Enugu Residents Turn Cassava Farmers

Many residents of Enugu, have been inspired by the high cost of garri in the markets to embark on cassava farming. Many residents had begun to clear fallow plots of lands for cassava farming this cropping season.

It was gathered that the rising cost of “garri” might have necessitated this move, as the people were compelled to look for pragmatic ways of sustaining their families.

A teacher, Mr Edwin Mba, underscored the need for the citizens to engage in farming and produce some of the foods they consumed, adding that cassava remained the easiest and most reliable crop they could cultivate.

“We must all get back to the farm in order to sustain our individual families or else, our children will all die of hunger,’’ he said.

A resident, Mrs Ijeoma Ugwu, said that she could no longer afford to buy “garri” in large quantities because its price had spiralled from N700 to N1,200 per “paint rubber’’ container.

She, however, expressed the optimism that the situation would be better in 2018 since she had embarked on cassava farming.

“I think the current high cost of `garri’ has taught me some hard lessons.

“I believe that next year will be much better because I am going to harvest cassava tubers for my family’s consumption and for sales,’’ she said.