21st October, 2010
The proposal by Niger State government to bring South African farmers into the state will face protest from farmers in the state. Farmers who spoke to P.M.NEWS said they will reject in totality the idea of the state government introducing South African farmers in the state.
They said they will fight and protect their farmlands against foreign farmers whom they discribed as invaders.
According to them if the state government succeeds in bringing them into the state, the local farmers will lose most of the farms they inherited from their ancestors just like it happened in Kwara State
Malam Makun, 70, and Mallam Shaba in Badegi Local Government of the state said both the federal and state governments confiscated their hectares of land for the establishement of Badegi Rice Research Institute but the original owners did not benefit from it. “Now we are told that the state government is planning to bring foreign farmers; they should know that we are not going to give out our farms any more,†says Mallam Makun
Mallam Shaba called on the state government “to allocate government own farm lands not those that belong to the poor farmers who rely on the few hectares of land to feed their familiesâ€.
The state government said it has concluded arrengements to introduce the South African farmers in the state with the aim of boosting food production as well as introducing new and modern farming techniques to rural farmers in the state.
State commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Aminu Yusuf, said the foreign farmers will engage in rice, maize, sugar cane and animal production. He said over six thousand hectares of land that the visiting farmers will cultivate have been identified by consultants hired by the state government, a project that cost the government over N3million.
“The report of the consultant identified 19 irrigation schemes requiring rehabilitation and 6,200 hectares of potential irrigation sites that could be harnessed,†the commissioner added.
On the protest of the state farmers against the coming of the South African farmers in the state the commissioner said the state government has secured 1.0 billion naira from the Federal government for on-lending to small farmers towards enhancing their productions†already the structure and implementations and modalities have been approved by the government and funds will be distributed to the benefiting farmers soonâ€
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