Farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa, on Friday expressed satisfaction with the bountiful harvest recorded during this cropping season, describing it as “ a year of blessing.’’
The farmers hoped for more prosperity in 2017.
A cross section of the farmers expressed the viewpoint in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in
Hadejia, and described the outgoing year as era of agricultural transformation.
Malam Abdullahi Yusuf, said he was happy over the high yield recorded this season, as against the ravaging flood witnessed in the previous seasons.
Yusuf noted that the outgoing year had brought happiness to the farmers with regard to the abundant harvest.
“We are happy over the bumper harvest this year. We recorded appreciable rainfall and no flood disaster,” he said.
Yusuf attributed the high yield to the favourable weather condition recorded throughout the 2016 farming season.
Another farmer, Ibrahim Adaha, commended the Federal and Jigawa Governments for the fertiliser and seeds distributed to farmers in the state.
Adaha said he was happy over the positive development in the agricultural sector in Jigawa as a result of the state government’s commitment.
He said that the government’s gesture, regarding the distribution of farm inputs, had assisted the farmers immensely in the outgoing season.
The farmer urged the state government to adopt practical measures to ensure effective implementation of the programme, to encourage productivity in the coming year.
“I am hoping that in the coming year, government at all levels will adopt effective measures to enhance farmer support services.”
Contributing, Alhaji Idris Maiunguwa, chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Jigawa Chapter, advised farmers against hasty sale of farm produce at harvest, to guard against losses.
Maiunguwa urged farmers to imbibe good preservation culture, by ensuring proper application of chemicals on farm produce.
“I call on farmers not to sell the produce at harvest; it is good to stock and preserve it.
“It is disheartening to see farmers make fewer gains from their labour,” he said.
The farmers’ chief said the association was sensitising its members to discourage the hasty sale of grains, to promote good preservation culture.
NAN reports that the government had distributed fertiliser, seeds and other inputs to farmers under the Anchor Borrower Scheme.
The scheme is a critical component of the agriculture transformation agenda of the government.
It is aimed at enhancing farmers’ access to inputs and financing, encourage agricultural mechanisation and processing, as well as promote farmers’ entrepreneurial skills.
The programme was being executed in collaboration with the CBN, federal and state governments.
