The 2027 governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, has said the state is too blessed to be poor.
In a statement issued by Shija’s media aide, Sam Adzegeh, he said the strength of the economy of Benue State should be derived from agriculture.
He expressed regret that the state’s farmers were only able to utilise about 36 per cent of the vast arable land available to them, “and since they hardly engage in dry-season irrigation, they harvest only once a year. In spite of that, Benue State is still the nation’s leading producer of cassava, yams, soya beans and citrus. It is also a major grower of beniseed, rice, groundnuts and melon.”
Shija said Benue farmers grow over 20 different crops, including potatoes, ginger, cocoyam, pepper, millet, sorghum, tomatoes, groundnuts and maize, as well as tree crops such as oil palm, cashew and mangoes, among others.
He said these crops are mostly cultivated by peasant farmers on small farms using hoe-and-cutlass technology and with low capitalisation, “which subsequently results in low yields per hectare and fewer domestic livestock.”
Shija posited that, with a population of more than 200 million people, Nigeria needs to ensure its food security through massive food production.
“The contribution of agriculture to economic growth lies in providing food, increasing foreign earnings through the export of manufactured goods, increasing social income, providing productive employment and improving welfare. Benue farmers have the potential to feed the entire population of Nigeria but lack the infrastructure, financing, training, technology, legal structure and other key inputs to produce at that level,” Shija stated.
