Farmers lament closure of Kano dam

While farmers in Kano State and most states in the northern part of the country are counting their losses as a result of irregular rainfall this year, the closure of the Tiga dam, a major source of irrigation, has further plummeted the hope of the farmers and increased the possibility of food scarcity in the […]

While farmers in Kano State and most states in the northern part of the country are counting their losses as a result of irregular rainfall this year, the closure of the Tiga dam, a major source of irrigation, has further plummeted the hope of the farmers and increased the possibility of food scarcity in the coming months, Daily Trust on Sunday reports.

The recent closure of the dam, which serves as the main source of water to irrigation sites in about five local government areas of Kano State, has generated a lot of concerns from farmers, who claim the action would negatively affect farming activities in the state, especially during this year’s dry season and pose a threat to food production.

The Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, had announced that the closure, which commenced on November 1, 2021, would last till March 31, 2022. The agency said the closure of the dam was imperative to allow major repairs.

But the state chairman of the Tomato Out-Growers Association of Nigeria (TOGAN), Alhaji Sani Danladi Yadakwari, described the closure of the dam as an unwise decision by the federal government, considering the huge negative impact the action would have on dry season farmers and food production in the state.

The closure is expected to affect two farming circles for rice, Nigeria’s major staple food; as well as other perishables like onions, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, pepper etc.

Yadakwari added that farmers had already suffered a great loss due to early rain seizure this year. He said farmers had fully prepared to augment the losses by massively engaging in dry season farming, but to their dismay, the HJRBDA announced that it would close the major source of water for irrigation to almost five local governments.

“Farmers in Kano State, especially those within the five local governments, are presently caught between the uncalculated HJRBDA’s decision to close Tiga Dam, and their plight as farmers without farming. We have already resolved to utilise the dry season to massively produce to make up for the losses incurred during the rainy season, but to our dismay, we received with shock, the announcement that Tiga dam would be closed for five months. Sincerely, what are we expected to do?

 

“It is apparent that Kano State and its neighbouring states will experience shortage of tomato, cereals and other vegetables this year,” he said.

Similarly, many of the farmers lamented that due to the closure, they would not get anything from their farms until the next rainy season. The incident, the farmers said, would add to their burdens, aside the one they are currently facing as a result of the shortage of rainfall.

Abdurrahman Usman, a farmer in Bunkure Local Government Area, said that when they heard about the closure of the dam, they were hoping it was fake news because they could not rationalise how the federal government’s agency would conceptualise this, especially considering the shortage of rainfall this year, which farmers haven lamenting. He added that they were shocked when the water was closed a few days ago.

“In this area we rely solely on water for our farming activities, especially perishables like onions, tomatoes, pepper and so on. So with the closure of this dam, we have nothing to do this season. If that is the case, then there is a serious threat of hunger and economic problems. 

“We rely on farming, especially here in the western part of Kano State. We have shortages in the rainy season farming, and now, this is what is happening,” he lamented.

Usman said if they were contacted they would have advised that this is not the right time to close the water, considering what happened in the wet season.

Another farmer, who is in charge of the Gafan Office area, Aminu Manager, said the closure would affect mostly middle and low class farmers since they are the ones battling with food to eat or sell to cater for their daily needs.

He said he was aware of over 100 people working on hundreds of hectares of farmlands in the area, and they would have to stay back until the dam is reopened.

He said, “The poor people living in villages will suffer more than anybody in this dilemma. This is because they do not even have the capital for farming; they collect loans and pay after harvest. This is why they will suffer since they could not pay the debt they collected to do rain farming since there was no adequate rain.

“So, imagine that they did not pay their debts to get another loan, how can they survive without food now, let alone in the next three or four months?”

He added that even though most of the farmers here are not into wheat farming, many of them plant vegetables, which bring in a lot of profits for them.

Another farmer, Manya Ayuba, said he had one acre around the water area, and over the years, that is what he has been using to feed his family. He said that with this closure he would have to find a way of surviving.

Why we closed the dam – HJRBDA

Reacting, the public relations officer of the HJRBDA, Malam Salisu Baba Hamza, said the decision of the agency became necessary because the dam was in dire need of repairs.

He said the need to repair the dam was in line with the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING), which is a World Bank-funded project set to implement the rehabilitation of the Kano River Irrigation Schemes (KRIS) and Hadejia Valley Irrigation Scheme (HVIS).

He added that before the closure of the dam, the agency, farmers’ associations in the state and management of the TRIMING had a meeting and agreed on the timing. He said it was surprising that the farmers are now complaining.

He said the repairs had been on for years and this is the most important part of it, which he said was going to be on the main dam.

He also said that for over 47 years, the dam had never gotten the opportunity to be repaired like this.

“This is an opportunity that will ensure an effective and efficient management of Tiga dam. If we lose this opportunity, I do not think we will be able to recover it because government cannot do it as at when due. Therefore, the farmers should exercise patience for now. I am sure they will be the first to commend the repairs,” he said.

We were not contacted – AFAN 

The chairman, state chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Abdulrasheed Magaji Rimin-Gado, said the HJRBDA had not officially contacted the association. He, however, added that they were made to understand the importance of the repairs, and called on the relevant authority to diligently look into the plight of the affected farmers.