Waiting for bumper harvest with mixed feelings

Some of the farmers interviewed identified some factors that could be responsible for the good signs. Adequate rainfall, fertilizer and technical assistance were among them. But some farmers say flooding and their inability to get fertilizer have undone them. The Acting Chairman, Commercial Agriculture Development Association, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Gadanya said farmers are hoping that […]

Some of the farmers interviewed identified some factors that could be responsible for the good signs. Adequate rainfall, fertilizer and technical assistance were among them. But some farmers say flooding and their inability to get fertilizer have undone them.

The Acting Chairman, Commercial Agriculture Development Association, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Gadanya said farmers are hoping that it would be a bumper harvest in Kano this season. He said this year’s harvest might surpass that of last year from what is seen on the farms across the state. According to him, adequate rainfall and fertilizer were the main factors. “God willing, we shall have a bumper harvest this season. We have been blessed with adequate rain and fertilizer,” Gadanya noted.

Gadanya who owns a groundnut farm at Kwanar Sumaila noted that activities of the Commercial Agriculture Development Association made it easy for the farmers to access useful information on how to improve their farming activities.

Corroborating what Gadanya said, another farmer, Malam Musa, Gwagwarandan said the method adopted in the distribution of fertilizer has helped tremendously as many had access to the farming input at reasonable cost. “Fertilizer was distributed at ward level and we have about 484 wards in Kano. Each ward was given a trailer load of fertilizer. This form of distribution made it possible for farmers to access the commodity at a subsidized price and thereby making it possible for farmers to grow more crops.”

A woman farmer, Hajiya Hadiza Musa stated that farmers might smile this year. She said her maize farm has grown so good that she was hoping to reap more than what she got the previous year. Her only lamentation was that she had bought fertilizer at the exorbitant price of N6,000 per bag.

Although the signs are encouraging, some of the farmers are apprehensive. Malam Danladi Muhammad said he has fears because the rains ceased falling for some time in her area. He added that the flood that followed in Dawakin Kudu local government area when the Tiga dam over flooded is another minus. He said the flood swept away some farms, leaving farmers with nothing.

According to him, authorities of the Tiga dam had given another warning to people living around the area saying there may be another flood. “It may be a bumper harvest but I have fears.

Muhammad noted that if not for lack of fertilizer, the amount of rain this season would have made farmers to grow more food. He lamented that the few bags of fertiliser that were sold at a subsidized price by the state government went to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adding farmers from opposition parties did not access the input.

Investigations by Sunday Trust revealed that many farmers were forced to reduce what they intended to grow because of the high cost of fertilizer in the market. A bag was sold for N6,000 in the market. Not all farmers could afford that. Farmers continued to lament lack of fertilizer and wonder when government can come to their aid religiously.

It could be recalled that when the state government made the first supply of the commodity at the beginning of the rainy season, a bag was shared between three farmers. As they made complaints, the response was that it was the first phase of the supply which targeted the small scale farmers whose need was not more than three measures of the commodity as explained by the permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Badawi. He disclosed that the next supply would target the medium and small scale farmers.

Investigations however however revealed that most medium and large scale farmers did not get the subsidized fertilizer which was sold by the state government at the cost of N1,900. Instead, they had to buy it at the market price of N6,000 per bag.

A farmer who craved anonymity said he had bought fertilizer worth N100,000 at the cost of N6,000 per bag and even at that, it was not enough for his farm. He observed that many farmers were forced to cultivate smaller lands because of the high cost of fertilizer in the market. He added that if government would have the political will to assist farmers with the fertilizer, he was sure Kano State alone could produce adequate food for the people.

Some small scale farmers in villages as gathered, had resorted to the use of local manure on their farms.