SUNDAY TRUST
GRIC
August 14.2011
In Katsina, 8 farmers share one bag of fertilizer * Erratic rainfall raises fear ofpoor harvest armeJs In KalSina Slale.
F
those in the nOlthern part of the: stale,
ap«lally
are worried ()\'eT erratic rainfall amI lack 1)( adequllte fcrlilir.er. 11,eir mtio concerns lIrt' whether their cr:r. ca n now pick-up since
the rain Ia.~ picked-up in the area and whether or not they cnuld gel bumper haf\'tsl at the end
or tile
season. SUIIOII),
ThISI observed thaI
farme" in Kalsina north have witn~
.:rnlic rainfall at the beginning of this rur's rainy stilson. a siluillion that led to the
drying up of most crops planted at the early stage of the season. Finding; IndiaU N that while
m n was sur.1kienl in the southem ~r1 of Iht stale, it ","as emlie in the nor-:hrrn part of Kllsinl Slate. It wu obwrvn:l thaI crops have dried up in DaUr.l, 7..ango. Baure. ChaJanchi. Kaoki .., Kuudil. Dankama md SaWn. Man! and Mashi loal sovernmf'nts of the ltalf'due 10 insufficienl rainfaJl. On the cunlnry. in Funtua. Malulnfashl. Dandume. Faskacl. and MUSaY'I, among other local govern men!" crops were garish due 10 .wmdt:nl rainfall. Apart from erratic rainfall, fanners are also complaining aboul Ihe Klrell), of fertUiur. The slate govermnenl had on lui), 7, 2011 , launched Ihi' )'W'I Ale offertUil«. :ipeaking at the occasion In ~·.fana I.oo:al Government. the stnle Governor. Barrister Ibrahlm Shehu She."a, said government hId purcha\Cd o\'t'r -40,000 metric
IhiItjiiiiii5 in KDIsinii iiiii1h
ThUt
fi
Jl1lmYusha'd 1bAhim. Kltsiu
witnessed
ermticrrdnfoll at the beginningtfthis}Url1'llinySfIISOII, the situation thatkJ to dryingoffufmostcrops p/tm/l!tl attheearlysflJgl1 ufthe setISOII tonnes of assorted fertiliur for onward Ji1les to farmers at the cu~ orJoJ l.700perbag. Some famlers who spoke to SilIIdllY Tnul eJ[pJl's.sed fears concerning the shortage of rain and lack of sufficient fertiIi1.c::r. One of thtm, Mohammetl DanJuma •.said Mour fenr Is that eyeD if the rains resume. we may slill need fenlliur 10 facilitate our farming aCllyilics becau5C of time factor. Since we are now in August. the ~k lime of mnf;dl, we havt to apply fertiJitC'r to enable our crops mature before the end of the season': Muhammad Alyua'u "afarma in BalSari loal go\'t'mrnent oflhe stale. He upressed fcan thai if care b nol Lakcn, (anners may suffer a serious setback during harvut
",-
He said, -I'm cultivaling three: differtnt fannlands this rcat. but one bad complddy dried up mel If
moap.latilizcr '?r .-....._Im., ...... ... I do DOt get
1M
""""" lam """""' ......... 01 the bamstiDl pmod': He lame:uted that tM fMilil.tr bang ".,...... ., ....
