The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Cross River, Mr Etim Nakanda, has decried late supply of farm inputs by government agents to farmers in the State.
Nakanda, who expressed his feelings in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday, said the situation contributed to scarcity of food in the state.
According to him, the rise in the price of gari in the state is due to the scarcity of cassava stems.
He said the farmers now found it difficult to procure cassava stems from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), because of lack of fund.
He said farmers in the state had yet to get inputs from government for the 2017 planting season.
“Only rice seedlings were given to some farmers last year through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrower Programme. Apart from that, nothing else was given to farmers.
“We have yet to receive fertilisers or cassava stems for this farming season. We now buy them in the open market at a higher rate”, he said.
According to the chairman, farmers in the state need cassava stems from IITA to boost cassava production and reduce the rising cost of gari in the state.
Before now, we used to have cassava stems from IITA free, but we now buy it from the open market. And most farmers do not have money to buy.
“One cup of gari now costs N100. A basin which was sold for N4,500 is now sold for N12,000.
“We need money to buy cassava stems. So, government should assist us in this regard”, he said.
The chairman noted that Cross River was a leading cassava producing state in the country.
“But, it is unthinkable that a state like Cross River that has a comparative advantage in cassava production is experiencing scarcity of gari”, he said. (NAN)