Agriculture

Tomato Scarcity Looms as Farmers Battle Infestation

By Web News 456

By Khadijah Aliyu (Abuja)

Tomatoes scarcity looms in Kano State as 4,621 hectares of farms in the state have been infested by Tuta absoluta.

Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State, Abdullahi Maibreadi has called on the government at all levels to assist farmers with standard insecticide to mitigate the scourge of the reoccurring infestation of Tuta absoluta that has been plaguing farmers for almost 12 years.

Maibreadi in an interview with Radio Nigeria said the pest infested Tomato farms at Bagwai, Shanono, Kura, Garin Malam, Bebeji, Bunkure, Rano, Kibiya, parts of Tudun Wada and Dawakin Kudu local government areas of the state.

According to the chairman, if no concrete action is taken to salvage the situation within 2 weeks, farmers would incur the loss of about N10bn to N20bn in Kano.

Maibreadi pointed out that, Tuta Absoluta otherwise called ‘Sharon’ in Hausa, plagued the farmers when they were at the verge of harvesting the crop.

“It has affected and burned many farms – When the disease drops on the tomato leaf, it becomes burned and when it touches the fruit, it becomes burned and then rots and becomes waste”, he explained.

Maibreadi stressed the need for the government to assist farmers with certified and climate-resistant seeds, noting that, Okro farmers were also affected by a similar outbreak in the last farming season.

The chairman urged farmers to desist from using substandard insecticide to avoid losses.

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Agriculture

Rainfall Break: Farmers should avoid panic – Environmentalist

By Web News 814

An Environmentalist, Mr Anthony Ojesina has advised farmers not to panic in view of the recent break in the frequency of rainfall witnessed in different parts of the country. 

Mr Ojesina who attributed the development to a change in the climatic condition maintained that the cessation of rain would make positive impacts on the environment.

Radio Nigeria Staff Reporter, Modupeola Sobukonla has the rest of the story. 

What seems to be a sudden pause in the frequency of rainfall witnessed in parts of the country at a time considered by many as the climax of the rainy season has generated concerns among the people. 

Those who expressed their anxiety while speaking with Radio Nigeria in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital claimed that the situation had brought about an unusual coldness in the weather, especially during the nights, while others said farming activities would suffer a setback in view of the sudden onset of dry season. 

In a reaction, the State Public Relations Officer, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Chief Bayo Mosuro, said farmers at this period were facing a lot of difficulties due to the lack of irrigation facilities for farming. 

Chief Mosuro also called on governments at all levels to provide necessary farm tools and inputs to support farmers at this critical period. 

A cross-section of residents who spoke with Radio Nigeria said many farmers, especially those in the rural areas were at a loss on how to tackle the situation, hence the need for the government to deploy extension workers for the purpose of assisting farmers to manage their activities and make the right decisions. 

In his assessment of the situation, an environmentalist, Mr Anthony Ojeshina who said the rain cessation was not a new phenomenon described it as an August break in the environmental calendar. 

Mr Ojesina said the break in rainfall which had been a usual occurrence before the insurgence of global warming had both its advantages and disadvantages in terms of stabilizing the climate for a better environment and causing low productivity for farmers through the reduction in rainfall.

In a contribution, an expert in Crop Cultivation and Agricultural Practice, Dr Ibikunle Adedotun encouraged farmers to form cooperatives to enable them to practice irrigation for all-year-round food production.

Modupeola Sobukonla