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Tag: Dry season

  • Dry season wheat farming

    Dry season wheat farming

    • Sustaining the initiative will help reduce import bill

    Wheat farmers in the country must be excited about the Federal Government’s N160bn output value plan for the 2025/2026 dry season wheat farming: at least 80,000 of them will benefit from it.

    Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari disclosed this target during the recent flag-off of the Subsidised Agricultural Inputs Distribution of 2025/2026 Dry Season Wheat Production Programme under the National Agricultural Growth and Agro-Pocket Project (NAGS-AP), in Jere Local Government Area, Borno State.

    Nigeria officially launched its first large-scale dry season wheat production initiative as part of the NAGS-AP Project in November 2023. The aim was to increase national wheat production to enhance food sovereignty and reduce dependence on imports.

    The initiative has continued to record gradual success.  In its first year, that is 2023/2024, the minister recalled: “a total of 107,429 registered farmers were supported with critical subsidised inputs, resulting in an output valued at N474,628,000 billion.” He added: “During the 2024/2025 dry season, 279,297 registered farmers received support, with an output valued at N893,750,004 billion.”

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    States covered by the programme include Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano and Kebbi. Others are Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

    Cross River, which was included in the programme last year, is the first state in the southern part of the country to benefit from it. The idea is to expand wheat production in the south, to strengthen national capacity and diversify production across the country’s ecological zones.

    Wheat is not the first agricultural product for which Nigeria has officially launched dry season farming. Crops like rice, maize, and cassava have been part of past dry season initiatives under the same NAGS-AP.

    But the current emphasis on wheat is understandable. The crop is about the highest contributor to the country’s food import bill. Nigeria spends over $2bn annually on wheat imports alone, which puts significant pressure on the country’s foreign reserves.

    Current wheat production level may not yet be sufficient to eliminate the country’s significant dependence on imported wheat but it is helping somehow in reducing the pressure on its foreign reserves. Some of the government’s initiatives have saved the country about $500m annually on wheat import.

    We commend the dry season initiative that now enables wheat farmers to be busy all-year round. We eat daily; therefore, farming should not be seasonal or dependent on the vagaries of the weather. With irrigation and technology, the barriers militating against all-year farming can be reduced, if not eliminated.

    A country like Israel has taken advantage of technology to overcome its overwhelming challenges of water scarcity and poor land conditions to emerge as a world leader in agriculture. With political will, we can do the same.

    It is heartwarming that the farmers are not just provided with seeds and other inputs. They also have trained professionals like Agricultural Extension Agents to guide them on modern agronomic practices and provide continuous field-level advisory services; and Fertiliser and Seed Quality Control Officers who, the minister noted, “will be mobilised to ensure that all inputs delivered to farmers meet the required standards, thereby guaranteeing higher productivity and improved yields.” These are essentials for good farm yield.

    We urge the Federal Government to sustain and indeed improve on NAGS-AP. The fact that the initiative involves women and young people who play vital roles in our agricultural workforce is something to cheer, especially with their equitable access to inputs, training, and opportunities.

    We don’t know why this year’s beneficiaries are fewer. Given the scheme’s overall benefits to our economy, we want the Federal Government to look into this, going forward. Also, we recommend that state governments embrace all-year-round farming.

  • Wellness tips this dry season

    Dry season is in full force, it also comes with some health concerns such as being dehydrated, excessive exposure to sun which accelerates aging of the skin, among others. Omolara Akintoye writes on tips to stay healthy and safe this season.

    IN certain states across the country, the sun could be as intense as biting one’s skin, hypothetically, while in the coastal area, the sun is hot enough to cause immeasurable discomfort.

    Some side effects of excessive exposure to the sun, include skin cancer, freckles, which are small light brown patches on the skin, mottled pigmentation, shallowness, which is the yellow dis-colouration of the skin, patterns on the skin and wrinkles, it also accelerates ageing of the skin, among others

    But, beyond the impact of sunlight on the skin, the prevailing heat wave has also been found to cause dehydration, facilitate the spread of chicken pox and, of course, stress and fatigue.

    Meanwhile, to avoid these negative impacts of this hot weather, the following are some helpful tips to stay healthy in this dry season:

    Drink lots of water to stay hydrated

    Ajose, who is a consultant dermatologist, pointed out that when people are exposed to the sun or heat, it is a given that they would sweat and be dehydrated, whether they feel the hydration or not. This explains why medical experts have advised that people should drink enough water. But a consultant dermatologist, Prof. Frances Ajose, had told our correspondent that drinking a lot of water helps to ensure that the skin has enough fluid to replace the quantity lost as sweat and that needed to get rid of the toxins in the body. She also recommended that the minimum quantity people in a tropic region, like Nigeria, should drink is four litres of water, an equivalence of eight sachets of water daily. However, this hot season, people are advised to take more than that, and possibly go around with either bottle or sachet water, to serve as a reminder. Experts say one cannot go wrong with the water, because not only does it regulate the temperature, it keeps the skin soft, helps the kidneys to function and lubricates joints and muscles, thereby reducing the likelihood of fatigue.

     

    Mind what you wear

    Even though people are advised to, as much as possible, limit their exposure to the sun this season, there are always compelling needs for people to enter the sun, whether due to job demands or emergency situations. And findings showed that the sun is usually intense between 10 am and 4 pm. However, in such situations, experts advised that it is best for people to wear protective clothing, like long-sleeved shirts, pants and hats that are broad wide, so as to protect the face, scalp and ears from the sun. This would help to keep their skin fresh, avoid irritation and wrinkles. “It is important for people to remain in a shade as much as possible, especially during the peak hours of the sun, to minimise sun exposure and the tendency to sweat so much,” Ajose added.

