Some farmers in Hinna community in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State have raised alarm over herders’ encroachment on their yet to be harvested farmlands.
The farmers speaking in Hinna community on Thursday requested the state government and security agencies to intervene so they could harvest their farm produce.
Mr. Zakari Hinna, the Head of farmers in the community confirmed that there had been reports of herders encroaching on farmlands that were yet to be harvested.
Hinna said that some farmlands have been ravaged by grazing cattle leaving the farmers helpless while reducing their expected incomes.
He said that there were little issues with flooding this year, which made farming better than the previous and many farmers expecting a good harvest.
”But with the recent encroachment of farmlands by herders, the good harvest expected by farmers may not be forthcoming.
”We are hurrying our harvesting to avoid having your farmlands ravaged by grazing cattle which could lead to serious losses.
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”We have started harvesting, but because we don’t know what can happen next, we stay in our farms till 5 or 6pm to watch our crops.
”But we cannot sleep in our farms because we don’t know what can happen to you,” he said.
Hinna said that the matter had been reported to traditional leaders and security agencies in the community and the local government authority.
Similarly, another farmer simply known as Yakubu said many farmers were engaging in panic harvesting as a result of the threat because it’s their only source of livelihood.
He said that many of them were hurrying to harvest their crops, so they don’t run at loss stressing that farming had become a “serious challenge, from high cost of inputs to herders’ incursion on farmlands”.
He said that the challenges were forcing hundreds of farmers to abandon their lands as it was no longer profitable as it used to be.
According to him, this act can lead to growing food crisis and a threat to food security.
Others who spoke also expressed similar concerns while urging the state government and security agencies to help them in protecting their crops and livelihoods.
NAN
