Katsina records good yield in maize, millet

Generally, farmers in the state have gotten more than what they expected this year. Some farmers told Daily Trust that they never expected much this year because the rain did not start in good time but in the end the farmlands produced more than their expectations.For Malam Baba Ali, a farmer in Tafkin Almu village […]

Generally, farmers in the state have gotten more than what they expected this year. Some farmers told Daily Trust that they never expected much this year because the rain did not start in good time but in the end the farmlands produced more than their expectations.
For Malam Baba Ali, a farmer in Tafkin Almu village of Batagarawa local government, this year’s rainy season farming was fruitful as sometimes in September he harvested his farmland and went home with 770 bundles of millet. Ali was also expecting no less than 35 to 40 bags of local beans this year.
“We have nothing to complain about this year’s farming season. We have cultivated our farms and have gotten more than what we expect; all our farms produce have matured and yielded high quality grains. We harvested some and even the ones that are yet to be harvested can also reach maturity stage successfully.
“We thanked God the Almighty, all our crops have survived the heavy rainfall witnessed this year. Although some few farmers in the state have lost their crops to flood disaster but most farmers have gotten theirs. We are cultivating beans, cassava, millet, corn, maize, sweet potato. We have so far harvested cassava and maize and we are hoping to start harvesting beans in the next 25 days or so and much later the corn,” Ali said.

Another farmer, Malam Bala A Dalhatu, said he got 41 bags of maize and nine bags of sesame this year and is currently harvesting groundnut, saying “I will get several bags of groundnut at the end of its harvesting period.”  
He also said many of his colleagues in the village have gotten several bags of maize and sesame as the rainy season turns brighter to many famers in the area this year. Farmers are presently harvesting their groundnut, he said, adding that most of the crops planted this year have reached maturity stages.
Mallam Basiru Bala, another farmer in Abukur village, said he got nine bags of maize and 13 bags of millet this year. He said unlike last year, he only went home with few measures of same commodity after the harvesting period courtesy of flood disaster. He added that he will start harvesting his sweet-potato in the next two month.
Bala explained that although farming was gainful in this year’s rainy season, however, he called on the governments at all levels to come to the aid of farmers through provision of adequate fertilizer and variety of insecticides.

He noted that the fertilizer being supplied by government is not reaching the targeted farmers especially in the rural areas. Most of the commodity is being shared among farmers in the urban areas, saying “Farmers in the rural areas are not getting government fertilizer. Rather they buy it in the market and at a higher price.”
Bala also appealed to members of the National Assembly from the state to assist farmers with fertilizer, farming implements, tube wells and washbowls among others, noting that an average farmer in Katsina can attest that these are some of the major items needed by farmers in the state.