Farm Produce Theft on the Increase in Nigeria Amid Dwindling Harvest
Weekend Trust, a publication in the stable of the Daily Trust Newspapers Abuja has reported cases of farm produce theft and criminal activities on privately owned farms which have become source of concern to residents of the FCT.
This is coming on the heels of a World Bank warning that the North-west and North-east regions of the country are highly likely to suffer food shortages following devastating floods and insecurity.
The report is also blaming armed conflicts and the drop in standard of living as some of the reasons.
Investigation by the tabloid revealed that hoodlums are exacerbating the dire situation as they do not spare small farms cultivated at the back of people’s houses, especially maize, which they invade at night to harvest.
A cross section of rural farmers who spoke with Weekend Trust expressed concerns over the spate of theft on their farms.
Their stories are the same, hoodlums mostly invade their farms at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Also of worry are cattle herders who enter farms with their cows to eat the maize, while thieves cart away large quantities of produce which they in turn sell at give away prices in markets
The chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in the FCT, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba Zuba, who spoke with Weekend Trust, said farmers have lost tonnes of grains this year, especially maize, to thieves.
He said the rising demand of farm produce and attendant attractive prices in markets could be responsible for the rampant cases of maize theft, even as he urged the government to give more priority to agriculture through supporting local farmers with inputs.