Plant seeds not grains, farmers urged

A big time farmer and civil servant, Mr. Vitalis Tarnongu, has advised farmers in Benue State and other parts of the country to plant improved seeds and not grains as obtained in the past to enable them get higher yields. Mr. Tarnongu, who has brought hundreds of farmers in Benue State into Teryima Multi-Purpose Co-operative […]

A big time farmer and civil servant, Mr. Vitalis Tarnongu, has advised farmers in Benue State and other parts of the country to plant improved seeds and not grains as obtained in the past to enable them get higher yields.
Mr. Tarnongu, who has brought hundreds of farmers in Benue State into Teryima Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society, gave the advice during the 2016 training of farmers and distribution of free improved seeds recently in Makurdi.
The farmer, who works with University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has been independently assisting farmers by distributing free seeds and other farm inputs to them annually. He also trains farmers on modern methods of farming.
“We know the problems of our farmers and that’s why we are assisting them to overcome the challenges. We train them from time to time in various locations and give them free seeds,” the 43-year-old farmer told our reporter.
Mr. Tarnongu does not stop at training, distribution of free farm inputs and monitoring of farmers’ activities, but he is also an off-taker who mops up farm produce and supplies to processors, thereby solving the perennial marketing challenge faced by the farmers.
He said he inherited farming from his father and has been impacting positively on the lives of farmers in his co-operative society among others since 2012.
“In 2012, I had a huge challenge; flood destroyed my 100 hectares of rice. So, I was unable to distribute free seeds in 2013 due to the flood.
“Also in 2013, herdsmen finished my 200 hectares of rice farm, but I still remain focused because there is no other business that can give me more profit than agriculture,” he said.