How Herders Invaded Our Farms, Destroyed Our Crops During Harvest Season–Farmers

Some farmers within the Federal Capital Territory have narrated how they were chased from their farms by suspected herdsmen at the peak of last year’s harvest season.

The farmers who spoke to THE WHISTLER during separate interviews, explained that the losses that they suffered during the harvest season is making it difficult for them to return to their farms.

“We lost all we had hoped to harvest in the 2020 farming season to the herdsmen, and it was indeed a huge loss for us,” one of the farmers identified as Yusuf Usman told THE WHISTLER.

Usman, a retired military personnel, had in 2020 ventured into farming in order to make ends meet after retirement.

The 63-year-old retiree, who hired a land that he used as his farm said that he watched helplessly as herders harvested his potato produce and fed them to their cattle right on the farmland.

He said, “Some of us believed that after retirement, agriculture is the way to go, as a way to boosting our source of income and making ends meet.

“On my part, I leased a land in one of the communities along Bwari Area Council. I took a loan from a Microfinance Bank and invested on the farmland.

“Last year we had so much produce in our farms, but at the peak of harvest, we suffered huge losses because the herders invaded the farms and destroyed most of my crops.

“Their cattle grazed on the farmlands, destroyed and ate up my potatoes that were ready for harvest.”

Usman said he was not going to farm as much as he did the previous year, adding that he didn’t want to lose as much as he did last year.

Similarly, Joseph Adu, who also planted maize and beans explained that he is not keen on returning to the farm because herders are currently grazing on the land.

According to him, the owners of the land had advised them to leave the land for the herders, as they have built make-shift tents to provide shelter.

“Despite the loss of last year, I wanted to continue farming this year but I discovered that these herders have occupied the land.

“The owners of the land even told us to leave the land for them for now to avoid conflict, since they have built tents on them,” he said.

In recent times, Nigerians have experienced massive decline in agricultural production due to herders/farmers clashes.

This had resulted into loss of lives, increase in prices of agricultural products, high poverty rate among others.

Experts and farmers have alerted that the nation may suffer a major food crisis in 2021 as the herdsmen continue to encroach on private farmlands in most part of the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index report, Nigeria’s food inflation stood at 22.28 percent in the month of May.

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El- Rufai had recently said the establishment of ranches in states will resolve the lingering herder-farmer crises in Nigeria.

The governor said open grazing of livestocks is no longer realistic, adding that governors should protect residents in their states and prosecute criminals irrespective of their ethnicity or religion.

He disclosed that northern governors have resolved to established one ranch in each state in the region and provide incentives to convince herders to start ranching their live-stocks for improve production of milk and healthy animals.