We want govt to intervene in produce marketing – Farmer

What is the size of this farm and how many tonnes of maize do you produce?This farm is 50 hectares and normally, we produce 1,000 to 1,200 tonnes.Apart from maize what other crops are you into?I am also into rice farming but this year, I started yams.How many heaps do you have in your farm?Each […]

What is the size of this farm and how many tonnes of maize do you produce?
This farm is 50 hectares and normally, we produce 1,000 to 1,200 tonnes.
Apart from maize what other crops are you into?
I am also into rice farming but this year, I started yams.
How many heaps do you have in your farm?
Each heap contains only one seed of yam and I have 50,000 heaps.
Do you have improved seedlings or got any from the government?
No, but we have one here, we have specific variety that is yielding enough for us.
When you look at what you put into the production of maize and what you get from the farm, how much do you make?
Normally, I spend N1.8 million on the farm. In terms of sales, it depends on the market, that is where the problem is. Last year, we sold a bag between N11,000 and N12,000, so I made up to N5 million. But the issue is changing because if the maize we have is much, generally that year, the price will drop. That is why we want government to intervene in terms of marketing.  If there is market, definitely many people will go back to farm.
In terms of storage facilities, which is also an issue for farmers, how do you store this large quantity that you produce?
Usually we don’t harvest until the crop is well dried in the farm. When we harvest, we have a container that we purchased from KADP, we store it inside; no insects, the way you put it is the way you pick it up. Sometimes what we do is that we don’t thresh the maize until when we are ready to sell it.
 Where we have problem with storage is the crop we farm at the beginning of the main season, because we will harvest it during the rainy season, and we have to sell out immediately otherwise, we’ll lose a lot.
How do you get enough fertilizer to cover these 50 hectares of maize farm?
Definitely government will not provide enough, you must go to the market.
How many bags did you apply in this farm?
I applied 358 bags of fertilizer in this farm. I got all those bags at government price. The Kaduna State government’s price is N2000. That is why the cost of farming is high. If you calculate that, it will give you more than N1 million.
Do you use mechanised equipment like tractor, thresher or manual labour?
We have these equipment. In fact, that is what we use in this dry season farming to harvest our crops. In this project, there is provision for all the mechanised equipment. Like the tractor I have now, I got it from the Kaduna State government at a subsidised price of N2.2 million. The farmer first pays N1.2 million and then pays the rest gradually till he pays off and owns it eventually.
In terms of rice production, which is one of the value chain crops, have you received any support from the federal ministry or Kaduna State government?
No, for now, but the state ministry of agric helped in terms of improved seeds. I got improved seeds from them, but the federal government did not come in on this issue.
How many hectares of rice farm do you have?
I have 39 hectares, which I started this year.
Have you taken any insurance policy from NAIC to cover your farm?
I am yet to take an insurance policy for this farm.
What type of crops will you cultivate here when this irrigation project is completed?
In our land, whatever you plant here you will harvest well. Corn, rice, vegetables like tomatoes, onions, carrot, cabbage, pepper, we all do it here. But the key crops that we plant in large scale are rice, maize, millet, guinea corn. The irrigation site is not prepared for yam.
What do you think is preventing the completion of this irrigation project?
The project is almost complete. I was told it will be handed over to the government by December for onward distribution to farmers and farmers’ groups by the federal government.
What is your expectation of this irrigation project here in Kagarko?
Normally, we in the community here have our share in terms of distribution. That share should be around 40 to 50 percent of the total hectares that have been cleared. The total hectares cleared here in Kagarko Local Government is 4, 000 hectares and there is another 2,000 hectares in Kachia local government. The community gets 40 to 50 percent, while the rest will be shared to farmers, associations, and organizations.