Unless something is done by the government, Benue which used to be the Food Basket of the Nation would cease to be because of the protracted crisis between farmers and herdsmen in the state. Daniel Agbo writes.
In recent times, Benue state has been ravaged by the activities of herdsmen militia and bandits which greatly affected agriculture and farming actives in the state.
Although cases of attacks by herdsmen militia have greatly reduced, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals still operate particularly in most local communities which are the hubs of farming thereby hampering the development of agric sector in the state and by extension in the country.
This has greatly affected food production in the state. Because of this, agriculture, being the mainstay of the state economy, is at the verge of collapse as many people have sought refuge in other businesses due to the attacks on their farms.
Although skeletal farming activities have resumed in this out-going farming season in most local communities, particularly those ravaged by the herdsmen crisis, yet some farmers are still afraid of going back to their farms. This is even as the dry season, which normally pushes herdsmen down to middle belt region and southern part of the country, is almost around the corner.
The attack on local communities in Benue recently, especially in 2018 drove most farmers out of their homes and farming settlements.
The attackers also destroyed most of the seedlings and grains leaving the farmers with virtually nothing.
It is also apparent to stress that the frequent clashes between herders and farmers in the predominantly farming areas of the state have resulted in the destruction of lives and
farmlands and have become a major threat to efforts to boost food security thereby resulting in a drastic reduction farm outputs, a development that has heightened the fear of
food insecurity.
Investigation shows that nine out of the 23 local government areas of the state namely Guma, Gwer-west, Gwer-east, Agatu, Logo,
Kwande, Buruku, Tarka and Makurdi, mostly affected by the rampaging herdsmen have tables of woes to tell.
Effects of the sustained herdsmen and farmers crisis in the affected localities also led to farmers’ reluctance to go back to their farms even in this current farming season.
But just as the attacks by herdsmen have started dying down, communal clashes, ritual killings and even kidnapping have equally become a disturbing menace.
For instance, the Jukun/Tiv clashes in Taraba which has spillover effect on farming communities in Ukum Local Government Area that is one of the major yam producers in state, has also posed a great challenge to farmers in the area.
These have greatly affected food production in Benue which once boasted as the Food Basket of the Nation.
Ortom confirms
For instance, in a recent interview with newsmen, Governor Samuel Ortom said in 2014, across 10 local governments, the state lost property, goods and, of course, food crops worth over N95 billion with thousands of people killed.
He said the activities of herdsmen and bandits definitely affected food security.
Benue farmers chairman too
Also, chairman of Benue Farmers Network (BFN) Logo Local Government, Mr Fidelis Torchembe, told Blueprint that many of his members have ran to the Internally Displaced persons IDPs camps and abandoned farming activities for fear of getting killed by the attackers.
He said, “The herdsmen came when the farmers were harvesting their crops and because they were displaced, they couldn’t go to farms again.
“The attackers brought cows to graze on the crops and set fire on the remaining ones. This resulted into hampering of farming activities.”
He said although most of the farmers have returned and farming activities are beginning to pick up at the local farming communities, many people, he said, are still afraid to return fully to their farming businesses.
“Just few days back, we heard news on radio Benue that herdsmen attacked one woman in Guma and cut off her hand.
“You know both Logo and Guma share boundary with Nasarawa where the bandits hide to carry out attacks on us.
“If any attack takes place in Guma, the fear is that the next place would be Logo, so many people are no longer comfortable going to farms, but we commend the federal government for bringing the military to maintain peace.”
On the whole, it appears that the activities of bandits and herdsmen-farmers crises in
the state have led to increase in food
shortage, damage to farmlands, crops and made farm input very exorbitant and many farmers exterminated.
The situation has also destroyed the peaceful co-existence of communities and
their hosts. It has also affected the socio-economic activities of the farming communities, leading to increase in the
price of food items, commodities and persistent shortage of food available to consumers.
FG to the rescue
However, the recent effort by the federal government to encourage farmers through ‘Emergency Agriculture Intervention’ and bring succour to those affected by the flood and herdsmen attacks is now assisting farming activities to pick up in some places.
The federal government Emergency Agriculture Intervention Programme house under the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) since its coming to Benue had registered 23,000 farmers and distributed farming implements, seedlings and grains, knapsack sprayers and recently fertilisers to the benefiting groups.
NEMA which distributed the fertilisers to the 23,000 flood and herdsmen victims in state said the occasion marks phase three of the programme.
Head of NEMA team in Benue, Dr. Martins Ejike, said a total of 226 trucks were on ground for distribution to the beneficiaries.
He noted that for the past six month, the team has been in the state where they were able to register and carry out distribution of other farm implements like knapsack sprayers, seedlings, grains under phase one and two of the Programme.
Although the programme had assisted to some extent in improving agriculture in Benue it has been infiltrated by politicians and miscreants whose intention is only to acquire the materials and divert them.
Ejike, however, assured the people that no item or fertiliser meant for Benue would find its way outside the state.
“All beneficiaries will get all the items that are meant for them under this programme. I urge all the beneficiaries to be orderly and not misuse or sell items given to them by the federal government through NEMA,” he added.
Governor Ortom, who was represented at the occasion by his adviser on agro business, Mrs Joy Tarka, pleaded with the federal government to settle the internally displaced farmers who have been chased from their ancestral homes to return so that they will continue peacefully with their farming activities.
“Benue which is regarded as the Food Basket of the Nation has always fed Nigeria but challenge of flood and attack by herdsmen have brought the state back.
“However, with the gesture by federal government now, it is believed that farming and food production in the state will again improve,” he added.
