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Farmers lament on govt's neglect of cotton production to maintain and sustain their profession, probably they would have aban­doned colton farming.

'We are professional cot­ton fanners and this is what many of us have been do­ing for over 20 years. We know . of the Df(""';SllJn ,rna we are to impact the knowledge on many youths because we believe that knowledge of cotton farming should be ex­tended to young 'farmers who are interested.

We are becoming old and what's the essence of the knowledge that one has that others cannot benefit from?'But, at the same tiffie, we want the governmffit to

. support and help IJS with · neccessary input: ·We also

L ________________ ~ ______ ~_a.:...___'____'_=".~~=l need assistance in form of -Cotton farmers in Ida Local Governin~nt Area of Oyo State. fund's<ithatweeanincrease : .. -Cattail

COTION farmers under the aegies ·.of National our o~tput," Chief Suleimon Adeniyi," the farmers' country. Cotton Association of Nige-ria (NACOTA), have ' spokesman stated. According to him, the collaterals, which banks often said that they were really suffering and not enjoy Asked to highlight other problems confronting th~i£ _ <l~maJlcffrorn. th~ befsJre they can access loans was too

their profession at the moment due to neglect from the profession which they want government to provide solu- cumbefllome and ·frustrating. "Banks officials often de­goverrunent. tionsto, Grief Jirnoh AJayande, said they are Cooperative mand.for ;collaterals that we cannot meet. They ask for

They, however, tasked the government to come to their society :farmers and they decided to form Agbeloba Mul- things like the documents for a building, Certificate of Oc­rescue so that upcoming youths in the country who are tipurpose Cooperiltive Union because they were aware of . cupancy (C of 0), landed property, etc, before they cari interested in farming but are yet to make up their minds the fact that government would not deal with individual grant us attention when it comes to accessing loans. The on the type of agriculture to embrace would not be dis- farmer unless they belong to farmers union or group. question we are asking is; how many poor farmers in the couraged to embrace cotton farming. "But despite that, we have not been getting enough country can afford all these stringent conditions?" We

. They- ruso lamentedthaf proper 'attention was nrifbe- -assistance from the Federal Government. Although our don't want the government to link us with banks again, ing given to cotton farming compared to other types of leader in Oyo State, Chief Yesufu Akintola, the BaaJe banks are not helping us, they don't even want to borrow agriculture. Agbe of Oyo State, is trying his best to make the state us money in the first place, so many of us believe there is

Some of the cotton farmers, who spoke with the Tri- government Took towards the direction of cotton farmers no point going to them and that is the general opinion and bune Agriculture narrated their ordeals in the past years, in the state, but we still want the government to do more feelings among cotton fanners in the country. attributing the neglect of cotton farmers to government . so that cotton production could be increased in the coun- Other problems militating against the development of policies which did not encourage the development of try and by this, many of our moribound textile industries cotton farming in the country, according to Chief (Mrs.) the textile industries. can come back to life," he stated. Moriamo Oladejo, another cotton fariner include; lack of stor-

Some of the cotton farmers who practises their pro- Grief Tiamiyu Taiwo, appealled to the federal and state age faCilities, lack of good, aocessible roads into farms, lack of fession in some cornmunities in Ido Local Government governments to reduce what he called the stringent condi- inputs, especially chemicals and fertiliser, among many oth­Area council of Oyo State, explained that cotton is a crop tions attached to the loan being given to farmers in the ers. The cotton farmers how-of high economic importance and this fact is appreci- • • ated all over the world. They said cotton farmmg often "~-!",,,:oner urges researchers to 'f'nfn'lnf'Q' farmers ever, tasked the Oyo State attract speaal treahnent from the government, but, how- UJllill~ .lV.uIU1~ goverrunent to help them

h th th N h with inputs, stressing that eyer, laIT)ented t at e reverse is e case in Nigeria. . OT unhl t e,gap nation's agricultural sec- ners In the revolutIOn the conditions attached to . According ,to eotton fa rulers hke G:hief Sl.dOmon . k_ ',. ' Iuetweed 'tai-mers tor and this also means

