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Farmers in Nigeria are expecting bumper harvest owing to the continuous increase in rainfall partners and favourable climate conditions across the country.
The farmers who spoke with BusinessDay stated that they are very optimistic that this year’s crop production will surpass that of 2016, stating that 2017 rainfall patterns have been very favourable for farming activities.
“We are expecting bumper harvest this year. The rainfalls are more this year compare to last year, and this is good news for us farmers” said Kabiru Ibrahim, national president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN)
“We are very optimistic that this year crop output will be more than last year. The weather condition has been good since January,” Ibrahim said.
Farmers have already planted for the early planting season which is between March and June. Harvest of some crops will commence next month while the major crops will start in October.
“Most of our farmers depend on rainfall for their crop cultivation and the weather has been very favourable for farmers. This will increase our production for major crops, especially fruits and vegetables,” Abiodun Olorundenro, chief executive officer, Green Vine Farms told BusinessDay in a telephone response to questions.
“We are very optimistic that there will be bumper harvest in most crops this year,” Olorundenro said.
He urges the government to support farmers with adequate storage facilities to store the excesses, stressing that poor storage facilities has been a huge impediment to crop production.
Stakeholders have always attributed the country’s huge food loss to inadequate storage facilities and poor road networks across the country.
The Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET) had earlier predicted that most part of the country will witness an early onset of very heavy downpour which may not last very long and a dry season that will start in October.
The year-on-year real growth rate of the agricultural sector grew by 0.30 percent from 3.09 percent in Q1 2016 to 3.39 percent Q1 2017, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The growth was mainly driven by the crop production which accounts for 92 percent of overall growth in the sector.
The sector has grown more than any other sector since oil revenue collapsed the country’s main foreign exchange earner. Forcing government at all levels to pick unwavering interest in the agricultural sector as the country attempts revenue diversification and import substitution.
“There is high rate of new entrants into farming, so with the favourable climate conditions we are sure of bumper harvest this year,” said AfricanFarmer Mogaji, chief executive officer, X-ray Farms.
Josephine Okojie
