Alhaji Shehu Galadima, Chairman, Niger All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Niger chapter, said farmers in the state were prepared for this year`s farming season.
Galadima who stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Thursday, added that the current policy on new naira notes may limit their activities.
NAN reports that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) had predicted early rain in March.
“Our farmers are ready for this year’s farming season but lack of funds is a big challenge because there is no cash to prepare for cultivation, “he said.
Galadima said that farmers in the state were finding it difficult to access the new naira notes or exchange their old currency with the new ones.
“The cashless economy being proposed by the government is quite new to some of our members.
“Right now few of them who operate bank accounts cannot access their money in the banks talk less of those in the rural areas who don’t have bank accounts,” he said.
He expressed optimism that early would bring about high yields as farmers were prepared, except for paucity of funds.
The chairman appealed to the Federal Government to support the rural farmers to cue into the cashless economy of the country.
In Nasarawa State, some farmers expressed divergent views about the early rain and its effect on crops production.
Mr Bulus John, a yam farmer in Lafia, said that early rainfall would have positive effect on the production of yam and other crops.
Mallam Ibrahim Abu also said that early rain would give good yields.
”We have started preparing our lands for farming. As you know, yam want enough rainfall and early rain will be good for yam and other crops production,” he said.
However, Mr Saidu Mohammed, a farmer in Lafia cautioned farmers not to plant crops if there is early rain.
“Early rain is good but farmers need to be careful because when it starts early it may not continue and this will affect crop production negatively,” he said.
Mr Godwin Jatau, a farmer also said that early rainfall would affect crop production negatively.
“When the rain begins early and farmers plant crops and it does not continue, definitely crop production would be affected,” he said.
In Kogi State, an Agronomist, Dr Fred Albert, said that if early rainfall persisted, it could affect crop productivity and food security in the country.
Albert said that early and excessive rainfall can affect crop production through direct physical damage, delayed planting and harvesting, restricted root growth, oxygen deficiency and nutrient loss.
He said that excessive rainfall remained a serious problem as it affects agricultural production, such as prolonged cropping season and increases the problem of plants diseases.
Albert said that it also determines the type of crop to be grown, increases the incidence of erosion and flooding and encourages thick forestation thus the incidence of pest e.g. tse-tse flies would be prevalent.
He advised the government at all levels, relevant ministries and agencies (MDAs) to support the farmers in training and retraining, particularly on the best agronomic practices to enhance their yields.
Mr Dare Olukaiyeja, a farmer advised his colleagues across the country, to prepare ahead of the rainy season to ensure there are no loses in terms of food production.
He urged them to source for quality seeds, engage in bush clearing and wait for the actual establishment of the rainy season to avoid repeated planting.
Olukaiyeja said that early rain would enhance farmers yield if it would be consistent.
”If there is consistency in the rainfall pattern, yields will be enhanced, but if otherwise, plants may fail to give good yields,”he said.
He urged the Federal and State Governments to support the farmers with improved quality seed varieties, which could withstand the negative impacts of early rainfall.
Mr Fabian Shaibu, Communication Officer, Kogi IFAD-VCDP, said the early rain would definitely affect farmers’ yields either positively or negatively.
He said this also depends on the farmers’ knowledge of best agronomic practices.
Shaibu said, “early rainfall will allow flood to set-in quicker than before and some of the farmers may not be able to harvest their rice before the arrival of flood.”
“One good aspect is that early rainfall will be more rewarding for farmers than its negative implications.
”Between now and March our farmers who are under the IFAD-VCDP rice programmes would have harvested their produce.
”We have been engaging and supporting them with farm inputs and certified seeds since 2022 for dry season farming as well as teaching them best agronomic practices, ” Shaibu said.
He noted that early rainfall was not good for farmers especially those of them who would be engaging in wet season farming.
Mr Hamzat Abdullahi, an IFAD-VCDP rice farmer, told NAN that his colleagues were fully prepared for the early rainfall, as they had been trained by VCDP consultants on how to maximize the rain.
”We are prepared to take full advantage of the early rainfall to quickly plant our seeds and harvest our produce before the flood will come,” he said. (NAN)
