OPINION
Drought, kidnapping, theft of farm produce: Farmers nightmare in Jalingo
Buhari Yunusa
Farmers in Jalingo the Taraba State capital faced multiple problems during the 2024 farming season which affected their outputs.
The problems include; Drought which was experienced at the beginning of the season where crops planted early were destroyed as a result of lack of rainfall.
The Drought which lasted for about five weeks caused havoc to the farms as almost all the crops planted dried up and died.
After the drought when the rain became steady, it was discovered that majority of the crops died while the few ones that survived, germinated.
However, some farmers re-planted their crops when rainfall started again and owing to the devastation caused by the drought because of lack of rainfall, there’s shortage of the affected crops today in the market, and those that are available are too expensive.
Another problem is the cost of farm implements such as fertilizer, chemicals, tractors among other inputs.
A common farmer cannot afford to buy fertilizer, or any chemical that will improve his farm, and as a result, he will cultivate very small quantity of farm land.
Mallam Yusuf Dauda, a farmer whose crop was damaged by the draught when interviewed, lamented over the situation and called for the state government’s intervention.
Dauda said, it is no longer a thing of joy in the faces of farmers in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, as they continue to battle with different problems, ranging from drought, cost of farm input and transportation among others.
The situation which the farmers said if care is not taken will affect the entire citizens of the state.
A farmer by name, Musa stated that, although the rate of security challenges have reduced compared to that of last year, 2024. “But there are still problems surrounding the farming activities, which if the government can prioritize the sector, the challenges will be no more and become a thing of the past.
A Ward head of Kachalla Sembe ward Jalingo, Kachalla Isa Kachalla said, “All the tools for farming process are now expensive. Hiring a tractor is also too expensive and the tractors are no more available here”,
“I have to travel all the way from here to Iware just to hire one tractor that can work in my farm. A portion that you can pay to hire one tractor that used to be about Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000.00) before is now Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N800,000.00) to One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) only.
A farmer under Naduke multi purpose cooperative Society, living in Kachalla Sembe Ward of Jalingo local government area of Taraba State said he cultivated during last year’s wet season farming.
“I planted rice and all of us that are farming in this location, behind new abattoir down to this riverside didn’t experience any problem with drought, because we are in watery area, but our neighbours that plants maize, okro, sorghum among other crops, encountered challenges as a result of drought but maize is as a result of seizure of the rainfall before its usual period”
“However after the drought, the rainfall becomes more steady, crops that were already matured waiting for the rain before the drought were damaged while those that were at primary stage during the drought were free”,
“As a result of this, the number of farm produce that we usually bring to the market for sale after the harvest every year were affected, and this led to the scarcity of the farm produce which of course, increased in its prices”.
A farmer Shehu Babata said,
“I planted rice and maize in my farm, situated behind Lamorde bridge in Jalingo, and the rice began to mature before the drought. A week passed without rainfall on the land and my plantation is in the central point that need water the most, so I, therefore, began to use engine and supply water to my farm”
However on the other hand, Mallam Dauda who planted okro and Mr. Bulus Dogari, who planted rice and maize, said even if the rain continues from then, their croos were already damaged, therefore they are calling on Government to intensify effort and supply them with farm implements and loans to enable them regain their loss through dry season farming.
The Chairman Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Hon. Tanko Bobbo Andami stated that, this is not the first time in Jalingo that such a thing happened, saying it had once happened around 1962.
He further explained that, whosoever wants to engage in farming should prepare for it.
