Meet 51 years old Dickson Iyege from Oju local government area of Benue state but resides in Lapai local government in Niger state. He is a crop farmer and has been farming for over 28years. To him, farming is a way of life as this is what provides income for him and takes care of his family both immediate and extended. He cultivates over Two and half hectares of land where he grows rice, melon, maize and beans.
With his experience in farming, he can boldly say that farming is very profitable especially if you have the skills and experience because year in year out you learn different things about farming and even about selling your commodities. With his experience he knows when to sell and when not to sell in order to make more profits.
When asked if he had faced any challenges, he said yes, buying good and viable seeds are usually one of the problems faced by rural farmers and getting the genuine agro-chemicals around that you can boast of, are some his challenges. He also pointed out that he needs the government help in areas of loans so that he can expand his farm and be able to buy farm implements as most programmes do not get to the real farmers who needs them.
He advises young people to invest in agriculture as it is where the nations’ future lies. He said with basic knowledge and skills, agriculture is profitable.