7,000 farmers get seeds as FG flags off sesames planting in Benue

About 7,000 sesame farmers in Otukpo locality of Benue State were at the weekend given sesame seeds for this year’s planting season. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who performed the flag-off ceremony at Otukpo Odu in Otukpo Local Government of Benue State on Friday, encouraged rural farmers to plant crops […]

About 7,000 sesame farmers in Otukpo locality of Benue State were at the weekend given sesame seeds for this year’s planting season.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who performed the flag-off ceremony at Otukpo Odu in Otukpo Local Government of Benue State on Friday, encouraged rural farmers to plant crops that can fetch them good income in foreign earnings through exports.
 Sesame, also known as beniseed, was introduced to farmers’ cooperatives, with over 7,000 members in the locality around Otukpo, with the support of the minister. 
According to the minister, “The chairperson of the cooperatives led the first delegation to my office. When I checked their records, it was well kept. I was impressed. And I said this was fantastic. I then said I would not let you down. I said let’s go and reorganise all the cooperatives because the season has come for us to turn agriculture to a big business. We are going to train five extension officers for each local government.” 
The minister added, “Nigeria, for so long, forgot agriculture and as a result, we are experiencing terrible poverty here.”  
The traditional ruler, Och’Otukpo Odu, Dr. John Eimonye, explained that Otukpo is “favoured by good weather for agricultural production of most root and cash crops that are found elsewhere in Nigeria such as yams, cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, soya beans, beniseed, maize, guinea corn, citrus, vegetables and livestock.” 
A total of 400 bags, each containing five kilogrammes of sesame, were distributed to over 7,000 farmers, each in a group of cooperatives. A member, or two, from each group was trained who, in turn, are to train others in their respective groups of about 15 each.