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Farmers lament on govt's neglect of cotton production to maintain and sustain their profession, probably they would have abandoned colton farming. 'We are professional cotton fanners and this is what many of us have been doing for over 20 years. We know . of the Df(""';SllJn ,rna we are to impact the knowledge on many youths because we believe that knowledge of cotton farming should be extended to young 'farmers who are interested. We are becoming old and what's the essence of the knowledge that one has that others cannot benefit from?'But, at the same tiffie, we want the governmffit to . support and help IJS with · neccessary input: ·We also L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _~_ _ _ _ _ _~_a.:...___'____'_=".~~=l need assistance in form of -Cotton farmers in Ida Local Governin~nt Area of Oyo State. fund's<ithatweeanincrease :.. -Cattail OTION farmers under the aegies ·.of National our o~tput," Chief Suleimon Adeniyi," the farmers' country. Cotton Association of Nige-ria (NACOTA), have ' spokesman stated. According to him, the collaterals, which banks often Asked to highlight other problems confronting th~i£ _ <l~maJlcffrorn. th~ befsJre they can access loans was too said that they were really suffering and not enjoy their profession at the moment due to neglect from the profession which they want government to provide solu- cumbefllome and ·frustrating. "Banks officials often degoverrunent. tionsto, Grief Jirnoh AJayande, said they are Cooperative mand .for ;collaterals that we cannot meet. They ask for They, however, tasked the government to come to their society :farmers and they decided to form Agbeloba Mul- things like the documents for a building, Certificate of Ocrescue so that upcoming youths in the country who are tipurpose Cooperiltive Union because they were aware of . cupancy (C of 0), landed property, etc, before they cari interested in farming but are yet to make up their minds the fact that government would not deal with individual grant us attention when it comes to accessing loans. The question we are asking is; how many poor farmers in the on the type of agriculture to embrace would not be dis- farmer unless they belong to farmers union or group. "But despite that, we have not been getting enough country can afford all these stringent conditions?" We couraged to embrace cotton farming. . They- ruso lamentedthaf proper 'attention was nrifbe- -assistance from the Federal Government. Although our don't want the government to link us with banks again, ing given to cotton farming compared to other types of leader in Oyo State, Chief Yesufu Akintola, the BaaJe banks are not helping us, they don't even want to borrow Agbe of Oyo State, is trying his best to make the state us money in the first place, so many of us believe there is agriculture. Some of the cotton farmers, who spoke with the Tri- government Took towards the direction of cotton farmers no point going to them and that is the general opinion and bune Agriculture narrated their ordeals in the past years, in the state, but we still want the government to do more feelings among cotton fanners in the country. Other problems militating against the development of attributing the neglect of cotton farmers to government . so that cotton production could be increased in the counpolicies which did not encourage the development of try and by this, many of our moribound textile industries cotton farming in the country, according to Chief (Mrs.) the textile industries. can come back to life," he stated. Moriamo Oladejo, another cotton fariner include; lack of storSome of the cotton farmers who practises their proGrief Tiamiyu Taiwo, appealled to the federal and state age faCilities, lack of good, aocessible roads into farms, lack of fession in some cornmunities in Ido Local Government governments to reduce what he called the stringent condi- inputs, especially chemicals and fertiliser, among many othThe cotton farmers howArea council of Oyo State, explained that cotton is a crop tions attached to the loan being given to farmers in the ers. of high economic importance and this fact is appreci• • ated all over the world. They said cotton farmmg often "~-!",,,:oner 'f'nfn'lnf'Q' ever, tasked the Oyo State attract speaal treahnent from the government, but, howUJllill~ .lV.uIU1~ goverrunent to help them with inputs, stressing that . OT unhl th e,gap nation's agricultural sec- ners In the revolutIOn the conditions attached to eyer, laIT)ented th at th e reverse is the case in Nigeria. . According ,to eotton fa rulers hke G:hief Sl.dOmon . k_ ',. ' Iuetweed 'tai-mers tor and this also means --, i programme going on in the Nlbillion Agricultural Aderuyi) Chief Jlmoh Alayande, Chief Tlamiyu Taiwo, and a g ri1;lture that the prices of agriculh ., . I I t e natton s agncu tura Fund released by Governor t~e Otun\ Balo~ of ~aaJ~ .~gbe, ~do l?cal gover~- I '_~I'S~Hff-.:$'~ ,lfe b , dged, tural produ~e, especially sector. Alao-Akala to help farm~.ent coun~:iI, Oyo Bfate, ~ef (Mrs.) 'M"ohamo iUladeJo . there-mar not be mean- food commbdities, may. h e r s ' in the' state was too "fld many others, th,,¥,s<\1.d.jf!fl'lt ,fprsbllWg rp~r§ ;<i>f:, fiiJ\~\}elo ~i in the continue to increase." According. to' ill', cumbersome. CQoperative societies, from where they ali1,;ays get money g p " there is still a serious gap ~4 ; The Oyo State Com- between researchers and They also urged the
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j armers m , di'ffe ' t,parts of •< the ' c, untry, li'livecontinuedto~'h wsepous interest in the planting of jathropha crop popularly known, among the Yorubas as lapaJapa. ,. Many of the farmers who spoke with Tribune Agriculture expressed delight at the way their colleagues in different' parts of the country are responding to calls to increase the partidpation in the planting of the crop, while some have began to search for more info~ation that would help them to beCome successful jathropha farmers.
