NAN-AE-11
Produce
Damaturu, Oct.6, 2016 (NAN) The Yobe Government has cautioned farmers against early selling of their farm produce at give-away prices to avoid food shortage in the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mustapha Gajerima, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Thursday.
Gajerima said farmers should resist traders who wanted to buy and hoard the crops to cause inflation and scarcity.
“We should be guided by the past experience of threat to food security, protect the newly-harvested crops and avoid temptations by traders who may dangle cash to buy off the harvests,” he said.
The commissioner said the state had recorded good harvests this season.
“Farmers in the state have had good yields this year. Government also assisted them in fighting locusts against invasion of the farms.
“We should, therefore, use the harvests judiciously to guarantee food security in the state,” he said.
He said government would support irrigation farmers to cultivate more food and cash crops in the state.
“Government has already cleared 1,500 hectares of land for irrigation farming project on the Nguru and Giedam wetlands to cultivate rice, wheat and vegetables,” he said.
The commissioner said the irrigation programme would complement crops cultivated during the rainy season to promote food security.
“Over 4,000 youths will be engaged in the irrigation project to cultivate rice, wheat and vegetables on the Nguru and Giedam wetlands.”
He assured that the Programme would be extended to other wetlands including Nyakire, Ngeji, Ngalda and Yunusari wetlands to promote food security and diversify the economy.(NAN)
MM/ADA/AMY
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab and Abdullahi Yusuf