‘Herdsmen abducted two of our workers and burnt 62 hectares of cassava farmland’
Dele Ogunlade is the managing director of Crest Agro Products Limited. Ogunlade in this interview tells JOSEPHINE OKOJIE about herdsmen invasion on his farmland and what the government must do to put a stop to these increasing attacks.
There are reports that herdsmen have consistently been attacking farmlands across the country. Could you tell me how your farm was affected?
Our farm is situated in an area that is exposed to herdsmen attack since it is located in the middle belt where the activities of herdsmen have been very high. The herdsmen kidnapped two of our workers twice this year and have invaded our farms from time to time with their cattle. We have been able to contain their attacks in the last two months through police intervention. Early this year, our 62 hectares of cassava farm was destroyed and burnt by herdsmen. We were expecting a harvest of 25 tons from the 62 hectares at a value of N15, 000 per ton. We lost N375, 000.
We had to employ security on our farmlands when the attacks were becoming frequent. Now, we arrest any cattle found on our farms and take it to the police. The police ensure we get a refund for any damage done on the farm. Currently, we are spending N100, 000 per week on security for our farms.
The federal government wants to create ranches and grazing reserves; do you think it would solve the problem of herdsmen attacks?
The issue of ranching would not work because the herdsmen are nomads. They move around and cannot be confined to one place. They are very familiar with the nooks and cranny of all the bushes across the country. Since it is very difficult to curtail them, the grazing reserves cannot address the problem of herdsmen attacks in the country.
What is the impact of herdsmen attacks on government’s quest to diversify the economy through agriculture?
Government must be systematic and consistent in its effort to address the issue of herdsmen. If there is no security to guarantee crop production, there will be nothing for exporters to export. If the issue of herdsmen is not properly addressed then the government is not serious about diversifying the revenue of the country through agricultural export.
What should the government do to address the issues of herdsmen?
The issue of herdsmen has been on for over a decade and very active in certain areas but now it is spreading across the country as if there is something behind it. The government should study the situation and go deeply into the causes of the invasion. They need to find out if the herdsmen are Nigerians and if so, where do they come from all of a sudden.
It is not by arresting them and locking them in jail; it is like attacking the symptoms instead of the cause. With the way things are going now it might lead to a serious civil strife in the nearest future just like it is happening in Ekiti State today, where the government is up with some draconian laws against herdsmen and other states can follow suit and before you know it the country could be in confusion.
Why did the cassava bread policy not gain traction?
The concept of the cassava bread policy was very good but there was a lot of politics as regard the policy. The flour millers that are supposed to ensure 10 percent inclusion did not embrace it and as soon as there was change in government the policy was abandoned. The government was supposed to come up with rules and regulations to ensure that the policy survives. Until the government gets the flour millers commitment the policy will not gain traction.
What should the government do to ensure that the country harnesses its full potential in cassava production?
Nigeria still remains the largest producer of cassava. What we are not doing that countries such as Thailand and others are doing is producing for industrial use. Cassava has a lot of by-products yet the country spends millions of dollars yearly importing by products like starch, ethanol and others. We only process cassava for consumption.
For us to produce for industrial use we need to produce cassava in commercial quantity and our average yield per hectare must be improved. The federal government needs to dialogue with the private sector to find ways to mechanise the rural farming, introduce high yield inputs, improve fertilizers and quantity required, mechanise harvest, guarantee economic value to primary producers, and ensure some price mechanism to enable agricultural processors rely on the pricing scheme.
What policy can the government formulate to attract youth into agriculture?
For youths to find agriculture attractive, the government needs to develop the agriculture mechanisation policy that will properly address all the issues related to machinery importation, local manufacturing, training, research and development, funding mechanisation activities from manufacture to the end user and easy access to mechanisation services.
How can the Buhari led administration develop the agricultural sector?
The Buhari led administration needs to be firm about change in the agric sector. The administration needs to bring immediate revolution in the sector because the longer it takes; the more government loses trust in the sight of the people because they would not be sure whether it will be sustained.