Agriculture
RICE farmers in Enugu have urged the State Government to subsidise the necessary farm inputs in order to boost rice production in the state.
A cross section of rice farmers who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Enugu on Wednesday, said they were yet to receive any kind of support from the state government.
Mrs Maria Nwankwo, a rice farmer in Augwu Community, said the rice planting season was at its peak but she had not received any assistance from government.
Nwankwo added that rice planting needed fertilisers to grow in order not to encounter any problem.
“Since the planting season commenced, I have been buying fertilisers and seedlings from the market according to my financial strength because I cannot afford to buy in bags, rather I buy in small quantities,” she said.
Mr Ugonna Ejiofor, another rice farmer corroborated the claim, saying that both seedlings and fertilisers were gotten from the market by farmers themselves.
He noted that farmers buying the inputs at exorbitant rate would affect the price of their produce by making it expensive.
Mrs Ijeoma Adinnu also another rice farmer from Augwu said subsidising farm inputs would be helpful because it would be affordable by all farmers adding that it would also create an avenue for mass production of rice in the state.
According to Mr Romanus Eze, the Secretary of the state chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), farmers in the state were still waiting for government to sell fertilisers to them at a subsidised rate.
Eze said that as the planting season was almost getting to an end, it might be difficult for farmers to have access to such inputs.
He added that subsidising inputs was one of the ways to encourage farming activities in the state. (NAN)
– Jul. 18, 2018 @ 17:39 GMT |
Tags: Rice farmers in Enugu urge government to subsidise inputs
