More farmers in Taraba opt for food crops cultivation

Following high demand and good prices of food stuffs more farmers have shifted to food crops farming in Taraba, North East  Trust survey has revealed.

The survey carried out in Gassol,Bal, Ardo-Kola and Wukari showed that  more farmers have opted for food crops farming as against mass production of cash crops which was the practice by farmers in previous years.

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North East Trust  finding revealed that high cost and demand of food stuffs like rice, maize, beans, cassava, yam and millet among other food stuffs, was a major factor responsible for the farmers’ decision.

A large scale farmer, Engineer, Yahaya Mafindi, told North East Trust that it is easier to grow maize or rice than melon seed or beniseed.

According to him, the price of cash crops has fallen and now  there is high demand  and price  of food stuffs.

He said a100 kg bag of melon seed is sold  at N 12,000 while the same bag of maize, rice or beans is  sold at N17,500, N14,000 and N40,000 respectively.

Yahaya Mafindi stated further that many farmers have large stock of melon seed, and beniseed and there are no buyers a situation which forced  their prices to crash.

Another farmer, Alhaji Ali Maihula, in Bali local government area, told North East Trust that high demand and good prices of foodstuffs has attracted more farmers to embark on food crops farming this farming season instead of cash crops production.

He said in previous years prices of melon seed and beniseed were high but gradually prices of foodstuff went up and now farmers have shifted  their attention to food crops production this farming season.

“There was a time when a 100 kg bag of beniseed and melon seeds sold  at N70, 000 and N40,000 but now the price has dropped to N12,000 and N30,000,” he said.

Ali Maihula explained that in a farmland where he  produces one bag of beniseed he can produce four bags of maize and therefore it would be more profitable to produce maize than beniseed.

The Chief of MutumBiyu Chiefdom, Justice Sani Suleiman (Rtd) has earlier advised his subjects to  pay more attention to cultivating of food crops instead of cash crops.

He said  currently prices of cash crops have dropped while prices of foodstuffs have gone up and there is high demand of food stuffs in the market.

The Monarch, stated that most farmers who produced cash crops last year have ended up going to market to buy foodstuffs while the cash crops they produced were still in stock without buyers or good prices.

“You will have food security in your home if you produce more food crops and even make more money than the farmer who concentrated on production of cash crops” he said.