""""m.,"
is not ndJideol for fa:men in the stale. AI times. he added. ~ fumrr can end up FUin& .. .anaD quantftr
of fertilizer from JOmlUMnt ItII me, bow a IIIQ5l1ft oflfttil.iur caa be suftkieDlloa fvmer e'fIell If he
is a domestic farmer: Malam Another farmer. lsyaku Yusuf from Kankia loc.tI government, said Mit has bc-come clear that it iI a waste of time for ;I farmer \0 rtl)' on go,"ernmEllt rer tUizef nowadays, 111e majority of fanners In KlUlkla local gnvernment rely on loal mallIlre. If we get fertitizer from go\'ernmenl flne. we can UK ii, but when there is nont; then we wUlgo ahead with the local nne': "This year. eight falfnen Ihartd I bag offeniliur aUoated 10 ushy the Shlle govemmenL So. how can • farmer rely on Ihis and expect a bumper harvnt at the end of lhe lC'asonl Ukc myself. I need more than 10 bapoffeniliur 10 cOVtl'm)' Ihm farmlands, but Jended getting some measurH,- Hid Kankia. Apan from Its scarcity, Kankia added. the commodity is being provided late by the goyernmenl. noting that, .. alee this year's (erilliur dillribYlion forinst:ance,lt wu launched in Iuly ana the rainy seuon hu alread), commenced': However, at a IImewhm Kamna rUmen are compillning about ICllreily of (crtillur. the Katslna Slate government last Friday, donaled over 60 melric lonnea of UIOrled fmUlur 10 fannen of
Danugaran In NIB'! rtpublk.
The cOmmodity wu ptUenttd
Damagaram Slate government through its Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhajl Abdu Mula. His counterpart In KalSlna Slate. Alhajl Musa Adamu, made the prt'senlation in Oaura local goyernment ofKalsina state. Alhaji Musa Adamu w.u represented at the occasion b)' the Ministry's Oirc:clor of Agriculture. Alhajl Abdullahi Arne. Or Abdullahl Ahm~ raT ',dua is an IIgrk\J ll'On~ and a l«IUru ilt Ihe Uassan Usman Kalsina I'otyt«hnlc. He told Sunday Trw' thaI. a1lhough farmen will be worried about erralk ninfaU apenenad in some partsofKalsina Slale, lo him, there Is nOlhing to worryaboUL Dr Yar'adua explained tbal. "'Of coursr, the pride: o( every (armer is lo $C'C his oops grtI\'. Therefore, whenever thert Is erratic rainfall. farmers will be concerned becawe Ihq don't know wfuit will be the (ate of their crops. But hid It been Ihe), know the nature of Kalsina state and the system of farming they should adopt, they will not worry about it". -Since the 1973 drought uperience, m have bet'n upericncing droughts either limple or major and opc:ru have prtdkted lbatlt will continue to be experienad after CYdy yean, and boW WI: ire approlKhlbg 20 13. 10
'0
Although this ynrs l1Iin), snson has stutc:d with «ralk l1IinfaU, rd the nin will resume: lind the crops. particularly those planted uri)" mil' likel)' survive': The nor thun part of ~Isina st.le, he added. is familiar wilh this kind nf situation and that is why, farmers arc: not planting crops such as maize in the area because ,thf atmosphue is nOI suitable for such «01'5, noting thaI , mai7.c: can survi\'t' In Ihe southern part of Kal'iina bffiluse of ~ufficienl rainfall, "\¥hat farmers should do in this kind of siUlatlon, partlclJlarly. those living in the lreas when Ihere is Insufficient rainfall. plant their crops urly. Sometimes, such farmers are even ad\ised 10 plant Iheir crops e\'en before: Iht first mnfal! so Ihat whrn the: ninfal! como, Ihe Clops wil!gTOW before: it goes off, The:crop will surviwo "'ith the: liltle moulure of the land up tiU Ihe .second rainfaU, which in mOSI cases is nol acc:edlng ..O days afler the first rainfall; he Slid. Dr Yar'adua added thai in a situation wherroy the: crops dry up beJort the second rainrall.llien the fanners will go back to Iheir farm5 and plant.glin. ln .ddition to that. draudlt resillant seed is the most sUilable Ked to be used by these: fanners. Ht also suggested that go\'t'mment, on its pan, should provlde fumen with droughl resistant S«ds and m\bark on public tnlldllenmenl on the techniques tobe Idopted by rumen whofmd themselYcs in this kind of Silvalion.