‘We still irrigate with buckets in Kebbi’
I make up to 200 bundles of sugarcane, 3 bags of beans, 10 bags of corn, 1,500 to 2,000 water melon 25 sacks of sweet potatoes, and just about 20 bags of rice in my irrigation farm. My major challenge is fertiliser and more manpower and modern farm machineries
Irrigation farmers have lamented the state of irrigation farming in Kebbi State, saying it is still far from becoming mechanised.
The farmers said that they used items like buckets, tins and jerry cans to water plants, adding that the situation was undermining their farming activities.
They said that while farmers in other states were being provided with tractors and modern farming equipment to enhance their agricultural production, their own government recently distributed cows and ploughs to them.
According to them, the use of cows and ploughs could only perpetuate the traditional method of farming which, they said, was causing setbacks for them.
Apparently reacting to a recent media claim by the member of the House of Representatives from Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo and Bunza local government areas, Alhaji Sani Umar Kalgo that he has distributed 270 bags of fertilisers, water pumping machines for irrigation farming and other agricultural inputs to 90 farmers in the three local governments, the farmers, who spoke to Daily Trust, said they did not benefit from the gesture nor were they aware of any farmer that benefitted.
Investigation by our reporter in the three local governments allegedly covered by the legislator’s gesture, however, revealed that only few farmers benefitted from the gesture.
Muhammadu Aguro, a dry season farmer in Maidahini, Bunza Local Government Area said he has been manually fetching water from a nearby pond to water his farmland for several years.
He said: “For the past 10 years of my experience in dry season farming, me and my neighbouring farmers normally come together to jointly water our farms daily. We still irrigate with buckets in Kebbi State. Sometimes we hire extra hands to help us. I have not heard of any farmer that benefitted from such gesture.”
On whether he was aware of recent distribution of farm inputs in his constituency, Aguro replied: “I am just hearing this from you. Even if the distribution is true, just 270 bags cannot go round. Moreover, should it be now after over three years in the National Assembly that he will remember to share just 270 to only 90 farmers in the whole three LGAs? This is just for political reason, simple.
“Look, I use seven bags of fertilizer in my farmland alone which I purchase at the cost of N7,000 per bag from the open market. So, please go and tell them to have the fear of God and stop reminding us of our oppression.”
65-year-old Laman Abdullahi said in his 40 years of working as a farmer in Maidahini, he has been using the Shaduf (channelling water to farm beds) system of watering dry season farms before he recently resorted to renting water pump due to his old age.
He said: “I cannot be fetching water like so many farmers do because of my old age, so, I sometimes hire a water pump for between N250 to N300 per hour to water my farm.
“I had to completely cut off from rice farming because of lack of resources and inadequate farmland. I have leased most part of my farm land so that I can use the proceeds to buy fertiliser to apply to the small portion I use for okra.
“These people (politicians) will just give contracts of large quantity of fertiliser and other inputs in the name of ordinary farmers like us and end up diverting the whole thing to a rich man who will be selling to us at very high prices.”
The story is the same with Aminu Bala , a farmer with 20 years experience in Kalgo town, who said he, too, had to lease major portion of his rice farm to raise money to grow okra.
“I only utilise the farm fully during rainy season and use the proceeds from the lease and the okra harvest to buy some few bags of fertiliser that will support me in the wet season rice farming where I make up to 50 bags.
But Atiku Goru, a farmer in Bulasa, Birnin Kebbi LGA said he got three bags of fertiliser, rice seeds and a measure of agroliser, adding that he rejected the water pump given to him.
According to him:“I told them to take the water pump to other farmers who do not have it, because I already have the one that I purchased sometimes ago. This is the first time such assistance reached me since my over 15 years in dry season farming. The three bags of fertiliser are barely enough for my farm that consumes more than 10 bags.
“I make up to 200 bundles of sugarcane, 3 bags of beans, 10 bags of corn, 1,500 to 2,000 water melon 25 sacks of sweet potatoes, and just about 20 bags of rice in my irrigation farm. My major challenge is fertiliser and more manpower and modern farm machineries.”
The Commissioner of Agriculture, Mohammed Isah Mera, when contacted, said the state government has procured 113,000 water pumps and 105 trucks of fertiliser for distribution to farmers in 21 LGAs of the state.
“The distribution of dry season fertiliser and the water pump for irrigation farmers will be flagged-off very soon and each LGA will get 5 trucks of the fertilizers,” he added.