Despite challenges, Kano female farmers expect bumper harvest

Female farmers in Kano have said that they are anticipating bumper harvest for the 2020 farming season, notwithstanding the challenges faced during the season. Some of the farmers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the year came with many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and downpour which resulted in flooding […]

Female farmers in Kano have said that they are anticipating bumper harvest for the 2020 farming season, notwithstanding the challenges faced during the season.

Some of the farmers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the year came with many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and downpour which resulted in flooding in many parts of the state.

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Mrs Amina Alwali, a rice farmer in Kura Local Government Area, thanked the Federal Government for its interventions, saying this had bailed them out of some of the challenges.

“We had actually assumed that farming would be terrible this year, but the interventions of the Federal Government assisted us tremendously, as many of us had no financial capacity to farm again after the lockdown,’’ she said.

A civil servant and large-scale potato farmer, Mrs Aisha Umar, also explained that most farmers had almost given up on farming this year, adding, however, that they were encouraged by government.

“From what we are seeing now, there will be bumper harvest as usual, except for some areas where the flood had destroyed many farms,’’ Umar said.

In Bagwai Local Government, Mrs Hauwa Usman, a farmer of perishable foods, said that the harvest so far had been impressive.

“Already, prices of the items have been coming down and we are getting set for irrigation season, in anticipation that it will also be a bumper season.

“We must thank God for this,’’ she said. (NAN)