Taraba monarch raises alarm over looming food shortage
The Chief of Mutumbiiyu in Gassol local government area of Taraba state Alhaji Sani Kachalla, has raised alarm over looming food shortage in his domain.
He said while addressing thousands of his subjects who paid him Sallah homage at his palace in Mutumbiyu, that there may be shortage of food stuffs in his domain this year because greater percentage of farmers have opted for cash crops production instead of food crops.
He said his subjects are predominantly farmers and have been engaged in the production of both cash and food crops.
The Royal Father, however, said he is worried at near total shift to growing of cash crops by majority of the farmers in the domain.
He said more than 80 per cent of farmers in the chiefdom have refused to grow maize and rice and instead opted for production of beniseed and melon.
He said the farmers must have been carried away by the high demand of beniseed and melon seed that raised the prices of both commodities last year.
Alhaji Sani Kachalla explained that a 100 kg bag of beniseed was sold at N100,000 while 100 kg bag of melon seed was sold at between N60,000 and N70,000 last year.
These compared with price of maize and paddy rice which hovered between N5,000 and N6,000.
He warned that the calculation of the farmers may backfire if the massive turn Chief of Mutumbiiyu, Alhaji Sani Kachalla addressing his subjects to the production of the cash crops leads to a glut which may bring the price down.
He said it would have been safer for farmers to plant both cash and food crops as they have been doing over the years.
Alhaji Sani Kachalla noted that while the prices of maize and rice is going up now those of beniseed and melon seed have crashed.
The monarch also said many farmers could not till their farms this year because of the prevailing insecurity in the area.
“Many farmers could not go to their farms in parts of Lau, Ardo-Kola, Wukari, Donga and Takum local government areas because of the crisis and here in Gassol, where there is no crisis, farmers have refused to grow more food crops” he lamented .
He urged Nigerians to continue to pray in order to overcome the security challenges facing the country.
He advised parents to give their children and wards proper guidance and education in order to raise good leaders.