Nigeria’s Plateau State has been known as the leading state in Irish potato production in the country. People from all parts of the country look up to the state when procuring potatoes cheaply, in large quantities. Year in and year out, the farmers record bountiful yields, be it during the rainy season or the dry season cultivation using the irrigation method.
Presently, however, the crop is costly and, at the same time, not as readily available as it should be. Farmers have acknowledged the previously mentioned challenges, which have been the problem of planting the crop from time to time. But in addition to that, other factors have also been outlined as causes of the scarcity and high cost of the crop.
An Irish potato farmer in Jos, the state capital, attributes the prevailing scarcity to insecurity and violence in parts of the state, which led to the loss of lives and the destruction of property and farmlands. As a result, he said, potato production was obstructed. Therefore, there is now a serious drop in the number of growers engaged in farming the crop.
Source: dailytrust.com