Unknown disease attacks potato farms in Plateau
Irish potato farmers in some parts of Plateau State have raised the alarm that unknown forces are attacking their farms, leading to low yield of their produce.
Some of the farmers, who spoke to our correspondent in Bassa Local Government Area of the state, said most of the problems surrounding Irish potato farming were linked to unknown forces that have been attacking the planting, germination, general production and marketing of the produce.
But their claims were dismissed by the President of Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet), Dr. Tony Onoja, who said such claims do not exist in agriculture, noting that their problem might have emanated from a viral disease outbreak as a result of climate variability.
Dr. Tony Onoja, who was reacting to the farmers’ claim when our correspondent contacted him in Jos, said some of the diseases are airborne and that the wind can carry the disease bearing organisms from one place to other, thereby affecting many farms in the process.
The expert said floods also transfer the organism from one farm to another, adding that the airborne disease is more endemic than the other forms.
“Such beliefs that witches/ wizards or other spiritual forces can affect germination of crops comes where and when there is no knowledge of the scientific reason behind poor germination of crops. And so, the people will always supply their own interpretation, even if it is traditional,” he said.
Dr. Onoja advised the farmers to consult experts in crop diseases to scientifically verify the cause of the problem on the basis of the sample he/she will take from the soil and thereafter proffer the necessary solution.
Irish potato has over the years become the most cultivated crop in Plateau State and the farmers have been reaping considerable gains.
The state is known to be the highest producer of Irish potatoes, while the farmers are known for their consistency and doggedness in its production.
However, several challenges have been encountered by the farmers in the course of their farming activities in recent time and some of the issues, according to them, are beyond the physical.
They claimed that due to the high cultivation of Irish potatoes in the state and its profitability, the sub-sector had attracted many interests and forces which were interfering in the value chain, locally and nationally.
One of the farmers, Grace Anthony, who recounted her ordeal, said she planted Irish potato on several plots of farmland but that it was not germinating well, and as a result she might suffer heavy loss.
She said because of the profit in Irish potato cultivation, some people resorted to diabolical, spiritual and other ridiculous means in their bid to get bountiful yields and to realize more sales than others.
“You know that Irish potato farming is the biggest crop farming here and there is a lot of gain in it. So, many people are venturing into it and there is so much mix up lately.
“Usually, applying effective agricultural practice is all you need for your Irish potato to germinate well and give you bountiful yields. Those agricultural practices include planting quality Irish seeds in good time, application of fertilizers and other manure like chicken waste, weeding among others.
“But today, some people now indulge in other spiritual things in order to grow their crops, and we have been experiencing some unexplainable things lately. When you plant your Irish potatoes, it will immediately begin to grow well and bring out fresh leaves. But after a while, the leaves will begin to wither and that affect the potatoes in the ground. When you asked you will begin to hear that some spiritual forces have attacked the potatoes,” she said.
Another farmer, Angelina Fidelis, said initially they thought the poor germination of Irish potato plants was just one of those things that can ordinarily happen, but as the years go by, they realized that other inexplicable things also applied.
She said a boy was once caught planting charm on another person’s farm and the boy confessed that a woman sent him to bury it on her own farm for bountiful yield but mistakenly took it to another’s farm.
“A big farmland on which many people cultivate and equally applied all the best agricultural practices known to them will eventually give each farmer different result at harvest time.
“A particular woman we usually farmed together with was always getting quality harvest while others’ harvests were very poor. And there was nothing she was doing differently. Sometimes, cars come to the farm to pack her produce while we found it difficult to get few basins,” she claimed.
Another farmer who gave her name as Lydia claimed that those farming Irish potatoes and making gains didn’t want others to farm it and reduce their sales, so they go to any length to make sure other farms didn’t germinate well.
She said that such happenings were common even with other crops and in other businesses as well whether locally, nationally and internationally.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council recently lamented the underutilization of Irish potatoes in boosting the economy both in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foreign exchange generation through export.
In an address at a one-day capacity building workshop on Irish potatoes in Jos, the Plateau State capital, the Regional Coordinator of the council, Nanakaan Saave, said Nigeria features among the major producers of Irish potatoes, with 75% of production coming from Plateau State.
The Chief Executive Officer of the council, Olusegun Awolowo, in his remarks at the event, said the council in an effort to accelerate the federal government’s agenda of revenue diversification, introduced a policy thrust called the Zero Oil Plan.
Awolowo said the plan was designed to bring a future economy where Nigeria would be able to survive even at zero export of crude oil.
Calls and text messages sent to the Plateau State Commissioner for Agriculture, Linda Barau, to get her reaction on the farmers’ claim were not responded to.