The 2027 governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, has declared that the state has enough agricultural and economic potential to overcome poverty.
Shija, in a statement issued by his media aide, Sam Adzegeh, said agriculture should form the foundation of Benue’s economic development, given the state’s abundant arable land and diverse agricultural resources.
He, however, expressed concern that farmers in the state are not fully exploiting the available farmland, noting that only about 36 per cent of the arable land is currently being utilised.
According to him, limited access to dry-season irrigation also means that many farmers depend largely on annual rainfall and consequently produce only once a year.
“And since they hardly engage in dry-season irrigation, they harvest only once a year. In spite of that, Benue State is still the nation’s leading producer of cassava, yams, soya beans and citrus. It is also a major grower of beniseed, rice, groundnuts and melon,” he explained.
The NDC candidate noted that the state’s agricultural diversity extends beyond its major crops, with Benue farmers producing more than 20 varieties of crops.
He listed potatoes, ginger, cocoyam, pepper, millet, sorghum, tomatoes, groundnuts and maize among the crops grown across the state, alongside tree crops such as oil palm, cashew and mango.
Shija said a major challenge facing agriculture in Benue was the predominance of subsistence farming, with many farmers cultivating small plots using traditional hoe-and-cutlass methods and operating with limited financial resources.
He said this situation contributes to poor productivity and low yields per hectare, adding that livestock production also remains limited.
Describing agriculture as critical to Nigeria’s economic and food security, Shija said the country’s population of more than 200 million people makes large-scale food production imperative.
“The contribution of agriculture to economic growth lies in providing food, increasing foreign earnings through the export of manufactured goods, increasing social income, providing productive employment and improving welfare.
Benue farmers have the potential to feed the entire population of Nigeria but lack the infrastructure, financing, training, technology, legal structure and other key inputs to produce at that level,” Shija stated.
He argued that providing the necessary infrastructure, funding, modern farming technology, training and supportive legal frameworks would enable Benue farmers to significantly increase production and contribute more substantially to Nigeria’s food supply.
Shija maintained that unlocking the state’s agricultural potential could create jobs, improve the welfare of residents and transform Benue into a stronger economic hub.