Farmers Blame Herdsmen For High Cost Of Garri, Fufu
The Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, has said blamed the limited availability and increased cost of cassava products across the country on herdsmen attacks on farms.
The group’s president, Segun Adewumi, while speaking on the challenges being faced by cassava farmers, made this known in Lagos on Thursday.
Mr Adewumi said attacks by herdsmen had caused cassava farmers in some parts of the country to stop work, hence produce of cassava such as garri, flour, fufu, starch and semolina had become more costly.
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While lamenting lack of compensation to affected farmers, Mr Adewumi said policies taken by farmers does not cover any form of insurance for their farms.
“As such, the farmers lost the produce to the attackers without compensation,” he said.
“It has been a very difficult time for cassava farmers in Nigeria because of the incessant attacks by herdsmen, who make it difficult for them to go to their farms.
“Farmers are afraid to go and cultivate; some farmers have lost their lives for venturing into the farms.
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“All that the farmers had were lost to these attackers, and that really affected production of cassava,” he added.
According to him the attacks led to shortage of cassava stems thereby causing limited availability of cassava for processing.
Mr. Adewumi said farmers who obtained loans from commercial banks were unable to pay back because their cassava farms had been eaten up by animals.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that a small paint bucket measure of cassava flakes, otherwise known as ‘Garri’, costs between N900 and N1,100, depending on the location in Lagos metropolis.
