Glut is our worst enemy – Cassava farmers

Cassava farmers in the country have identified glut as their worst enemy, even as policy and infrastructural challenges, among others also serve as serious barriers to their business. Most of the farmers who spoke with Daily Trust lamented that various policies put in place by successive governments over the years to address the problem of […]

Cassava farmers in the country have identified glut as their worst enemy, even as policy and infrastructural challenges, among others also serve as serious barriers to their business.
Most of the farmers who spoke with Daily Trust lamented that various policies put in place by successive governments over the years to address the problem of glut have not yielded the desired result as huge quantities of cassava get wasted annually.
A commercial cassava farmer and National President of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Pastor Segun Adewumi, told our reporter in an interview that he lost about N5million to glut as he couldn’t find buyers for the many hectares of cassava he planted.
“I went everywhere looking for buyers in vain. The cassava over stayed in the soil and was no longer useful for flour but garri. In fact, I had to dash them out to members of my church among others. That is what we pass through every year,” the cassava farmer lamented.
“We produce and cannot sell. Many of our members who took loan to plant cassava cannot pay back. Enabling environment for processing and marketing must be provided with guaranteed minimum price for cassava farmers to remain in business. The government should also buy from the farmers as well,” Adewumi noted.
Another cassava farmer in Nasarawa State, Mallam Abdullahi Audu, said his cassava rot in the soil while he was looking for buyers before harvesting, but could not find any.
“Apart from the little we used at home, I lost a lot and couldn’t pay back the money I borrowed. It is a terrible experience. I am still indebted and no longer farming cassava but trying other crops,” Audu told our reporter.