Jigawa farmers abandon jathropha

Dahiru Mohammed Harbo is the chairman of AFAN in Jahun Local Government Area, who said at present there is no single Jathropha farmer in his LGA. He said no farmer will continue to produce what he cannot sell.

He added that early this year, the issue was revisited as some forms were distributed to them with a view to getting them back into the cultivation of the crop but since then they have not heard from those that issued them with the forms.

Farming of the crop has since collapsed in the state. One can only see such crops in farms that used it for fencing only.

“There is no local market for the crop but our farmers got into farming of the crop because we were promised a ready market but the market promised to our farmers did not materialise, so its farming collapsed,” the AFAN chairman said.

When Daily Trust visited the farm of Idris Mohammed Mai Anguwa, in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area, the only remaining part of the crop that he planted in 2014 is what now stands as fence for his farm.

On why he stopped cultivating the crop, Mai Anguwa said, when it was introduced to them they went for it but their first harvest could not get market despite the promises made to them by the authorities.

“In my first harvest, I got five bags of 100 kg but since then I have been keeping them until of recent when I discarded them. We cannot continue to farm what we cannot sell,” he also said.

But Alhaji Mohammed Milo, the chairman of jathropha farmers in the state, said farmers are still interested in farming the crop if government would provide the market.

“Of recent, many came to me expressing their interest to join in farming of jathropha. All that we needed is to have an enabling environment,” he said.