The development had also affected grievously maize farmers in the state with many sacked from their farms, while many farmlands remained inaccessible because of the presence of terrorists.
No fewer than 470 maize farmers have been reportedly killed in Katsina State, Northwest of Nigeria in the past three years.
Katsina is the home state of the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
SaharaReporters reports that Katsina is one of states in the Northern Nigeria that Islamic terrorists have ravaged with so many communities sacked and residents forced into becoming internally displaced persons.
The development had also affected grievously maize farmers in the state with many sacked from their farms, while many farmlands remained inaccessible because of the presence of terrorists.
This is just as farmers across North-West experienced a low yield of maize in 2022 despite the efforts of the government through the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP) implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Chairman of Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Katsina State, Lawal Garba, who spoke to Nigeria Tribune in an interview, lamented that farmers who benefited from the ABP in the state were faced with a series of problems ranging from insecurity, drought, and insect infestation.
Garba said over 470 farmers had been killed in the past 3 years, while many had abandoned their farms for terrorists and relocated to the major cities to seek refuge.
“Apart from insecurity, the only thing I can say that our farmers are facing in Katsina state in the last four years is natural factors such as drought and insect infestation.
“Our farmers were affected by insecurity in Katsina state. We have records of our farmers who were killed. We have a record of more than 470 farmers killed in the past 3 years.
“Many farmlands were left abandoned without being cultivated because of the insecurity, you cannot access many areas for farming in Katsina state because of insecurity.
“Many farmers have deserted their farms and moved to the major cities where they can take refuge as far as the insecurity problem is concerned. Up till this time, they cannot go back because the insecurity in Katsina state is still on," he said.
Speaking about maize production, Garba said that despite enough rainfall experienced in the North-West, the harvest for maize had remained low, as he said nobody could ascertain the cause.
“Generally speaking, the harvest for maize in 2022 was very low, we cannot ascertain what caused the low production. In all the North-West states, we experienced low harvest. We have done all that is supposed to be done like good agronomic practices, and the application of fertilizer and insecticide.
“We had enough rainfall, but the harvest for 2022 is low. I cannot say what caused the low harvest," he added.