Katsina Govt. urges institute to proffer solution to disease impeding cocoyam farming

 The Katsina State Government has urged the Institution of Agricultural Research, Zaria, Kaduna State, to proffer solution to the disease that had been hampering the cultivation of cocoyam.

Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu, Managing Director, Katsina State Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (KATARDA), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Katsina on Thursday.

``Farmers after cultivating cocoyam usually harvest very little produce as the rest of the produce become rotten under the soil because of the disease that have being affecting the commodity.

``The Research Institute should assist the local farmers with the solution that will make the farming of cocoyam productive.

``For the past four years, our farmers have been recording huge losses as the cocoyam had been affected by cancerous disease.

``For several years farmers in the Southern part of the state have been making huge profit from the production of the commodity,`` he said.

The managing director disclosed that they had submitted samples of affected commodities to the research institute for assistance.

``We are waiting for the result from the research institute so that our farmers will go back to cultivation of cocoyam in large scale.

``In fact, Katsina State farmers are also facing another challenge of the problem of disease on their tomato farms; we have lodged a complained to the institute for solution.

``The institute had advised us that certain chemicals should be used to eradicate the insect that lay their eggs on the tomato leaves and Dangote group had supplied the chemical to the farmers, `` he said.

Shehu commended Dangote group for supplying the chemicals to the farmers free of charge.