Erosion threatens Katsina farms

Many farms in Katsina Local Government Area of Katsina State are currently being threatened by gully erosion, stretching up to two kilometres in the LGA.
Worst hit by the erosion is the Gambo Institute of Agriculture Limited, an integrated farms located in Lambun-Danlawal area of the council area.
Owner of the farm and chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Katsina Local Government, Alhaji Hamisu Gambo, told Daily Trust that if immediate action was not taken by the relevant government bodies, many parts of Katsina would be affected by the erosion, saying the situation was worsened by the magnitude of rainfall recorded in the area this year.
He urged the state and federal governments to quickly intervene through the ecological fund to save many farm and houses that the erosion is currently threatening in the area.
On his farm, Alhaji Gambo said about 100 people are being engaged directly or indirectly on daily basis to work in the farm, which he said contains rice, guinea corn, beniseed, cotton, watermelon, garden egg, beans, maize, moringa, mangoes, tomatoes, pepper, jute, palm tree and many other crops.
He said produce from the farm are sold locally. He is  hopeful that farmers in the area would have bumper harvest this year despite absence of farm inputs from the state government.
Alhaji Gambo, a former member of the House of Representatives, commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government for making available fertiliser for farmers in Katsina LGA, saying his intervention saved the farmers in the area.
“Through my leadership as chairman of farmers in Katsina LGA, I was able to secure fertiliser for more than 1,000 farmers in the LGA, each getting two bags from the federal government,’’ he said.
Gambo, who spoke on behalf of farmers in Katsina LGA, cautioned  the state government from politicising agriculture by deliberately neglecting the real farmers to appease political allies.
“A situation, where real farmers are being neglected in the area of loan and farm input accessibility by the state government is dangerous.
“They only recognize politicians following them as farmers, whereas real farmers have no access to basic farm inputs not to talk of loan, it is unfortunate.
“We call on the federal government to assist real farmers in the state since the politicians have hijacked what the farmers could get from the state government. This is necessary to safe agriculture in Katsina State,’’ he said.