Beni-seed farming boosting farmers’ income in Katsina

Several agricultural marketing companies that are competing for the purchase of the produce from farmers have led to the rush as most farmers have abandoned the farming of food crops like maize, wheat, millet and corn for beni-seed.The crop which is normally planted between June to be harvested by October, is a huge cash venture […]

Several agricultural marketing companies that are competing for the purchase of the produce from farmers have led to the rush as most farmers have abandoned the farming of food crops like maize, wheat, millet and corn for beni-seed.
The crop which is normally planted between June to be harvested by October, is a huge cash venture with about $20 million dollars’ worth of the seed being traded annually from the country with majority of it coming from Benue, Nasarawa, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states.
In 2013 alone, one of the major commercial merchants of the produce, Olam Company, was said to have purchased beni-seed worth over N250 million from farmers in Katsina State. This is aside other bulk buyers like Watcot and several others who go through agents to buy the produce from farmers.
Another interesting step that is encouraging mass production of the commodity in the readiness of the marketing companies to provide seeds and sometimes even pay the farmer in advance to produce for them.
Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Umar YauGwajo-Gwajo, said farming beni-seed is the surest way to the banks as the commodity is never without marketers scrambling for it, saying farmers are now interested in cultivating beni-seed because of its marketable potential.
He said marketing companies thronged farms to discuss with farmers and even give them training on new farming of beni-seed, noting that the readily available market for the crop has made its cultivation very attractive.
“Last year alone, about 600 tonnes was cultivated by farmers in the state and I am sure this year it will be more giving the increasing number of farmers that went into its production this year. Our major problem is we can’t even meet the demands of the buyers.
“We are looking forward to more companies coming to patronise us in groundnut, and other farm produce. That will lead to massive return to the farm by the people. It is having such patronage that will lead to enhanced reduction in idleness and unemployment among the nation’s teeming youth.
“We want government to continue to provide the needed environment that would attract more companies so that our farmers will continue to strive to meet their requests as they equally make returns from the farming of any commodity,” he said.
SarkinNoma of Jibia, Alhaji Lawal said most wheat farmers under the Jibia irrigation scheme have moved to faming beni-seed because of its high demand and the low patronage that wheat now has. He said beni-seed buyers, who include Chinese and Lebanese nationals, go in search of the crop and they pay handsomely.
A mudu (measure) of beni-seed sells for N400 while a bag of 100 kilogrammes sells for between N26,000 to N30,000. Farmers said with good application of fertilizer and other necessary inputs, a smallholder farmer can reap about N1.5 million worth of beni-seed from a two hectares’ farm as against the N300,000 he will make from the same farmland when he produces millet and corn.