Though
Benue State is the acclaimed Food Basket of the Nation, the position has
depreciated significantly, and today states like Nassarawa, Niger, Taraba and
Plateau seemed to be far ahead in the growth and production of varieties of
farm produce. This is as a result of total neglect of farmers in the provision
of farm inputs especially tractors, agricultural loans, improved seeds and
agricultural extension services in the recent past.
Before the advent of civilian
administration of Senator George Akume and Hon. Gabriel Suswam who have ruled
the State for the past 16 years, Agricultural infrastructures at Ministry of
Agriculture, Benue Agriculture and Rural Development Agency, Department of
fisheries, Fertilizer Processing Company, and several demonstration farms
dotted all over the State were functional.
All these infrastructures have
collapsed and their premises overgrown by weeds while snakes and reptiles are
all over the places.
The state ministry of
Agriculture headquarters that harbored functional tractors and extension
vehicles and well trained officers and scientists has become a ghost of itself
with no single tractor in sight. Apart from the office of the Commissioner, Permanent
Secretary and Director of Agriculture, most offices remain shut with other roof
tops begging for rehabilitation with only 20 staffers counted on the spot
during food farm news visit to the place.
Food
Farm News
visit to the State Agriculture and Rural Development Agency revealed that the
place has become the shadow of itself as weeds and grasses have taken over the
place due to none agricultural activities going on.
Benue state agricultural extension services
was established to offer extension services and provide improved seeds,
facilitate and grant foreign partnership for the local farmers. Ensure that tractors,
harvesters, pesticides and several other farm inputs are offered to farmers at
subsidized rates.
Also the department of
Fisheries was not in anyway spared as marketing of fingerlings and hatcheries
have stopped just as Fertilizer Processing and Manufacturing Company Located
along Makurdi-Naka Road is not operational as at the time of filing this story.
It was gathered that the
fertilizer company used to chunk out thousand tons of finished products to the
farmers in the state and others in the country as trailer load of fertilizers
are being moved out on daily basis in their hundred.
Consequently, the state is now
losing her bride of being the food basket of the nation as all measures that
ensured this are no more functioning due to neglect on the part of state
government just as the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s
agricultural transformation agenda was not allowed to strive to the benefit of
farmers.
When One billion naira was
allocated for disbursement to Benue farmers like other states, food farm news
gathered that the farming families who are the major producers of yams, maize, cassava,
potatoes, mangoes, oranges, soyabeans, beniseeds, rice and tomatoes were
completely sidelined and denied the facility under the disguise of corporate
and mechanized farming.
A source told us that only a paltry of 1.5
million naira was extended to the Chairman of All Farmers Association of
Nigeria (AFAN) as the only registered farmers out of the over 8,000 registered
farmers in the state while several protests and petitions by other farmers fell
on deaf ears.
Top State Government
Agricultural Scientists and officials who spoke to Food Farm News on condition of anonymity lamented the despicable
neglect of the sector by the past governments as never in the history of Benue
State before. Agricultural festivals like Agricultural Shows, Lake Aketa
Fishing Festivals and a host of others including the posting of Agricultural
extension workers to villages have all disappeared under the past civilian
administrations in the state.
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