By Odunewu Olusegun
Nigeria is very close to a food crisis as a result of the incessant attacks on farmers and the destruction of farmlands by herdsmen in some agrarian states of the federation.
Farmers in Benue and Taraba states are said to have revealed that several atrocities perpetrated by herders are not reported as hundreds of farmers have been killed, maimed, raped or chased away from their farmlands in the last six months.
National Daily gathered there are serious drop in attending to farmlands in a number of agrarian states who are famous in food production as farmers have started fleeing their farms. These states include Benue, Taraba, Gombe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Edo, Delta, Enugu, Jigawa, Borno and Nasarawa states.
According to a report, if urgent security assurances are not restored as soon as possible, poor yield in mainly root tuber crops and vegetables will begin to emerge in next few months which will mean acute food scarcity in the country.
The report stated that the inability of the federal government to drive Cattle Ranching investment has created serious misunderstand between farmers and marauding, and therefore could defeat the policy of the government of deepening food security through farming.
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It said with no clear cut workable solution, farmers are further encouraged to flee their farms as the attacks intensified.
In an interview with the Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Otunba Femi Oke, revealed that the crisis of land usage between crop producers and herdsmen have forced farmers to leave farmland due to the violence character of Fulani herdsmen and Nigerians who are buying food crops in cities will suffer it soon as there will nothing to buy again.
According to him, it is only when crops are farmed, processed and harvested that they are taken to various markets for sale. You cannot sale what you don’t have. This is the stage we are now in.
Oke said, “We are not happy at the moment and we want this problem not to repeat itself because most of our farmers cannot feed themselves anymore. Many of them have fled and left their farmlands because of the activities of herdsmen. This can lead to a food crisis any time from now if it is not addressed”.