Irrigation Farmers Flock to Taraba, Defying High Fuel Costs

From Faruk Magaji Bamalli, Jalingo

Irrigation farmers from across the country are trooping into Taraba State to carry out irrigation farming despite the cost of petrol and other inputs, including fertiliser and pesticide.

The farmers are taking advantage of vast fertile land in the valley of the River Benue, covering over 157 kilometres in Taraba State.

The land, our findings revealed, accommodates thousands of farmers to farm rice, maize, beans, wheat, and vegetables twice during the dry season.

The irrigation land is located on both sides of the River Benue, River Taraba, River Donga, and River Katsina _Ala in seven local government areas of the state.

Findings further revealed that over eight percent of irrigation farming is taking place in the Lau, Karim-Lamido, Gassol, and Ibbi local government areas of the state.

The farmers have already started land preparation, while others have started planting rice even as the cost of inputs and petrol has gone up, which jacked up production costs this season.

Findings revealed that a litre of petrol sells for N2000 in locations where irrigation farming is taking place in six local government areas of the state.

Similarly, a litre of pesticide now costs between N6000 and N6500, which was sold between N2500 and N3000 last year, while the cost of labour doubled from what was paid last year.

Sale Binnari, one of the irrigation farmers in the Karim-Lamido local government area, told our reporter that despite the cost of petrol and other inputs, hundreds of people have arrived in the area and have started land preparation for planting.

Sale Binnari said the area has never recorded the number of people coming to participate in irrigation farming like this year.

He said some of the people that came are from Kogi, Enugu, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Borno, and Yobe, among other states of the Federation.

“We buy a litre of petrol at the cost of N2000 and a litre of pesticide at N6500, while a bag of fertiliser is sold at N34,000. However, despite the high cost of farm inputs, people are still coming in their numbers to take part in irrigation farming.

“We are witnessing an influx of people from across the country while more wealthy individuals are participating now because they have realised that irrigation farming is very profitable,” he said.

According to him, the drought experienced in Taraba, where many people lost their crops, had compelled wet season farmers to participate in irrigation.

Alhaji Haruno Sheka, the village head of Sheka, another location where thousands of people conduct irrigation farming annually, told our reporter that the area is witnessing an influx of people from across the country who are coming to participate in irrigation farming.

He said this is happening even when the cost of farming inputs has skyrocketed, and equally, labourers are charging more than double what they charged last year.

Haruna stated that people have realised that irrigation farming is profitable and that is why more people are coming to participate in irrigation farming in Taraba State.