Improved sorghum seeds yield bountiful harvest in Benue

Sorghum farmers in two local government areas of Benue State who were given improved seed during planting season earlier this year are now counting their gains following bountiful harvest from their farms. At least 55 benefitting farmers for the seed pilot project were drawn from Adoka district in Otukpo Local Government Area while 120 others […]

Sorghum farmers in two local government areas of Benue State who were given improved seed during planting season earlier this year are now counting their gains following bountiful harvest from their farms.
At least 55 benefitting farmers for the seed pilot project were drawn from Adoka district in Otukpo Local Government Area while 120 others from Okpoga district, precisely in Otampe – Oklenyi of Okpokwu LGA were also included.
Daily Trust gathered from the Idoma Progressives’ Movement (IPM) in conjunction with Foodwayz and Vines concept limited (seed production company) which distributed the seed free of charge to the beneficiaries in an aim to mobilising local communities to imbibe best farming practices.
“The harvest was awesome. It was a bountiful harvest and the yields are indeed higher than others they were used to before now in the communities,” Head of IPM, Andy Obeya said.
Obeya added that the organisation was moved to embark on the project after its findings which showed that the farmers in most areas of the state despite being famous as an agrarian locality still lagged behind in terms of modern farm inputs, knowledge of modern practices and other services that could boost its agricultural capacity.
According to him, over the years, agricultural fortunes had begun to dwindle in parts of the state owing to several factors such as the obsolete nature of the old varieties which were no longer yielding much during harvest, thus, discouraging small holders farmers and youths from engaging in farming.
He pointed out the absence of incentives like fertiliser for farmers, lack of information on modern farm inputs such as improved and high yielding seeds, poor knowledge or information as to how to source improved seeds and the farmers also being completely shut off from information on government programmes as part of the challenges.
To this end, the rural farmers expect the government to provide the necessary support for them to boost food production in the rural communities through the provision of incentives, regular training, introduction of affordable seeds, subsidising machineries among others.
The benefitting farmers who shared their experiences excitedly, said that at the moment, there were no noticeable disease which affected their plants in this first year of cropping on the pilot project.