Cocoa, plantain farmers send SOS to Buhari over herdsmen attacks

By Osagie OTABOR, AkureThe Cocoa and Plantain Farmers Association of Nigeria (CPFAN) has sent a save-our-soul message to President Muhammadu Buhari over the destruction of farms and killing of farmers by criminal herdsmen.The farmers, who spoke at a press conference in Akure, warned that food production in the country would nosedive if the activities of herdsmen were not checked.National President of CPFAN, Chief Ayodele Ojo, said farmers need protection to go their farms.Chief Ojo, however, commended President Buhari for providing effective fire-fighting equipment to solve some of our endemic agricultural problems.Ojo said the fire-fighting pump was useful in putting out fire on their farms during the dry season.He noted that the over 28,000 members of COFAN in 20 states currently cultivated more than 20,000 hectares, and have the potential to cultivate more than 50,000 hectares.He called for CPFAN members to be included in the medium term credit facility and N-CARES project as well as other Federal Government interventions.Other needs for farmers, according to him, include motorised sprayers, mechanical diggers for planting plantain, solo sprayers, agrochemicals, improved cocoa seedlings and plantain suckers.Chief Ojo further appealed for Federal Governments assistance in capacity building for farmers to meet up with international market standard in terms of post-harvesting handling and packaging of plantain and cocoa.
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