Bauchi Farmers Lament Excessive Rainfall

Farmers in Bauchi have expressed concern that the excessive ?rainfall being recorded in the state, is retarding the growth of their crops.

?Some of them who spoke to newsmen on Sunday in Bauchi, said although rainfall was desirable, their crops had been having more than enough for the past two weeks.

?They explained that crops like groundnut, beans, maize and tomatoes, needed some break from rainfall, to progress.

?”This is the third time within 10 days that I will be planting beans. The ones I planted earlier, did not germinate because of excessive rainfall. From the look of things, even the ones planted last, may not survive,” complained Jarmai Madaki, a farmer in Fadaman Mada area of Bauchi.

?Another beans farmer in Bauchi, Sadiq Ala’amin, described the situation as ‘alarming’, adding that if there were no change, poor harvest of some crops, particularly beans and maize, might be recorded this year.

?A tomato farmer in Magama-Gumau town of Bauchi, Audu Luka, said that his tomatoes that had already started producing flowers, were completely destroyed by excessive rainfall.

?”I had calculated that in two months time, I would start harvesting my tomatoes, but the plants rot away due to too much rainfall.

?”I spent about N50,000 on the farm and have now given up any hope of breaking even. The only crop that will survive this rainfall, is rice,” he said.

?The Tide Correspondent who visited some villages in the outskirts of Bauchi, namely Tirwun, Badaromo, Inkil and Dabe, reports seeing farmlands washed away by rainfall.

?Usman Ali, a farmer in Badaromo, told our source that his groundnut farm was completely covered by flood in the first week of August.

?”When the water finally drained, the damage had been done as the leaves turned yellowish. I am not sure of getting anything reasonable this year,” he lamented.

?NAN observes that because of this development, some farmers who intended planting crops that detest excessive rainfall, have been forced to suspend planting for now.

?”I am watching to see if there will be a change. If there isn’t, then I may have to plant rice instead of initial plan for beans,” stated Shuabu Usman, a farmer in Inkil.

?Commenting on the development in an interview with The Tide, a Director with the Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme, Malam Ja’afaru Ilela, said seeds normally need slightly warm temperature, to germinate.