By; SANI ALIYU, Zaria
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kaduna State Chapter, has called for early distribution of farm input for dry season farming to boost food security in the country.
Alhaji Nuhu Aminu, State Chairman of the association made the call in an interview with the New Nigerian in Zaria .
He said the process for dry season farming of wheat has already commenced in some parts of the state, adding that other commodities such as maize, rice, beans and vegetable are yet to commence.
Nuhu said, the insecurity and cessation of rainfall in some parts of the country are some of the factors that affected food production in the last rain farming season.
The chairman therefore, appealed to the government and other key stakeholders to expand the dry season farming to improve food production in the country.
According to him, Agricultural Research Institutes had developed varieties of crops seed that would do well in dry season and urged the government to leverage on the findings to harness its `Agric business Policy’.
In a separate interview with Alhaji Hassan Buhari, National Secretary, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), he said the association has concluded plans to expand the dry season farming of cotton.
He explained that the expansion of the dry season farming programme would be in Niger, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina States.
“In 2020, NACOTAN commenced the dry season farming in Sokoto State with 1,000 hectares. We have concluded plans to expand the programme to 1,500 hectares in Zamfara; 500 hectares in Niger and 500 hectares in Gombe State,’’ he said.
Alhaji Bulgari added that the substantial fields would be cultivated in Katsina and Kaduna states, stressing that the idea is to enhance the production of cotton so that farmers could earn more money from the process.
He appealed for effective agricultural extension services to cotton farmers, saying that without organised extension services research, results would remain in journals and shelves of research institutions.
The national secretary also appealed for a close working relationship and financial assistance by the government to the farmers.
He called for enhancement of necessary laws to ensure compliance with quality control regulations in seed distribution, packaging, and illegal importation of planting materials.
