From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The National Vice President (North-East) of National Association of Yam Farmers Processors and Marketers, Mr Jerry Tyolanga, on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to make a special intervention to assist yam farmers in the country to boost their production capacity.
Tyolanga, who made the call while interacting with journalists in Jalingo, said that there is a lot of untapped potentials in the production of yam in the country but lack of interest from the federal government has hindered the farmers from performing maximally.
He regretted that while there is concerted effort to boost the production of rice, cassava and other crops, there has been no conscious efforts or deliberate intervention from the government for yam production.
‘Yam farming is regrettably neglected in this country seriously. We have the potentials to make yam export a major source of income for the nation but our production is still at a very low level now. If we can get special intervention for yam production like we have in rice production and other crops, I assure you that we would go places. Yam Farmers need assistance a lot. We are the most organized product association in the country. We have yam farms spread across the country and people are benefiting from it.
‘Today, we have commenced the exportation of yam and our yam is now in the international market. But to get the quality and quantity of yam we need to feed the nation and sustain quality exportation, the federal government must make some deliberate efforts to encourage and motivate the farmers. That is why I want to use this opportunity to call on the government to do the needful. There is so much to be benefited,’ he said.