Potato Farmers Lament over Nigeria’s Worsening Insecurity Challenges

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN) has expressed concerns over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria, noting that the situation has made it difficult for potato farmers to access their farms either for harvesting or planting.

The National President of POFAN, Mr. Daniel Okafor, stated this during the launch of a training handbook on Sweet-Potato (OFSP) Value Chain Development /Presentation of Logical Framework for 2022.

Okafor stated that he lost about five hectares of potatoes farm to theft perpetrated by locals and rampaging herdsmen.
He described the document being launched as a guide to a successful potato value chain development in Nigeria, which could also help other African countries and the world in general.

He said: “Insecurity is a very big challenge which everybody knows in Nigeria today as the major cause of food scarcity. Our farmers cannot go to their farms either to plant or harvest the planted crops due to insecurity around them. We believe that successful implementation of this Value Chain Development Initiative in Nigeria will help the country to achieve food secured nation at ease as potatoes can thrive well in all parts of this country.”

He added: “We compiled this handbook to help us know the direction to follow to produce globally acceptable sweet potato and OFSP in particular. The book covered everything you need to know about sweet potato production and other value chains developmental aspects including gender issues in agriculture.”

Okafor said the training was targeted at a wide range of farmers, which include the vulnerable, women, youths, students, civil savants and also those in the private sector.

“I urge all the necessary authorities in Nigeria to support our dream as farmers to make the achievement of food security easy in Nigeria. Farmers, together, we can change the ugly narratives people have about Nigerian farmers. This project is hoped to go round the 744 local government areas in Nigeria.

“I equally urge all the stakeholders in the potato industry and agricultural sector in general to see the need to embrace potato value chain development as a lucrative venture worth investing in. This is because potato is not just food crop but some varieties like orange-fleshed sweet potato also serve as a nutritional crop. This variety can serve the nutritional need of many Nigerians especially those in rural areas and urban cities alike.

‘We should also know that potatoes can be used in different ways to serve different purposes. It has different value-added components as raw materials for different manufacturing industries both for baking and much other industrial use,” he noted.