On Monday, some farmers in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe urged their governments to adopt new strategies to tackle crop theft and insurgents’ attacks ahead of the farming season.

The farmers made the appeal when responding to a survey on their challenges ahead of the rainy season.

Umar Mohammed, a farmer in Jakusko of Yobe, said farmers had experienced several attacks by Boko Haram insurgents and crop theft during the last cropping season.

“There were also cases of levies being imposed on farmers by the insurgents. If a farmer resists, he or she stands the risk of being attacked or abducted by the insurgents for ransom,” Mr Mohammed said.

Paul Ogaji, a farmer in Mutai, said N16 million worth of sorghum was stolen from his farm on October 15, 2024.

“The thieves came in the night and harvested about 80 per cent of mature sorghum. They loaded it in a vehicle and fled. By my estimation, they took about 180 bags of the crop. What they left behind was not more than 20 bags. The market value of a bag of sorghum at that time was N75,000,” he said.

Usman Ngari, the Yobe branch chairman of the Nigerian All Farmers Association, said the recent upsurge in crop theft was unprecedented.

“In my 35 years of commercial farming, crop theft mostly involved sesame and bean farms. But what we are witnessing is a new normal because thieves now steal all kinds of crops, posing a threat to the livelihood of farmers. The situation has become alarming as many farmers now spend days and nights on farms to protect their crops,” he said.

Mr Ngari appealed to security agencies in the state to intensify farm patrols as part of measures to contain the challenge and protect the farmers’ means of livelihood.

However, Babagana Kolo, a Dikumari farmer, called on the Yobe government to assist farmers by subsidising fertiliser.

“NPK fertiliser now goes for N35,000, which is on the high side and beyond the reach of a low-income farmer. I am appealing to the state government to subsidise fertiliser and other farm inputs to assist low-income farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, farmers have begun clearing farmlands and planting early crops such as maize, millet and sorghum in Adamawa. Hamza Iliya, a local farmer in Girei LGA, said the rains arrived earlier than expected, prompting many young people to return from cities like Yola and Mubi.

“We have started planting maize and sorghum because the soil has started getting soft because of the rain. Our worry is whether there will be too much rain that could destroy our crops, or less rain that could cause drought, that we cannot say; we only trust God for a bountiful harvest,” Mr Iliya said.

Victoria Nuhu, a farmer in Shelleng, expressed concern about the rising cost of agricultural inputs.

“Fertiliser and herbicides are still very expensive. Many of us may not be able to afford a large farmland or purchase farm inputs like fertiliser in a large quantity for our farms, which may affect our yields. We are calling on the government and other NGOs to support us this year to boost our production,” she said.

In response, David Jatau, the agric commissioner, said the government had invested N2 billion to procure agricultural inputs ahead of the farming season.

Mr Jatau said the initiative would boost the agricultural sector by providing farmers and youths with essential farm inputs and expertise as they prepare for the season.

He said the inputs would be distributed across the 21 LGAs as part of the state’s agricultural intervention programme.

“One of the key policies of the government is the development of 300 hectares of farmland in each local government area, to be allocated to 300 youths to farm,” Mr Jatau said.

Meanwhile, the situation in Borno was quite different from that of Adamawa and Yobe because not many communities could freely go to their farms and carry out the normal farming activities because of insurgents’ attacks.

A reliable source from the agric ministry said the state government had spent a lot of money to support rural farmers but the farmers have not been able to access their farms due to fear of being attacked.

However, many farmers in Maiduguri opted for dry season farming because the security within the farming areas is closer to the capital city. Some farmers, especially in the areas of Bukar and Babagana, mostly dry-season farmers, said the situation is dire.

The farmers also said they rely heavily on the Alau Dam for irrigation, and the dam’s collapse had left them without a livelihood. They are among many in the community who are urging the government to expedite the reconstruction process before the rainy season begins.

“We depend on this dam for our crops. Since the collapse, we have lost everything. The government must act swiftly to repair the dam before the rains come,” said Bukar, a farmer from Maiduguri.

Another farmer, Babagana Shettima, said, “If the dam is not fixed in time, many of us who depend on it for our crops will be left without income. This is a serious issue that needs immediate attention. We rely on the water for our livelihoods, and without it, we have no way to sustain ourselves.”

(NAN)