By Mohammed Bello

Vegetable farmers in Yola North Local Government Area have urged AADP to  resumed the supply of hybrid Vegetable seeds that can guarantee high yields.

The farmers who spoke to our correspondent at various location within the State capital during the week said that their business had problems since  AADP stopped suppling them with seeds.

Mal. Ibrahim Katsina a vegetable farmer at Rumde Bory whose farm is at the Benue River bank said that they started cultivation of their  since December last year, but the yields were not encouraging due lack of hydride seeds.

He said that vegetable farming have been assisting them for many year.

According to him, “Vegetable farmers in the State have been suffering in silence due negligence from those that are responsible for promoting farming activities, we used to have Hybrid Vegetable Seeds from the ministry of Agriculture and AADP but all the two organizations have since stopped”.

Mal. Ibrahim Katsina used the opportunity to appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture to please assist vegetable farmers with good vegetable seeds to enable them continue with the production of vegetables in and around the State capital.

Also speaking, at Double vegetable farms near Jimeta bridge, Mal. Ismaila Mohammad said that they need proper care like any other farmer to sustain their business.

Mal. Ismaila Mohammed lamented that for more than two years now they have applied for soft loans to boost vegetable farming but could not get the loan at the right time, and drew the attention of those involved in the anchor borrowers programme in the State to accord more attention to vegetable farmers for them to produce more.

He also appealed to AADP to resumed the sale of hybrid vegetable seeds to encourage other prospective vegetable farmers to go into the farming business.

Similarly at the vegetable farming site near Jimeta bridge Mal. Ali Dauda lamented that lack of encouragement from the Ministry of Agriculture seriously affecting their productivity in the area of vegetable farming, recalling that they used to have good seeds from AADP to promote their activities but today nothing is happening.

According to him, “without vegetable there would be no food because we all eat our food with soup and vegetable is commonly used for every  food cooked in every house”.

He said that their association deserve a better treatment considering the fact that food can only be eaten with soup, he therefore called on all stakeholders in the Agriculture sector to please treat vegetable farmers with honour just like any serious farming association.

Source