insurgents on farmers in nearby Koshebe village, Mafa Local Government Area, late last year has made rice farming almost non-existent. All the 43 farmers killed were from Zabarmari village, a resident, Bashir Mikail, has said.
Farmers say they are scared of going to their farmlands because of the possibility of unforeseen attacks by the insurgents to the extent that they suffered losses due to depredation by birds. Farmers left the paddy fields shortly after the attack.
The victims, who were working on their farms, were slaughtered by insurgents for no known reason in November last year.
Commander Ishaka Aliyu Zabarmari said he had abandoned his farm due to intense feelings of fear and had lost all his rice plants.
“I am a small-scale farmer in Zabarmari but grow at least seven hectares of rice annually. We left the mature rice crop in the field after the killing of our colleagues by the insurgents. The rice was almost at the final stage of growth because the leaf stem that concealed the developing panicle had started bulging.
“And because we could neither work on the fields nor inspect the plants, pests and birds descended on them,” he said.
According to him, there were seasons when farmers got higher yields than usual and a bag of rice that had not been threshed was sold for between N12, 000 and N24, 000.
“All things being equal, I would have harvested at least 60 bags of rice worth over N2m but I could not due to the insurgents’ attacks and abductions,” he said.
He noted that on different occasions, the government had offered support to rice farmers but “I have not benefited from any; maybe I will in the future.”
Auwalu Ado, a rice grower at Gudda – a hamlet close to Koshebe, said the incident greatly terrified him and that he had not returned to his farm since then.
“I grow five hectares of rice in the area annually but last year, I was unable to harvest the crop due to fear of being attacked, in fact birds have fed on the rice. We could not go there and keep birds away. Besides, the insurgents burnt most of the rice fields after killing the farmers,” he said.
“I was planning to harvest the rice and sell over half of it for profit. This would have enabled me to tackle some domestic problems. I do not think of going back to the area to cultivate any crop unless there is assurance from the security forces of our safety,” he said.
The Secretary Jere Rice Traders Association, Mikail Mohammed Zabarmari, said most of the members of the association were startled by the killing of the farmers who supplied them with the commodity. He said most of the members of the group were also rice growers whose livelihood was affected by the dastardly attack.
He said, “To allay the fears of the farmers, we sent reports to different authorities over the plight of our members and requested for additional security. Governor Babagana Zulum attended the funeral of the deceased farmers and promised to strengthen security in the area. Security personnel were sent to the area but they could do better.
“I grew three hectares of rice in the area which I did not harvest because we have to consider our safety first and so, abandoned farming activities in the area. I have six hectares in two other locations which I also left to rot. And because there was no one to protect the crop from birds and insects, the farm produce worth millions was destroyed,” he said.
He explained that many farmers have not returned to the area since after the attack last year and were likely to stay away in the next cropping season if the security situation did not improve.
He said Zabarmari farmers grew enough rice to meet the demand in Maiduguri and environs but there was growing concern that the level of rice production has reduced and the quantity produced may not be sufficient for local consumption.
“During the previous harvest season, we noticed decline in the quantity of rice that was supplied to retailers in Gamboru market from Zabarmari and many traders had to go to Makarfi, Hadejia, Birnin Kebbi, Gombe, Tumbi, Askira-Uba and some parts of Taraba State to buy and supply rice. This was as a result of a shortfall in supply,” he said.
Conversely, another grower, Bashir Mikail, said many people have embraced rice cultivation in the dry season because enough water was released from the Alo Dam and may outweigh the yield of the rain-fed farming. He said farms in Koshebe where the attack took place could be left fallow during the rainy season.
Also, Chairman Jere Rice Traders Association, Yusuf Tahir, said the government had actually provided adequate support for the farmers to evacuate their produce from the farms shortly after the attack. He said tractors were provided by the government which transported harvested rice from farms to storage and processing areas free of charge. He said troops deployed to the area escorted farmers to their respective rice fields.
“Rice was in short supply at the Zabarmari market because the suppliers who are mainly farmers deserted the market and their farms located in remote areas like Koshebe. But as time went on, the situation began to return to normal and rice dealers and suppliers were assured of their safety. Farmers are gradually clearing their farms located in faraway areas and we are of the view that the next season will be successful. The Alo dam has supplied enough water for the dry season farming,” he said.