Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged farmers to move in groups and not singly in this farming season.

The governor made the appeal during the just-concluded annual Nzem Berom festival held at the Polo Ground in Jos on Friday.

He said, “This farming season, I urge our farmers – do not go to the farm alone. It is time for communal farming. This is the time we must practise the concept of gaya. We must move together. Let nobody go alone. While some are bending down, others should be watching the environment.’’

He advised the farmers to be vigilant, stating that provisions had been made for seedlings and other agricultural inputs.

He stated, “I want to make sure that Plateau becomes the food basket of Nigeria.”

Mr Mutfwang also announced that what had long been known as Irish potatoes wold now be called Plateau potatoes.

“Let me remind you that we no longer farm Irish potatoes on the Plateau. From henceforth, what we farm is Plateau potatoes. Let nobody call it Irish again. It is now Plateau potatoes. That is what the world will know it to be,” he stated.

The governor also addressed illegal mining in the state, adding that steps were being taken to ensure that the activity aligned with environmental and security standards.

He emphasised that the people of Plateau should not continue dying in mining pits only to earn peanuts.

The governor’s statement followed attacks on residents in parts of the state, particularly in the Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas by suspected gunmen.

He further encouraged the Berom people to remain united, stressing their importance in maintaining the stability of the state.

“Let me say this and say it clearly: the day Berom land becomes divided, the Plateau is lost,” he said.