The Benue State Government has boasted that in spite of the insecurity challenges it has been grappling with, it still provides enough food within its capacity to other parts of Nigeria.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Moses Ogbaji who spoke with Arewa PUNCH in a telephone interview on Friday argued that the large scale of insecurity ravaging some parts of the north was responsible for food scarcity being experienced in the country lately.
According to the commissioner, Benue State, despite the insecurity, still produces enough food crops that are conveyed outside the state.
He said, “You can go to the major highways across the state and witness the number of trucks loaded with food items that leave this state on a daily basis.”
He regretted that states like Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, and other northern states that are supposed to produce food and augment Benue’s supply are also ravaged with insecurity.
Ogbaji insisted, “Benue can not do it alone. There is nowhere in the whole world where a state alone can feed the whole country, not even in the USA.”
However, the commissioner assured that the administration of Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia had developed some positive measures to tackle the food crisis in the state.
He disclosed that the Alia government made use of its natural resources to boost food security.
According to him, the state government has given out bags of fertilisers at subsidised rates, just as it also gave out improved seedlings to farmers.
He stressed, “We are also encouraging the cultivation of vegetables, especially in the riverine areas where we have FADAMA, the one that will mature early.
“In fact, the dry season farming has been handled in three aspects: fadama with the improved seedlings, fertilisers at subsidised rate to farmers across the state.
“We have also approached the Federal Government to assist farmers in the 24 locations that are good for FADAMA. We have submitted the names of farmers, and they promised to contact the farmers directly to send the inputs.
The Commissioner added that on the part of the state government, it has identified three parts, each in the three senatorial districts of the state where it is robustly investing in irrigation.
As a result, he appealed to the Federal Government and other stakeholders to further give the state enhancement so as to continue to play and meet with the highly acclaimed roles of its slogan, “the food basket of the nation,” Ogbaji pointed out.
Corroborating the commissioner’s claim and while shedding more light on the food basket question, the state Chairman of Yam Farmers Association of Nigeria in Benue, Madam Scholastical Mbuweze Amua said that no fewer than 40 trucks of yam is always transported out of the state on a daily basis.
Madam Amua who noted that insecurity and high cost of farm tools remain the major challenges confronting yam farmers in the state, however, confirmed that the present administration subsidised the price of fertiliser to farmers.
She said, “Benue is still one of the highest producers of yam in the country, despite the insecurity that ravaged the state, the state still produces yams in large quantities.
“For instance, no fewer than 40 trucks loaded with tubers of yam is always transported out of the state on a daily basis.”
Arewa PUNCH learnt that Zaki Biam Yam Market is one of the largest yam market in the world. It is an open-air market located in Zaki Biam, a town in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.
It was reliably gathered that before the insecurity, about 200 truckloads of yams used to leave the state to other parts of the country and neighbouring nations like Cameroon and the Niger Republic.
A truck driver who simply identified himself as Adamu Ona who claims to specialise in loading large tubers of yam from Benue State to other parts of the country told Arewa PUNCH that the drop in yam produce in the state was as a result of insecurity and multiple taxes.
“Benue is actually blessed with different crops such as yarm, corn, rice, soya beans bennissed as well as fruits like mango, orange, and others.
“I started this transport business as an apprentice about 32 years ago, and my route is mostly within the North Central and Benue in particular.
“Although, I go to other parts of the country as well to supply and deliver farm produce like tubers of yams. Despite the fact that insecurity has affected farm produce and food crops in the state, the major challenge we the truck drivers have here is multiple levies and this mostly affect the cost of food crops that leave the state.
“For instance, a distance from Zaki Biam, which is mostly known as yam town to Gboko which is about 100 kms, you will meet no less than 40 roadblocks on the way asking for taxes.
Corroborating Adamu, the state chairman of Yam Farmers Association of Nigeria, Madam Amua lamented that such multiple taxes were also paid in the yam market as well.
She called on the state government to reduce the multiple taxes in the state so as to encourage farmers and those who transact business in the state.
