Yobe farmers seek government intervention to check price crash

Farming

By Mohammed Mamman

Damaturu, April 15, 2019 (NAN) Farmers in Yobe have appealed to state government to help them mop up their 2018 harvests into the strategic grain reserve pool to encourage more farming activities in the state, this planting year.

Some of the farmers, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Monday in Damaturu, said a ready made market by government to save farmers from grain merchants and other middlemen was necessary.

A grain farmer, Abdullahi Kukuwa, said the merchants were taking advantage of the bumper harvests to bring the prices of grains down, too low, to the disadvantage of the farmers.

“For three consecutive weeks, there has been deliberate strategies by the merchants to bring down prices of beans, groundnuts, millet and sorghum, among others, because most farmers have not disposed their harvests,” Kukuwa said.

Another farmer, Aliyu Usman, said the price of a bag of beans dropped from between N20, 000 and N17,000 to N14,000 in the last three weeks.

“This has affected almost all the cash and food crops.Until something is done by government to rescue the farmers, many farmers may abandon farming due to the dwindling prices.

Bukar Modu, a civil servant and farmer, urged the Federal and State Governments to resuscitate grain reserves across the country, in a bid to enhance food security and encouraging more people into farming.

Another farmer, Habu Abba, expressed fear that the price might crash further when the cropping season commences, adding that farmers disposed their stocks to prepare for the season will like to operate at loss.” Abba said.  (NAN)

MM/KTO/DUA

Edied by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Dada Ahmed