Farmers in Ekiti State have raised concern over their inability to go to farms, due to attacks and destruction of crops by herdsmen.
A traditional ruler, the Alajowa of Ijowa, Ijowa Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Omopariola, during a meeting with the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), lamented that insecurity was one of the major problems facing farmers in the community.
He said farmers were unable to recoup the money invested on their farms because cattle usually destroy their farm crops.
Omopariola said due to this challenge, farmers in the community no longer plant crops such as maize, sorghum, cassava, and yam. They buy them at exorbitant prices.
He appealed to NALDA to work for the benefit of both government and community, adding that the issue of herders invading farms must be addressed.
A farmer, Mr. Alaba Sunday, appealed to NALDA to make farming implements and inputs available for the farmers.
The Executive Secretary of NALDA, Paul Ikonne, said the government would reactivate an integrated farm estate on its just recovered 1,200 farmland in the state, adding that the estate, located on Okeako/Irele Ekiti in Ikole Local Council of the state, had been in existence for over 20 years.
On insecurity and herders’ crises, Ikonne said the best way forward was to meet, discuss and dialogue with farmers and herders in the communities to prevent future occurrence.