By Mohammed Ahmed Kaigama
Bauchi – The Bauchi State Government on Tuesday warned farmers against early planting of seedlings following the early rains in the state.
Alhaji Yakubu Kirfi, the Commissioner for Agriculture, who gave the warning in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, said it was risky to cultivate with the early rains.
“It is a risk for farmers to go into cultivation for the new farming season without having enough rain or water reservoirs in the farm.
“Farmers should not be deceived by the recent rains because planting seedlings with the early rains will be a useless effort,” he said.
Kirfi said that without full rain or water reservoir, planted crops might roast in the ground because of too much heat and little ants would also destroy the seeds.
“Bauchi farmers depend on natural rain, so, they should wait until when rainy season fully sets in,’’ he said.
He urged farmers to use the period of waiting for the rain to clear their farmland and engage in other pre-planting activities before the rainy season.
According to the commissioner, farmers can engage in irrigation farming to enable them to grow their seedlings and farm all-year round.
“With the help of irrigation, many farmers will no longer be waiting for rainy season before they begin planting,” Kirfi said.
Kirfi assured that the state government had made all necessary arrangements for this year’s farming, adding that the issues of fertiliser, insecticide and herbicides had been concluded only awaiting implementation.
He also cautioned farmers to desist from buying fertiliser from the open market, saying that the state agency would be responsible for distribution and sale of the fertiliser. (NAN)