By Akpan David, Calabar
Farmers in Cross River State have lamented over the lack of markets for TME 419 cassava and the yellow maize which is also known as pro-vitamin ‘A’ variety.
They said with the new technology acquired they now produce the two crops in large quantities but they have nowhere to take them.
They also expressed unhappiness that both crops do not enjoy support and attention such as cocoa, rice and palm oil which the state government has established processing factories for them.
The farmers expressed themselves when they had Farmers Field Day recently.
In their written address, the chairman and secretary of Okomaya ACAI Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Mr Pullen Agazuma and Catechist Fidelis Angiating respectively stated that even though they received adequate farming technology from agricultural foundations, including ACAI and Sasakawa Africa since four years ago yet it was still imperative for their 43 members to access soft loans or grants for individual farmers.
“We received farming technologies from agric foundations which have boosted our yields but there is a lack of markets to sell the SAM Maize better known as Yellow maize and TME 419 cassava. We don’t also have processing factories for them like rice and cocoa.
“How do we evacuate them? The distance between farmers’ settlements and cooperative farmland is about 5km. We need transport aid to convey farmers to and from the farmland and harvested products. Do I mention lack of farm inputs such as fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, knapsack sprayers?”
The farmers called on federal and state governments, philanthropic organisations to support them to harness their potentials to the fullest.
