Africa-Press – Liberia. Nimba Agriculture Coordinator of Nimba County Mr. Jefferson G. Degon is encouraging farmers to engage in ‘smart agriculture’ as a means of meeting the market demand.
In an exclusive interview with reporters recently, he said one of the factors affecting farmers in finding good for their produce is they go to the farm before finding the market, but in smart agriculture, you look at the market and find out what is in demand before you go to the farm.
“One of the factors we observed is that our farmers do not look for the market before farming, but the farm before looking for a market and as such, you may not get a better price for your produce,” he said.
Mr. Degon explained that the demand for the produce makes it profitable, therefore, it is better to observe the market before getting involved in cultivating any crops.
Degon, who took office less than a year ago, underscored that the issue of market for farmers was among some of the challenges affecting productivity in the agriculture sector.
But noted that farmers in Liberia need to do more to meet up with the demand of the consumers, especially for companies and supermarkets that purchased huge quantities of produce.
“While it is true that we have connected them to market linkages, the farmers need to observe community needs and grow what is demanding in the market and also carry best farm practices,” he said.
Another factor affecting the market, according to his survey is farm to market roads, which is also cardinal in the agriculture sector across the country, but praise IFAD for rehabilitation of some of the farm to market roads along the cocoa belt in Nimba.
Mr. Degon also explained that planting material is another problem for the farmers, stressing that the crops farmers are planting doesn’t yield much due to human settlement and biodiversity encroaching on the agriculture lands.
“With this”, he said, “farmers around the world are looking at small yields, contrary to farmers in Liberia who still used more land, lower yield.”
However, he said, under his leadership as Coordinator of Agriculture in Nimba, he is anticipating having a demonstration farm, where higher crops will be multiplied for the use by farmers.
“If we give the higher yield crops to farmers, instead of using one hectare to produce two tons of corn, they will produce eight tons of corn, enabling farmers to manage the little land they have then just going about investing on huge land and getting nothing,” he said.
“The variety of crops is the one that determines the yield, and it is a new and good variety,” he said.
“Not only crops, but animals as well,” he added.
Mr. Degon further explained that there are some varieties of pig that breed more than those we are breeding now.
“There are some pigs, when they farrow, they give you over 25 to 30 piglets,” he concluded.
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