The voiceless dry season farmers of Abuja

Last year, Daily Trust went round Abuja, the nation's capital and discovered some Nigerians who have refused to remain idle and decided to engage themselves in farming, both in wet and dry season. Last season, they farmed without any form of support from either the FCT department of agriculture, the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) or the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, through its Growth Enhancement Support (GES), a scheme that subsidises the prices of inputs for farmers. This year, Daily Trust decided to follow up to see whether the story of these smallholder farmers of the FCT has changed. Sadly, the story remains the same. None of them could still access any form of support from government either in form of getting subsidised fertiliser, seeds and other inputs, or loan to enhance their agricultural activity. Peter Obong is one of the over 200 farmers who took the opportunity to explore potentials that abound in the land after the development control department of the FCT destroyed his shop in the business area. He said: "I look at myself and I asked what am I going to do in this condition? I have a family, I have rent to pay. So I decided to go into vegetable farming to support my family. I have made my first harvest and I got N30, 000." If given the necessary support from the N44 million the federal government has budgeted for the production of Ogwu leaf, Obong said he will expand the farm. When asked whether he has registered as a farmer, he said that "I don't know where to start from; I don't have any information as to where to do so and we are voiceless." Obong is one of the hundreds of farmers who are lost as to where to get registered to enjoy the GES scheme meant to target farmers like them. Daily Trust put same question to about 10 other farmers, and their answers were emphatic no. Abdulkadir Mohammed cultivates maize and vegetables. He has been doing so for over 10 years now. He told this reporter that even though the FCT administration does not collect rent on the land they cultivate, they have not received any form of input either. Salisu Umar also told our reporter that he made over N70, 000 from the maize he cultivated last year. The money, he said, helped him to buy a pumping machine which he uses this year for irrigation. The 31-year-old stressed that hundreds of farmers using this stretch of land are producing more than what government thinks. "Many of them (referring to government officials) do not know that this land is big. They only see from their cars widows, but the land is big. From the Central Mosque to zone 3, is not a small land," he said. These dry season farmers have organised themselves, with their leader who handles any dispute that may arise between or among farmers in the area. Effort to reach him was not fruitful as he was said to be away. These farmers' stories were similar with those our reporter met at the Gada Biu dry season farms along Abuja-Lokoja expressway, which is also home to hundreds of dry season farmers occupying over 100 hectares of land. As large as the area, which they cultivate both in rainy and dry seasons, majority of the farmers spoken to said they do not have access to inputs from either the FCTA, or even the federal government, through the Ministry of Agriculture. Daily Trust checked out with some of the farmers who have over 10 years farming experience in these areas if any government official has ever visited them. Their response indicated that there was no record of any such visit by the authorities concerned. Obong said: "If government could help all the youths in the country to put to use every free, available land for agricultural purposes, it will probably spend less in security because there will be no room for the devil to use them. "We need to change our approach and assist anybody who is doing farming, no matter where and when the person is doing it, as far as it contributes to food production."