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.1I.5rJdllture'fnar many fa ers In ment, Barrister Kunle why farmers are not emf . Oke-O I h I d til in Ido local government many armers ill gun Ogbomoso . town also s 0 a, rna e ese com- braCing research ou t- council of the state so that ,p.~9x~ S9lI1~~Jb,ishared hi ppinion. ments while speaking in comes. . better training could be who are already fanuliar He, h wever, called on Tbadan recently while adI'm forced to say this offered to trainees. _with_tobacco.farming .also . - the ·government to ·create dressing a large crowd of because I interact with "We have a training wanted to be planting more' awareness on practising farmers from farmers regularly and I school loca ted at Ido Lojathro]>ha and have tasked jathropha so that many the six states of the South- know some of their com- cal government council of their colleagues who knoyV-- farmers across the country West, agricultural ex- plaints. Therefore, I urged Oyo State. The school much-about jatropha to.-do can it,dopt its farming. perts, food scientists and scientists to allow farm- lacks adequate training everything possible to get in Also, farmers in Delta, technolOgies, as well top ers to be close to them in- staff, it also needs rehabilitouch with experts so that Kwara, Kogi, Benue and government officials in side research vehicles so tation and development. ..#1~y too.could benefit from JigawaState, wllOhavebeen the Ministries of Agricul- as to carry them along in Presently, the school is its farming': speaking with Tribune ture from the South-West their findings. This is under the Oyo State Agri' · '1 arI SIml y, f a armer In Agriculture on phone s ta tes. . when we can say their cultural Development ogb O B I h I Programme (OYSADEP), omoso town, yo . havetaskedfederalandstate arnster . s 0 a researches are meaning- but they can't meet the to. State, w~~ specialises in _.. ,gQygmm~@_.!.o make th~_!rowne~~_sltu~lOr\ ....JuLamLimpactful'::._ _ tal demand of the school. the planting of crops like . planting of jathropha popu- where practising farmers Speaking further, the But at the same time, we cassava, maize, yam, co- lar by orgarrising seminars were sttll been rel~gated to commissioner s,!id every want to thank Governor coa and tomato, Mr forfannersabout.theadvan- the background man ef- researcher must always ro- Adebayo Alao-Akala for Adeniyi Adeniji told Tri- tages they stand to gain if fort to mak~ the cOUI\try mancewith fannl'rs, stress- the assistance given to bune Agriculture that he. they embarked on the oom- food :sufflclj!nt, adqmg .. irtg that farmers 'are the erid farmers in the state so far," ~Aflumer iIl .~.QyM was ' interested · ,'in niercilil erodtiction of the th~~f~~r:~r~!.e~~".?:•. . ~r~ 9f <lI\y,!es~1U'dt out- . but we still want more," b i ~~-@~ 'ilJj~ ·.n·'~;liili!".i'iiiij;;;;or.fj!l;t"BtiL"!liiiJi~ll"hpatfo;,""'-conie:' ." .. ",, '. ._., ... ' . . the1anners:Sfated.: ..·· _ .":'-35'';; AN}),.