Farmers in the Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State have expressed concerns over the invasion of their farms by herdsmen, whose cattle routinely graze on their crops.
The farmers reported that the herdsmen’s activities had severely damaged their crops and called on the Federal Government to enforce the law banning open grazing in the country.
Their concerns were voiced during a visitation and data capturing by the Tinubu/Shettima Back to Farm Initiative, according to a statement by the Iwo LG Coordinator of the programme, Toyin Adeyemo, revealed to newsmen.
Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Oladepo Asifat highlighted additional challenges such as the high cost of farming inputs, including herbicides, pesticides, and fertilisers, which had become unaffordable.
“The prices of all the items we use for farming have skyrocketed. These materials are now beyond our financial reach,” he lamented.
The farmers also urged the government to support all-year-round farming by providing irrigation schemes, noting that rain-fed agriculture was unreliable and insufficient, given the increasing population.