I
DAILY TRUST
24
Monday, May 16, 201 1
Business/ Agric -
Post election violence:
Farmers count losses The conflict that followed the presidential election took an economic dimension when farmers and their farms were attacked. Thousands of cattle and sheep were wasted, and experts say agriculture was the biggest victim. PIX: AFOLABI SOTUNDE
By Jibrin Abubakar
T
H EAprilgeneraielections resulted in general losses for farmers. Conceivably, the biggest losers are the innocent poultry and livestock farmers; as well as marketers and transpo rters offarm produce. According to report made available to Daily Tm st by Admiral Environmental Care, the agricultural sector lost about N554million worth of produce in the four-d ay post election conflict in the Northern part of Nigeria. This is coming as the Fulanis in Kaduna State under the Mobgal Fulbe Development Association raised alarm that 11 5 oftheir kinsme n in the southern part of the state were still missing in the crisis that followed the presidentialpoll . . ' According to the report by the group, 264 ful anis were killed, 256,042 were displaced, 5,9 18 houses were destroyed in 18 villages, 2,185 cattle and 152 sheep were killed. It says 1,345 cattle are still missing in the southern part ofKaduna. In the same vein, Hajia Rabi AbdulSalam, owner of the Fasarid ramid farms told th is paper that the perpetrators of the crisis have no conscience and are godless. In art interview with Daily
Trust, she says 2,000 chickens (layers) we re killed at her Fasarid Ramid farms located at Maraban Ridoin Kaduna state. She says two- bedroom bun galow, an oil mill building and a power generating plant in the farm were burnt down. One of her workers was also shot, though he survived it. The attackers seemed to have planned it ahead, she feared. Executive Director of the Admiral Environmel)tal Care Mr. Shedrack Madlion told Daily Trust that the value of destruction on the agricultural sector is put conservatively at N554million, even as farmers still count losses
lost in the four days of mayhem in the Northern part of Nigeria. The navigational points of farm produce are the South-west and the South-east. In the North, the product must be harvested and prepared to leave the farm gates. That movement of farmers, the transporters and the middlemen was restricted in four days.' "The hatchers of day old chicks could not deliver to those who have booked in advance. Fishermen could not go to the pond to feed the fish. What it takes you to
What happened was a complete disaster to humanity, to nature and to agric ulture:' Asked about the authen ticity of the financial quantification of
SummarY
N554mi1"",iio..... n__
while ma ny other farm losses may not have been captured by the survey due to logistic problem. In an interview, he says: "It was
a terrible thing that happened to the agricultural sector in four days. A total ofN554million was
gain in eight months was lost in two four days. Livestock farme rs who their livestock delive red had no access to the marke t to buy vaccinat ion for their cows. Don't forget that 68.8% of Nigerian farm ers are subsistence farmers.
A tomato truck skidded off the ro~ d.
the losses in the agricultu ral sector, he says: "The research and statistics department of the Admiral Environmental Care went ro und Saminaka where the maize is
coming out from; they we nt to Gombe where 67% of Nigeria's vegetable comes from. We Continued Oil page 25