Some farmers in Ekiti North Senatorial District on Wednesday appealed to the state Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to provide loans for them to enhance their agricultural production.
The farmers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ido-Osi, Oye, Ikole, and Moba local government areas, said that they needed tractors and agro-chemicals to be able to produce in large qualities.
They said that some of them were ageing and did not have the strength to be using hoes and cutlasses to cultivate.
Mr. Oluropo Dada, the Chairman of Farmers in Ido-Osi, told NAN in Ido-Ekiti that they needed good tractors to enable them produce on large scale.
Dada said that the only tractor they had in Ido-Osi Local Government was 16-years-old and not functioning well.
He appealed to the state government to provide loans to them to procure agro-chemicals and some cash crops which would improve their production.
The chairman also said that the state government should donate tricycles to the farmers associations in each local government to help to transport their farm produce from the farms to markets and barns.
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Another farmer from Oye Local Government area, Mr. Joseph Ige, appealed to Fayemi to provide farm implements and agro-chemicals for them.
“The farmers in Oye Local Government are suffering because we do not have the basic farm implements.
“We are appealing to the State Governor, Dr. Fayemi, to provide farm implements such as tractors, agro-chemicals and financial assistance for us.
“The raining season is here, the roads leading to our farms need repairs, we also need tricycles to transport our farms’ produce from our farms to the markets and to our houses because no vehicle can get to our farms,” he said.
Mr. Babatunde Adelugba, the Chairman of Farmers Association in Moba Local Government area, also said that the major challenges that the farmers were facing were lack of farm implements.
Adelugba said they needed tractors and agro-chemicals to help them produce on large scale.
He equally appealed to the state government to grant them soft loans to enable them increase their production.
Adelugba said that the state government had earlier promised to give them loans which they were yet to receive.
Mr. Tope Falade from Ikole Local Government area told NAN that some of the challenges the farmers were facing in the community were lack of financial support and farm implements.
He appealed to the state government to empower them adequately. (NAN)
