by Elmi Dhaayoow
Thursday, October 17, 2013
An acute shortage of manpower, absence of crop protection technology and rusted machinery are factors that obstruct the development of the farming sector in Somalia. The tragic irony is that in a country where unemployment is 100% farmers are struggling to find cheap farm workers. The problem is complicated by the availability of the humanitarian food rations in the refugee camps in the outskirts of Mogadishu. In recent years, roughly two-third of the farm-labourers have abandoned the fields and settled in the camps built for the internally displaced people (IDP) afflicted by famine. Only retired, unproductive old men and women are left behind to cultivate the farmlands. Commissioned local NGOs distributing relief supplies to the camp dwellers is endangering farmers’ livelihood. The idea of receiving food rations without stroke of work is a real attraction for the most of these young men. Officials do not make serious efforts to distinguish between the genuine refugees and the bogus ones. Thus fraudsters and bogus claimants outnumber those who are truly internally displaced people.
During the daytime these false displaced people travel to Bakaaraha Market and to the booming construction sites to earn more cash. At night they return to their camps as displaced individuals.
“Using my wheel barrow as a pushcart, I ferry sacks of rice, corn, sugar from one store to another to earn little cash” said IIdoow Nuure, an ex- farm worker from Jana ale district. “It’s not easy, but it’s better than being a farm worker.”
Another man admitted that he has become a bricklayer which earns him enough to live comfortably. Big cities offer better options for ex-farm workers at the expense food production. This phenomenon has an adverse effect on the traditional methods of farming in Somalia. In the past plantation owners heavily depended on readily available cheap labourers. It is feared that the fertile farmland may swiftly turn into barren deserts. Thus it would be impossible to avoid chronic food shortage in Somalia.
Moreover; the state of the farm machineries in Somalia is ridiculously appalling. Tractors, crawlers, and diesel engines, furrow disc plough and other implements lay in ruins for lack of genuine spare parts. These machines are three to four decades old. Obviously, the impoverished farmers do not have the hard currency to purchase much needed machinery and parts. Fake, cheaply made replacement parts have flooded the market. These forged spare parts cause significant damages to the aging machines when installed as replacements. In the absence of regulatory authority, the spare part market is teeming with counterfeits. Rogue traders import pricey Italian tractors that are largely unreliable. Despite their age, these imported second hand tractors cost $25000 to $30000. Farmers cannot afford such an exorbitant price. Renting out a tractor is not an option for the majority of the farmers. It costs $20 to $30 an hour. Big farms require so many hours of land preparation prior to crop cultivation. One can guess how much money a farmer who owns over 100 hectors of farmland has to pay. Every season hard clay soil buries the irrigational ditches. It is not viable to dip up the ditches manually. In addition, farmers have to deal with high diesel fuel price. One barrel of fuel containing 200 litres costs $250. Big farms need at least 60 to 70 litres of diesel fuel each day. Bananas and vegetable plants require continuous irrigation in order to withstand the hot and dry weather of Somalia. For this matter, a barrel of fuel may be consumed in a couple of days.
Another pressing problem is the depressed market. The supply exceeds the demand for vegetables and fruits. For instance, bananas, papayas, grapefruit etc are sold cheaply and it does not even cover the running costs. In the face of this precarious market situation, farmers make no profit. Due to their delicate nature, vegetables and fruits do not withstand the hot and humid weather and they must be sold as soon as they are brought to the market. Poor road condition does not permit either the shipment of bananas to the remote regions such as Hargeisa and Bossaso. Potholes in the surface of the main roads make long distance driving very dangerous. No wonder the once prosperous plantations in south Somalia are in decrepit state.
Commonly used herbicides, pesticides and fungicides are beyond the reach of the farmers. As a result, plant diseases and harmful insects destroy the crops. Without pest control capacity food production in Somalia would decline and bananas, papayas, tomatoes, grapefruit and yams would be in short supply and the price would rise.
Urgent Action required
Somali farmers are risk of losing their livelihood due to poor farm machinery, lack of pest control technologies and poor market. An urgent action is needed in order to support the farming sector in Somalia. Taking advantage of the relatively improved security situation in the country, the donor governments, the EU and the United Nation’s development agencies can set up a support network for Somali farmers. There is a dutiful farmers association who can responsibly manage donation in collaboration with appointed agents. Somali farmers urgently need the following resources:
· Subsidized 4WD Farm tractors including crawler tractors; diggers and genuine spare parts;
· Agricultural implements including disc plough, furrow plough etc
· Crop protection technology-which include all pesticides, herbicides, insecticides fungicides and fertilizers in order to increase food production in Somalia;
· Training for the existing farming societies in Somalia to prepare them for modern farming methods;
· Support in marketing the farm products; re-establish links without side world.
Given this support, the farmers’ would be responsible for the repayments of loans by installments. The long-neglected agricultural sector in Somalia would receive a big moral booster. Efforts may be doubled to increase production. If the government officials, donor governments and the existing farming society link up their efforts, agricultural in Somalia could be rescued. I hope this will reach as many donors as possible and generously lobby for Somali farmers.
Elmi Dhaayoow
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