Lawmaker Laments Lack Of Agric Inputs For Farmers

A former Councillor
representing Ward in the Abua/Odual Legislative Assembly, Hon. Robinson Okpara has said that the effect of 2012 flood on farmers in his area was the lack of agriculture inputs and seeds and has called upon state governments to come up with a process of supplying seedlings to farmers including financial incentives.
According to him, Odual Community was a major producer of cassava, plantain and banana even as he said such farm products were in short supply across the communities of Odual.
He said for any farmer to go back to the land, he or she must buy such seedlings and that the farmers being peasants could not afford to buy the seedlings.
He explained that one major challenge facing the farmers was that the few who could afford to buy have to travel out of the community and the “products are sold exorbitantly”, he lamented.
Hon. Okpara said the development has made many farmers to go out of business because they could not afford to buy seedlings and inputs.
“Not all are planting because for those who cannot afford to buy are no longer farming and the effect is that their families will suffer.
“Right now as I am telling you, most of the families cannot afford to put their children to school. “If the farmers are not farming due to financial handicap or support definitely that family will suffer” he said.
He said it was important for the state and local governments to come to the aid of the farmers with financial support and also provide seedlings and other agric inputs to the farmers so that they can once more stand on their feet.
On mixed feelings among farmers in respect to the predictions of flooding in 2013, the farmers councilor advised farmers not to relent in going back to the farm as to do otherwise could be counter productive
“It is the prediction all over that the flood will come again. That information has given fear to farmers so peradventure the farmers do not plant because of the information then the worst will come by next year in terms of food shortage” he said.
He said the farmers owe it a duty not only to themselves but their immediate families to go back to the land and not wait only on government.
“My advice to the farmers is for them not to stay put because they have been warned that the flood will come again. Let them go back to the land and plant so that they don’t go hungry and wait for what government will do” he said.