Kebbi farmers demand attention from new administration

She said of her 20 years’ experience in farming, she had never benefited from any government assistance, hence she usually purchased her fertilizer from the market and rent other farm implements like water pump and hose that she uses to irrigate her farm. She said she makes about 60 baskets of okro from the farm […]

She said of her 20 years’ experience in farming, she had never benefited from any government assistance, hence she usually purchased her fertilizer from the market and rent other farm implements like water pump and hose that she uses to irrigate her farm.
She said she makes about 60 baskets of okro from the farm and that from the proceeds she helped her husband to pay the school fees of two children who were seen helping her in the farm.
She appealed to the incoming government both at federal and state levels to consider genuine female farmers and provide them adequate and affordable fertilizer and other dry season farm implements such as water pump, chemical and sprayers and profitable market for their harvest.
“Genuine female farmers don’t have access to finance or any form of support from government. Look at me, every farm implement you see in this farm is either being rented or borrowed and our produce is sold very cheap. We sell a basket of okro in the market between N800 and N1,000. That is not encouraging at all,” she said.
“We elected Buhari because we have high expectations and confidence that he can improve on our lives and provide us with essential farming needs. We are also appealing to the new government at the state level to consider genuine female farmers when distributing fertilizer and other implements and to also provide profitable market for our produce,” she said.
An agricultural consultant and Jega-based farmer, Malam Mustapha Yahaya Bawa, said the greatest problem of farmers is lack of implements such as quality modern machinery, saying the new government should concentrate on procuring quality machinery that will withstand the Fadama areas instead of the low quality ones procured in the past and a lot more money spent on ceremonial commissioning.
He said the Great Green Wall (GGW) is a deceit and advised that a realistic tree planting programme be introduced to reduce the high level of desert encroachment in the state, adding that, “my target was to go into poultry, but because of the harsh weather condition, I had to include animal fattening, fish farming, irrigation farming and to also plant trees around the farm to make it a bit conducive for the chickens in the farm. I am also experimenting cross breeding of sheep from six countries at a section of the farm,” he said.
Bawa also called for the re-introduction of extension workers in villages that will re-introduce demonstration farms where farmers can learn new farming techniques that will improve harvest.
On market for farmers, the agricultural consultant argued that market is not the issue because Nigeria is still importing rice, wheat and fish.
He said farmers should be encouraged to produce high quality rice, wheat and fish that will compete with those imported into the country as a way of discouraging consumers from patronising the imported ones. “Government should create an enabling environment to encourage peasant farmers to produce high quality farm produce that will discourage importation,” he said.
Mohammad Manga, a peasant farmer from Manga in Zuru Local Government however pointed out that farmers’ major challenge in the area is lack of road to convey their produce to markets in neighbouring Kaduna and Zamfara states.
“Past governments have failed to fulfill promises of building roads to access Zamfara and Kaduna axis that is near our villages through Dirin Daji to Kaduna State. That way, our produce can reach those markets where it will be sold at a profitable price. Most of our money goes into buying fertilizer and paying very high transport fare to ferry our produce such as okro, tomatoes, pepper, maize, millet and sorghum because of the nearly inaccessible roads. If this new government will provide us with these demands, we are okay,” he said.
The Sarkin Ruwan Argungu, Alhaji Hussaini Makwashe, called for the resumption of the Argungu international fishing festival that has been on hold for five years and for the incoming government to build a permanent perimeter fencing and renovate the fishing festival village and stands.
Makwashe also appealed for sustainable empowerment of farmers and timely provision of fertilizer and capacity building workshops and training on new farming techniques, saying, “if the incoming government of General Buhari will take farming and tourism very seriously I can assure you even Kebbi alone will reduce its dependence on federal allocation,” he said.