Farmers in Benue State
have  urged the incoming administration to ensure early procurement and distribution of farm inputs to farmers to enhance food sufficiency in the country.
The farmers made this call in separate interviews with The Tide source in Makurdi, on Monday.
According to them, the late procurement and distribution of such farm inputs like fertilisers and seedlings should be discouraged.
Mr Vitalis Ayongo, a rice farmer, told reporters that in the previous years, they were supplied farm inputs late.
He explained that it was always having negative impact on their yields.
Ayongo said that the best time to make farm inputs available to farmers was before the commencement of the rainy season.
Mr Tyohuna Asue, a soybean farmer, said a situation whereby farm inputs were made available to farmers close to the end of rainy season was not good enough.
“This does not speak well of the government at all levels because it looks as if they were not giving agriculture the desired attention.
“This in turn negatively affects the outcome of farmers’ efforts during harvesting period,” he said.
Mrs Eunice Akase, a groundnut farmer, told resporters that the incoming government should reverse the trend to encourage farmers to increase food production, and to meet local and factory consumption.
Akase said that the incoming administration should make agriculture more attractive to encourage youths to venture into it, and thereby reducing unemployment.
Mr Titus Terwase, a yam farmer, appealed to the incoming government in the state and at the federal level to make agriculture their topmost priority.