Agriculture
Delayed Rains: Farmers Foresee Low Harvest
Following the absence of
rainfall for more than four months, a cross section of farmers who spoke to our correspondent have expressed fear over a possible rise in hunger across the state.
According to the chairman of the Aminigboko Community Development Committee (CDC) in the Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state, Elder Chukwudi Georgewill, the development would be devastating to farmers in the future. Georgewill, who is also a renowned farmer in the community while speaking to The Tide recently described the development as unprecedented in the lives of farmers from the community.
He further expressed the fear that farmers who took advantage of the dry season farming and planted cassava, were worse hit.
The CDC boss lamented that already all the stems have dried up with the farmers still expecting the rains to come, to enable them replant.
But unfortunately, he further explained, the unexpected development has also drastically affected mature cassava farms which the farmers hoped to use in the replanting process.
Also speaking, the paramount ruler of Emughan, HRH Thankyou Wariboko Obagana IV in a telephone interview with The Tide corroborated the CDC boss account.
According to him, since it was a natural disaster the government should come to the aid to the farmers as soon as the rains begin by helping the people of Emughan with cassava cuttings and other farm implements.
He described the development as a once-in-a-life time occurrence even as he sympathised with his subjects.
Investigations by The Tide indicated that the hammattan haze coupled with the dry season has affected both old and new farms across all the local government areas of the state.
Crops mostly affected include cassava, plantain, maize, vegetables and fish ponds, amongst others.
However a cat fish farmer, Chief Ishiaki Steven said he would use the dryness of the environment to prepare his fish ponds ahead of restocking.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.