An agriculturist, Mr Richard Adewoye, has advised farmers to adopt the right agricultural methods to contend with the nation’s unpredictable weather challenges so as to ensure maximum harvest.
Adewoye told newsmen in Omu-Aran, Kwara, yesterday of the need to reduce natural disaster-induced losses recently being experienced by farmers.
The Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) had predicted inadequate rainfall to be experienced in some parts of the country in its 2014 rain pattern.
Adewoye, who is also the Farm Manager, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, said farmers needed to adopt the less rain dependent crops and right planting method to have maximum profit.
“Such measures remained the only solution for farmers in Nigeria against the warning by NIMET that there will be less rainfall in 2014.
“In order to reduce the effect of natural disaster-induced losses on crops, farmers should adopt appropriate farm practices suitable for a specific region in conformity with 2014 NIMET prediction.
“There is need for farmers to deploy crop varieties that are appropriate to every ecological system in the country to have the desired bumper harvest,” he said.
Adewoye suggested that farmers should update their knowledge and take advantage of recent scientific breakthroughs as regard the development of crops suitable for diverse rainfall regional patterns.
“For instance, scientists have recently developed drought tolerant, early maturing, inter-mediate and late-maturing group of crops in maize and other cereal crops,” he said.
Adewoye said two varieties of cowpea that could withstand short rainfall had been developed by the Institute for Agriculture Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
“If farmers plant Sampea 10 and 8 cowpea varieties that have been developed by IAR to mature earlier, the warning by NIMET, especially as it affects cowpea production, could be averted,” he said. Adewoye said Sampea 10 matured in between 60 and 65 days and Sampea 8 matured in 55 days.
“These varieties are resistant to heat and lack of or minimal rainfall. Sampea 10 is also resistant to striga disease,” he said.