AFAN Okays Harmattan For Crops

The Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Enugu State, Chief Alfred Eneh,  says the current harmattan was good for crops.

Eneh newsmen in Enugu that with the excessive rainfall recorded last year, the harmattan would not only dry up the waters but make the soil very soft for air to aid the growth of the crops.

“The harmattan is very good for farming because it will dry up the leaves, they fall down to become natural manure for and it will in-turn make the soil fertile as the rains will enter very easily inside the soil.

“My only advice is for the farmers not to burn the bushes before farming as it will affect the nutrients in the soil that will assist crops to grow bountifully,’’ he said.

Eneh said the farmers were expecting the government at all levels to sustain the tempo of the transformation agenda on agriculture.

According to him, the process of loan acquisition for farmers should be made less cumbersome while agric inputs, seedlings and fertilisers should be made available to them on time to mitigate the impact of last year’s flooding.

The chairman called on the farmers in the state to increase their farm size for cost-effectiveness as the government was ready to encourage commercial agriculture and cooperative societies.

He also urged those who did not participate in last year’s registration of farmers to do so to benefit from the government’s inputs.