The National Coordinator of Nigerian Farmers Group and Cooperative Society (NFG-CS), Retson Tedheke has revealed that his group is making preparations to bring down the price of maize by 50 percent provided the Federal Government maintains the steady supply of farm inputs to support the production of the crop across the country.
The current price of a tonne of maize ranges from N80, 000 to N95, 000 and N120, 000.
Tedheke affirmed that so long as the government helps in removing obstacles that farmers go through in accessing necessary facilities, the price of locally produced maize will keep falling and discourage importation.
He disclosed that aside more than 2,000 hectares of maize being currently harvested by his group in the on-going dry season, there is the likelihood of producing up to 5,000 hectares of the crop in the next season.
“Everything you see here today; from the dam, the irrigation components, the production unit and all others are not driven by government but by Nigerians who believe in the diversification idea.
As a country, we should think of how to best utilize what we have in abundance, which is the natural and human resources we are endowed with.
If Buhari wants to save this country, he should mobilize thousands of bulldozers and tractors to the farms across the entire geopolitical zones of the country. This will take away 30 percent of the cost of production for farmers and it will as well help reduce the bureaucratic bottleneck in assessing loan facilities,” he stated.
Tedheke commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his ongoing agriculture revolution, confirming that the Ministry of Agriculture has been supportive by subsidizing some of the farmers’ prosecution costs.
He said the country is making steady progress in the agriculture sector but the government must not relent in its efforts.
