Kaduna farmers call for inputs as dry season farming begins

Dry season farmers in Kaduna State have appealed to the government to provide adequate inputs to enable them scale up production in the 2017/2018 farming season. Malam Ahmed Muhammed, the state Chairman, Fadama Farmers Association, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna. The chairman said […]

Dry season farmers in Kaduna State have appealed to the government to provide adequate inputs to enable them scale up production in the 2017/2018 farming season.

Malam Ahmed Muhammed, the state Chairman, Fadama Farmers Association, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna.

The chairman said the state had hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable Fadama land yet to be cultivated.

This, he said, had led to the farmers’ over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture in the state.

“We have many natural facilities for successful dry season farming in the state but they are under-utilised.

“This has led to farmers’ over-dependence on rain-fed farming of rice, maize, tomato and soya beans that grow very well in the state.

“Government needs to pay more attention to Fadama farming because it is more profitable than rain-fed agriculture.

“Government needs to support farmers to access adequate fertilisers, improved seeds, chemicals and tractors as well as credit facilities for dry season farming.

“Government also needs to develop the Fadama areas around its reserved water resources like the Gurara Dam, Galma Dam and Kangimi Dam and others located in different parts of the state.”

According to him, the facilities, if improved, would enhance food security, reduce poverty among communities living around the dams as well as add value to the nutrition of malnourished children and women in the state.

He said the association had more than 4,200 registered farmers engaged in tomato, rice, soya beans and vegetable production across the state.