By Nneka Nwogwugwu
All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN), Benue state chapter has warned against blocking foods to the South.
Comrade Saaku Aondongu, the state Chairman, said that Benue farm produce will continually flood the markets in the Southern parts of the country.
He said Benue farmers were too knowledgeable to be deceived by people who did not mean well for others.
According to him, “Benue produces foodstuff for consumption in the entire country. We do not produce for our personal consumption alone.
“So we must move our produce first to the East who are our neighbours and then to other parts of the country because what we produce here are in high demand across the country and the consumers will continue to get them for as long as we produce.
“We have no problems with the people in the East and other parts of the country; so our farm produce will continue to flow to reach them no matter what.
“Moreover, if we don’t sell our produce to other Nigerians, how do we recoup our investment? How will our people earn their living because here in Benue, aside the federal allocation, most of what we earn come from our farms. You will also recall that Benue has suffered a lot of herdsmen attacks leading to the death of thousands of our innocent farmers.
“We are carrying our pains just like the people in the South who are now witnessing what we suffered over the years.
“So, we cannot be seen to be protesting with those who called the strike when we are still suffering the brunt of years of herdsmen attacks in our state and still have hundreds of thousands of our people in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps located in parts of the state as a result of the herdsmen incursions which left our people who are mainly farmers displaced from their ancestral homes and now spending their lifetime in IDPs camps in terrible conditions.
“So, as far as we are concerned, the purpose for the strike is not convincing and meant to please selected self-seeking few. And my question is how long will it last? Once the rains set in there will be more production and if you do not sell what will you do with your yield? What is the meaning of farming if we produce and do not sell? So, the more we produce the much we sell. Nobody will tell us in Benue to embark on blockade of food items meant for other parts of the country because it will not fly here.
“We will continue to sell our farm produce to the Easterners who are our immediate neighbours and other parts of the country because that is the reason we are known as the Food Basket of the Nation, and anything to the contrary is not acceptable.
“They should know that we also have our grievances in Benue considering the number of our members that have been killed by armed herdsmen, but we have not resorted to blockade because it will serve no useful purpose and might even become counter-productive at the end of the day.”
