Kebbi dry season farmers seek govt assistance

A visit by our correspondent to some irrigation farms in Malisa, Gwandu Local Government Area, witnessed many farmers working in their farms.Alhaji Mohammed Bello Abdullahi,50, an onion and pepper farmer for 24 years, said the last time the state government gave them loan was eight years ago.He said: “It was during Adamu Aliero’s tenure, eight […]

A visit by our correspondent to some irrigation farms in Malisa, Gwandu Local Government Area, witnessed many farmers working in their farms.
Alhaji Mohammed Bello Abdullahi,50, an onion and pepper farmer for 24 years, said the last time the state government gave them loan was eight years ago.
He said: “It was during Adamu Aliero’s tenure, eight years ago, that we were given N8, 000-N9, 000 loans. Since then, we have not gotten any assistance from government.
“Like the rice farmers, we are appealing to government to also buy our onions at a reasonable price. Right now, our only choice is to transport it to Aliero and sell to dealers.
“We sell a 50 Kg bag for between N10, 000 to N15, 000.There was a year that the price got up to N30, 0000.That was as high as it has gone.
“We can sell to governmentt at N15, 000, depending on market value at that time.”
Mallam Usman Dandammau, 62 years, said:”I have a wife and even though God has not blessed me with a child, I still struggle to survive from the little I make from my vegetable and onion farms.
“I have never benefitted from any government assistance for my farm. All that you see in my farm, ranging from this chemical spray I am carrying and the fertilizer, are sourced from the market. Even the water pump is being hired to water my farm.”
He called on government at both local, state and federal levels provide water pumps, fertilisers and other essential dry season inputs to farmers.
Chairman, Onion Farmers Association, Alhaji Usman Aliero, said government only used to assist dry season rice farmers and neglected onion farmers.
“Its only the state government that used to assist us with water pump for dry season farming, through the 21 local governments in the state,” he said.
He said in 2012 the state government sponsored 30 onion farmers to study the method of onion preservation in Morocco.
The director of irrigation, ministry of agriculture, Umaru Huassaini Kalgo, said fertiliser and water pumps will soon be distributed to all the dry season farmers, including onion farmers in the state.
“So far we have 13,000 water pumps that will soon be distributed to all dry season farmers in the state,” the director said.