-- , i programme going on in the Nlbillion Agricultural Aderuyi) Chief Jlmoh Alayande, Chief Tlamiyu Taiwo, and agri1;lture that the prices of agricul- h ., . I I

t e natton s agncu tura Fund released by Governor t~e Otun\Balo~ of ~aaJ~ .~gbe, ~do l?cal gover~- I ' _~I'S~Hff-.:$'~ ,lfe b , dged, tural produ~e, especially sector. Alao-Akala to help farm-~.ent coun~:iI, Oyo Bfate, ~ef (Mrs.) 'M"ohamo iUladeJo . there-mar not be mean- food commbdities, may. hers' in the' state was too "fld many others, th,,¥,s<\1.d.jf!fl'lt ,fprsbllWg rp~r§;<i>f:, '\in fiiJ\~\}elo ~i in the continue to increase." According. to' ill', cumbersome. CQoperative societies, from where they ali1,;ays get money g p " there is still a serious gap ~4 ; The Oyo State Com- between researchers and They also urged the

~arm~[S j ShO~i~~!!~T~!~~~~?n1atr ~ }Jh~ :~~~i~:;~~~:l ~~~~~~~: !~:7::r:n::~ th;~~=~~~~ i~~~:i~:E!fg:;~~:~~ MAN}),. armers m -lnbune .1I.5rJdllture'fnar many fa ers In ment, Barrister Kunle why farmers are not em-

f . Oke-O I hId til in Ido local government , di'ffe ' t,parts of many armers ill gun Ogbomoso . town also s 0 a, rna e ese com- braCing research ou t- council of the state so that • < the ' c, untry, ,p.~9x~S9lI1~~Jb,ishared hi ppinion. ments while speaking in comes. . better training could be

li'livecontinuedto~'h wse- who are already fanuliar He, h wever, called on Tbadan recently while ad- I'm forced to say this offered to trainees. pous interest in the plant- _with_tobacco.farming .also . - the ·government to ·create dressing a large crowd of because I interact with "We have a training ing of jathropha crop wanted to be planting more' awareness on practising farmers from farmers regularly and I school located at Ido Lo­popularly known, among jathro]>ha and have tasked jathropha so that many the six states of the South- know some of their com- cal government council of the Yorubas as lapaJapa. their colleagues who knoyV-- farmers across the country West, agricultural ex- plaints. Therefore, I urged Oyo State. The school ,. Many of the farmers who much-about jatropha to.-do can it,dopt its farming. perts, food scientists and scientists to allow farm- lacks adequate training

spoke with Tribune Ag- everything possible to get in Also, farmers in Delta, technolOgies, as well top ers to be close to them in- staff, it also needs rehabili­riculture expressed de- touch with experts so that Kwara, Kogi, Benue and government officials in side research vehicles so tation and development. light at the way their col- .. #1~y too.could benefit from JigawaState, wllOhavebeen the Ministries of Agricul- as to carry them along in Presently, the school is leagues in different' parts of its farming': speaking with Tribune ture from the South-West their findings. This is under the Oyo State Agri-

S· '1 If ' t t cultural Development the country are responding Iml ar y, a armer In Agriculture on phone s a es. . when we can say their o bOB I h I Programme (OYSADEP), to calls to increase the par- g omoso town, yo . havetaskedfederalandstate arnster . s 0 a researches are meaning- but they can't meet the to-

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tidpation in the planting of . State, w~~ specialises in _ .. ,gQygmm~@_.!.o make th~_!rowne~~_sltu~lOr\ ....JuLamLimpactful '::._ _ tal demand of the school. the crop, while some have the planting of crops like . planting of jathropha popu- where practising farmers Speaking further, the But at the same time, we began to search for more in- cassava, maize, yam, co- lar by orgarrising seminars were sttll been rel~gated to commissioner s,!id every want to thank Governor fo~ation that would help coa and tomato, Mr forfannersabout.theadvan- the background man ef- researcher must always ro- Adebayo Alao-Akala for them to beCome successful Adeniyi Adeniji told Tri- tages they stand to gain if fort to mak~ the cOUI\try mancewith fannl'rs, stress- the assistance given to jathropha farmers. bune Agriculture that he. they embarked on the oom- food :sufflclj!nt, adqmg .. irtg that farmers 'are the erid farmers in the state so far," ~Aflumer iIl .~.QyM was ' interested · , 'in niercilil erodtiction of the th~~f~~r:~r~!.e~~".?: •. . ~r~ 9f <lI\y,!es~1U'dt out- . but we still want more," b i ~~-@~'ilJj~ ·.n·'~;liili!".i'iiiij;;;;or.fj!l;t"BtiL"!liiiJi~ll"hpatfo;,""'-conie:' ." .. ",, '. ._., ... ' . . the1anners:Sfated.: .. ·· _ .":'-35'';;