Recession: Katsina farmers smile to the banks
NAN-HE-5
Farmers
By Kudirat Ogunyemi
Abuja, Nov. 9, 2016 (NAN) Farmers in Katsina State on Wednesday said they were smiling to the banks in spite of recession in the country after experiencing bumper harvest after the 2016 wet season farming.
Mr Bashir Alliyu, the Secretary, Farmers and Cattle Rearers Cooperative, said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Alliyu said that the cooperative of 25 members grew guinea corn, millet, groundnut, maize and beans across more than 50 hectares of land.
“This year’s rainy season farming was very good for us and I can say it is a season of bumper harvest.
“The price of our farm produce is very favourable to us farmers because guinea corn, millet and beans for instance have satisfying prices this year compared to last year.
“Last year’s prices were very low, but this year is high and we the farmers are satisfied.
“We want government to provide farming and processing machines to support us to expand our farms,’’ he said.
He, however, said that farmers had their worst experience this year as regards accessing fertilisers and called on government to make fertiliser more readily available.
A rice farmer, Hajiya Salama Kabiru, said she harvested 200 bags of rice and 130 bags of wheat after the wet season.
She said a bag of paddy rice was selling for N10, 000 as against N4, 000 last year.
According to her, if she was able to process the rice, 70kg of the milled rice would sell for N20, 000.
Kabiru, who was full of smiles, urged the Federal Government not to lift the ban on rice importation.
She said they were now getting value for their labour. (NAN)
ROK/FF/TA
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Tajudeen Atitebi