The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has said that their members in Yobe State lost over 100 hectares of farmland to Boko Haram terrorists and criminal herdsmen in three local governments.
The chairman, Yobe State Chapter of AFAN Alhaji Usman Ngari, disclosed this during an interview with the Nigerian Tribune recently.
“Gujiba, Geidam and Yunusari Local Government areas are facing challenges of insecurity and also during the harvest, they face challenges with herders who destroy some of the farms with their cattle.
“More than hundred hectares of farmland was destroyed by terrorists and herdsmen,” Ngari lamented.
He said despite that, farmers in the state produced good harvest with minimal rainfall they witnessed during the rainy season.
“This year, the farmers have really done well, only in some parts, the rains stopped earlier, but overall production has been good but it is not 100 per cent”, he added.
He however said there is an on-going registration of farmers who are interested in irrigation, and many farmers are showing interest.
Going forward, Alhaji Ngari said a meeting was held between AFAN, herders and the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the crisis between the farmers and herders.
He said it was agreed that the grazing reserve which was taken away by farmers would be returned to the herders so that they can keep their livestock there without encroaching into farms.
“We have made two major arrangements for the January dry season farming, firstly, we had a meeting with herders together with the federal government to return the grazing reserves that were taken away by the farms to the herders so that they will have enough grass and water for their livestock”, he noted.
On Boko Haram, the Yobe State AFAN chairman said there is an arrangement for a joint task force comprising traditional hunters, police and military to secure farmers on their farms.
“For the insurgency, there will be a joint traditional hunters, police and military to safeguard the farmers in their farms,” he added.
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