By Fatima Muraina

The scarcity of maize resulting to high cost in the country has been attributed to the herdsmen who have overtaken the farm lands.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ondo state Agricultural Commodity Associations (OSACA) Mr. Idowu Oludare made this assertion in an interview with The Hope yesterday in Akure.
This, he observed has been the major challenge of farmers which he said has not only affected only maize but all other farm produce.
“We have just started, the scarcity of maize which we are experiencing is just a tip of the ice-bag because the situation is going to be worse if government refuse to address the issue of Fulani herdsmen”
” We see the herdsmen occupy the farm lands and if you express your grievances, they chop off your hands or may cut off your head, how do you expect farmers to go to the farms?” he queried.
Oludare who expressed governments inability to curb the situation, noted that the herdsmen have succeeded in instilling fears in the heart of farmers who are afraid to risk being killed.
While saying that government at all levels were not proactive on the prevailing situation, he mentioned other challenges affecting scarcity of maize to include; the Army worm (caterpillar) which feast on the stalk of maize and thereby destroying majority of the produce,
Also, the inability of farmers to access loans due to the stringent measures and high interest rates as well as the climatic change of the present weather condition have also contributed to low turnout of maize.
” Some people got loans early this year for planting, but cessation of rainfall as a result of climatic change which is a natural disaster, points to the fact that next year could be worse,” he lamented.
Describing Nigeria system as a dead one, Oludare called for the need for regions to operate in isolation, saying the south west had been living under a shield of blatant lies for a very long time.