By Fatima Muraina
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High cost of production has been attributed to the rise in the price of food items..
This was the submission of farmers who spoke in an interview with The Hope yesterday in Akure.
They called for governments intervention on food crisis which they said would get worse.
The state Chairman of the Ondo State Agricultural Commodities’ Association, OSACA, Mr Gbenga Obaweya observed that the reduction in the hectares of lands for food production was not a decision by the body of the farmers, but was a decision made by individuals to save costs.
Obaweya attributed the challenges of food production to high cost of agro-chemical inputs and tractorization, which compelled some farmers to hire labourers for massive food production.
“There are no longer manual workers to employ as an alternative to the high cost of tractors which invariably will have effect on food production”.
He advised people to use any available space of land to produce food, saying food crisis is already biting harder.
While reacting on getting government incentives like Northern farmers to boost their farming activities, Obaweya said people are not ready to work together. He noted thatnon payment of loans granted to the few people that benefited from such loans, and enlightenment is still far from them because they do not want to be under any body.
Also, the Chairman of Akure North Farmers Congress who is into cassava production, Mr Tayo Abiodun stressed that they are still tackling the herders problems who always kidnap and kill them.
He said many farmers have ran out of their farms and now engaged in farms closer to them where security of their lives can be guaranteed.
” The herders kidnapped our farmers and the very lucky ones would get freedom after payment of ransom, while the unlucky one are killed, hence the need for us to run for our dear lives”, he lamented.
