Niger Yam Farmers Negotiates With Terrorists For Field Access To Their Farms, See Why.
Posted by Onome Naomi
As the rainy season advances, some displaced farmers from the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State are reportedly negotiating with terrorists in order to return home and plant yam and other crops.
Despite the fact that the terrorists have consented to the appeal, particularly in Chukuba and neighbouring villages, the farmers are still gripped with fear because in previous years the terrorists allowed them to plant but not harvest due to attacks.
A farmer from Chukuba stated, “Farmers in the Chukuba axis have begun returning home after terrorists granted permission to plant crops. Our fear is based on the events of the previous year. During the previous wet season, they permitted us to plant our crops, but during the dry season, we were not permitted to harvest. Our farms wasted yams and other crops. We are taking a similar risk to determine if it will work.”
However, farmers in Kuchi, Injita, Chibani, Zazzaga, and other communities in the Munya LGA reported that they have not yet been granted full access to their farms for planting this season, as their villages continue to experience daily attacks.
Mohammad Awwal, an IDP from Kuchi, explained that every time he and his family returned home to plant yam and other crops, they were attacked and kidnapped, adding, “We have not planted yam and the rainy season is advancing. The optimal time to plant yam is when it begins to rain. We should have completed planting by now.” Terrorists currently reside in our communities. Our recently-visited brothers informed us that they left our yam barns open with goats that we left behind to eat yam seedlings.”
Shehu Abubakar, an additional farmer, stated, “Only a few men take the risk of going to plant one crop or another. They do so out of fear. We no longer take our children and women to the farm out of fear of possible attack. Previously, women and children would accompany their husbands and fathers to the farm to assist with planting while he created ridges. Now, how many hectares can a single man cultivate? So, there is no active farming. In fact, close to ninety percent of Munya’s villages are empty. Nobody currently resides there. Therefore, you cannot speak of serious farming in
Munya”.
A farmer in Gwada, Shiroro LGA, stated that the majority of farmland in the security-affected areas of Shiroro and Munya LGAs could not be cultivated because no one was willing to risk their life for farming.
Due to the ongoing terrorist assault on Munya and Shiroro, where farmers have been tortured, farmers have predicted yam shortages and general food insecurity in the coming years, unless the government takes severe action against the terrorists to allow them to return to their farms in full.
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Abubakar Hussaini, secretary of the Yam Dealers Association (YDA) at the Paiko Central Yam Market, stated, “Currently, some farmers are planting yam. Those who were unable to plant last year have begun planting this year. Though the majority of them go to the farm in fear to plant. When farmers travel to their farms, they now employ two or three security guards. Their duty is to remain vigilant so that if they spot terrorists, they can warn their teammates to flee.
This year, farmers have greater access to their farms than in previous years due to an improvement in the security situation.
In addition, he stated that the security issues had caused the price of yam seedlings to rise as a result of the fact that many farmers were unable to harvest their yam the previous year, while others did not even plant.
Hussaini continued, “Farmers from Munya and Shiroro are currently purchasing seedlings from us. Due to the high demand from farmers who were unable to plant or harvest their yams last season, the price of seedlings has increased from N10,000 to N40,000.
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As a result, he urged the government to take severe measures to address the security issues so that farmers in the affected communities can return home to face their means of subsistence, noting that life had become difficult because the majority of victims had no other means of survival.
With these high costs, many farmers would be unable to cultivate more than one hectare. To cultivate many hectares requires huge capital. 100 seedlings cost approximately N20,000, and one hectare requires approximately 3,000 seedlings. You are informed of the cost. Two years ago, some farmers cultivated more than 10 hectares, but they were unable to harvest them.
