Plateau farmers worry over scarcity of Acha seeds

Plateau State is notable for its agricultural activities, particularly because of favourable weather for vegetable, fruits and other crops.

Prominent among the crops is Acha (fonio), and it is one of the leading states in its cultivation in the country.

Acha is said to contain zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phenylalanine, tyrosine and other vital amino acids, and it is rich in energy, aids digestion, is good for cardiovascular function, and is good for diabetics.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has described Acha as a grain with very high calcium content.

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Plateau State has been cultivating Acha for decades, particularly using the traditional varieties.

However, there are new and improved varieties which give better output, but the farmers lamented that they are scarce and not easily accessible to them.

The National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) had, in the past, developed, registered and released two Acha varieties, namely NCRIACH 1 and NCRIACH 2.

NCRIACH 1, according to the institute, has a maturity period of 130-140 days, and it is high yielding with yield advantage of 41.87 per cent over and above the traditional varieties.

It also has good grain quality, good market value and it is resistant to leaf miner pest and tolerant to leaf spot.

For NCRIACH 2, it has a maturity period of 128-135 days and a yield advantage of 47.45 per cent over and above the popular farmers’ varieties. It also has good tillering ability and resistance to lodging.

This is in addition to its good grain quality and good market value. These improved varieties are what Plateau farmers sufficiently require to boost their Acha farming, according to experts.

But these varieties are now scarce. Some farmers said they get it from an agric centre in Riyom Local Government Area of the state, but that it is not sufficient and people often book ahead.

They lamented that due to unavailability of the improved varieties, the traditional varieties are used and that there are challenges in cultivation them.

The farmers outlined other challenges to include the unavailability of fertilizer to apply on the farm (though some of the varieties don’t require much fertiliser), birds/insects infestation of the farms, inability to get pest and weed-control chemicals, cattle grazing on the farms, among others.

One of the farmers, James Bature, said he has been farming for over three decades and still recycles the old variety as the research institute in their area (Riyom local government) does not have sufficient improved varieties to cater to their needs.

Bature said he uses both varieties, but the improved variety (whenever he can obtain it) gives more yield. He said the major problem with the traditional variety which has been in use for decades is that the seedling is getting weaker by the day and cannot yield quality grains anymore.

According to him, he was able to get 20 measures of the improved variety out of the 100 he planted on his one and half hectares of farmland.

The farmer said from the 100 measures he planted, he is expecting nothing less than 10 bags, explaining further that a bag contains 100 measures.

The farmer said the cost of the seedling is N2,200 and they get it from a market known as Makera market, and that upon harvest he can sell at an amount where he will make profit.

According to him, he planted his own in May, but will be harvesting towards the end of October.

Bature said the other problem he had was that of cattle grazing on the plant and pest invading the farm, but that the impact of the pest invasion was minimal as continuous rain fall dislodges them and does not give the pest enough room to perch on the plants long enough to cause havoc.

Another farmer, Sunday Baren, said he cultivated Acha this year and that though it was difficult to get the improved variety of the grain, he used the traditional variety.

Baren, who is also the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Riyom, explained that the best way to plant the grain, actualise weed-free situation and get good yield eventually, is to spray weed-control chemical on the farm before cultivation and planting, adding that when the plant begins to grow, it will be weed-free until it germinates and is due for harvesting. Such practice, he said, is more effective than applying the weed-control chemical when the plant is already growing.

He said a measure of the grain which used to cost about N700 is now N2,500, adding that the improved variety when planted takes about three months to yield while the traditional variety takes over four months before it can be harvested, adding that he was only able to plant one bag of Acha this year and is still waiting to harvest it.

Yohanna Davou, who has been farming Acha for about 35 years, said the little problem he faced this year was the heavy rainfall.

According to him, even though the rain is good for the germination of Acha, if it’s too heavy, it affects the plant, particularly the one located in waterlogged area.

Davou cultivated three bags and is expecting at least 10 bags all things being equal, adding that he usually keeps some for consumption and others for sale whenever he has needs to meet.

A female farmer, Atong James, who farms around Lamingo area of Jos-north, said she buys the seeds at about N2,000 per measure.

She said they don’t apply fertilizer to the Acha, and that they usually reserve some after harvest for the next farming season.

She called on the government to assist them in facilitating the availability and accessibility of the improved varieties in order to boost the cultivation of the crop in the state.

Meanwhile, our correspondent, who visited some of the Acha farms in Nyango Gyel area of Jos-south, observed that they were planted on the seed beds via a transplant after being nursed at a particular area of the farm, and then uprooted one after the other to be re-planted on the farm.