Irrigation farmers across the country are trooping to Taraba State despite the cost of petrol and other inputs, including fertiliser and pesticide.

The farmers are taking advantage of vast fertile land on the valley of River Benue, covering over 157 kilometers in Taraba State 

The land, findings by Weekend Trust revealed, accommodates thousands of farmers who are interested in cultivating rice, maize, beans, wheat and vegetables twice during the dry season.

The irrigation land is located on both side of River Benue, River Taraba, River Donga and River Katsina-Ala in seven local government areas of the state.

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Findings further revealed that over eight per cent of irrigation farming is taking place in Lau, Karim-Lamido, Gassol and Ibbi local government areas of the state.

While some farmers have already started land preparation, others are planting rice, even as the cost of inputs and petrol has gone up, affecting cost of production.

Findings revealed that a litre of petrol sales at N2,000 in locations where irrigation farming is taking place in six local government areas of the state.

Similarly, a litre of pesticide now costs between N6,000 and N6,500 instead of  N2,500 and N3,000 it cost last year. The cost of labour also doubled from what was paid last year.

Sale Binnari, one of the irrigation farmers in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, told Weekend Trust that despite the cost of petrol and other inputs, hundreds of people have arrived at the area and started land preparation for planting.

Binnari said the area had never recorded the number of people coming to participate in irrigation farming like this year, adding that some people came from Kogi, Enugu, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Borno,Yobe, among other states.

“We buy a litre of petrol at N2,000 and that of pesticide at N6,500, while a bag of fertiliser is sold at N34,000, but despite that, people are still coming in their numbers across the country to take part in irrigation farming

“More wealthy individuals are participating now because they have realised that irrigation farming is very profitable,” he said.

He said the drought experienced in Taraba, in which many people lost their crops, compelled wet season farmers to participate in irrigation farming.

Also, Alhaji Haruno Sheka, the village head of Sheka, another place where thousands of people engage in irrigation farming annually, told Weekend Trust that many people engaged in irrigation farming because they realised that it is profitable.