    Wear sunglass

    One other important way to keep the eyes safe during this hot season is to wear sunglasses when entering the sun, but people tend to shy away from it maybe because they do not know its advantage or they are just shy to wear one. It is worthy of note that the ultraviolet ray of the sun could damage some sensitive cells in the eyes, which in the long run could affect the person’s vision later in life. The World Health Organisation said current scientific evidence suggests that different forms of eye cancer may be associated with life-long exposure to the sun. Also, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States found that sun-related vision problems include macular degeneration, pterygium and cataracts, which the WHO described as the leading cause of blindness in the world.  Therefore, constant exposure of the eyes to the sun is dangerous. “People should use sunglasses, because excessive ultraviolet radiation also damages the cornea,” she added.

    Have your bath as much as you can

    One other way to stay cool this season is to have a bath as many times as possible. Apart from the fact that it is refreshing, it washes off the sweat the body must have secreted.

  • Farmers begin dry season rice farming

    Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN)  has   kicked off its multi-billion naira dry season rice farming.

    Its President, Aminu Goroyo said, during the flag off in Abuja, that the project was being executed under the Central Bank on Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers programme (ABP).

    The president, however, said the group was working out the modalities for the fund disbursement with the bank.

    He said planting would start simultaneously in the 774 local government areas of the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Goroyo said each state and the FCT would distribute high-breed seeds and farm input to over 700,000  farmers that were expected to cultivate 570,000 hectares.

    “To this end, for easy cultivation and good harvesting, 52 registered input suppliers, 20 service providers and 450 private extension officers will be involved.

    “The programme, being a technology-driven process, will ensure that all aspects of the farming are involved.

    “This dry season farming is in strict compliance with the use of only irrigable land with adequate irrigation facilities under the supervision of extension agents,” he said.

    Goroyo said the CBN had expressed its willingness to continue to assist RIFAN because of its success in rice production.

    He said most farmers are enthusiastic about dry season farming because they were sure of high yields.

    Goroyo stressed that the Federal Government’s decision to ban rice import was another source of encouragement as it had started yielding the desired result.

    “Nigerians are now consuming made-in-Nigeria rice, and aside that, the volume of rice smuggled has reduced to five per cent and farmers are now getting dividends and value for their efforts,” he said.

    The RIFAN chief recalled that rice production had increased from 5.5 million tonnes in 2015 to 5.8million tonnes in 2017.

    He, therefore, challenged the beneficiaries not to default in their loan repayments because it would help to grow the economy.

    “It has become a must to grow the nation’s economy and feed this country; the population is growing at a high proportion and when you pay back your loan, farmers will be on land to farm and feed.

    APB was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 17, 2015 to link anchor firms involved in processing and small holder farmers of the required key agricultural commodities to address the country’s food deficit.

  • Sokoto flood: Dry season farming to the rescue

    Sokoto flood: Dry season farming to the rescue

    After floods devastated farmlands in Sokoto State, the Aminu Tambuwal administration has revealed its plan to irrigate farms in the dry season in order to mitigate the effects of the disaster and ensure enough food for the state.

    The government also said it will distribute subsidised farm inputs such as fertilisers and seedlings to cushion the effect of the floods.

    Many parts of the state were flooded, leaving farmers lamenting their losses.

    The state government’s latest response to the disaster was made known Governor Tambuwal’s spokesman, Imamý Imam following a visit to the governor by the state’s farmers.

    Tambuwal equally said his administration will sink tube-wells for the farmers, build more dams and water silos, noting that irrigation farming requires more water than other inputs.

    “This proactive action is aimed at supplementing these hugeý losses to avert food shortages this year and beyond,’’ he stressed.

     

  • Dry season: Irrigation farming to the rescue

    Dry season: Irrigation farming to the rescue

    The dry season is usually a challenging period for farmers. With an average precipitation that is below 60 millimetres and lack of watering holes, farmers face many challenges in planting. But with the efforts of the Federal Government to address this problem, farmers may no longer be left dry when the weather gets harsh, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    DRY-SEASON farming is not profitable for crops production. This is because there are no irrigation facilities in  most parts of the country.

    Some farmlands receive yearly rainfall of about 20 inches. Many farmlands in the North lhave become degraded. Areas that used to be covered by trees and homes have been deforested. Also, the climate is changing the outlook of farming.

    Farmers face unpredictable weather brought on by climate change. Sometimes the rainy season comes late; at other times, it ends early. Sometimes the rains come late and hard, causing floods. At other times, rains don’t come at all, causing drought. With these weather changes, it is difficult for farmers to plan which crops to grow, when to prepare land, when to plant, and how to plan other farming tasks. Worst hit are those from the North who have  to  respond to serious weather changes, making it difficult for them to farm during  dry  season, which runs from October to May. The weather during this period is much hotter and drier. For this reason, farmers adopt various agricultural practices to confront these differences in weather patterns.

    But the Federal Government has taken some steps to address the situation.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said the Federal Government has okayed the release of N14 billion for dry season farming.

    The funds underscores the importance government attaches to dry season farming.

    Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, who spoke in Bauchi at a stakeholders meeting of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme, said agricultural input would also be provided to farmers under the dry season farming programme.

    He said in Bauchi State alone, the Federal Government provided incentives to 10,000 dry season rice farmers.

    According to him, each farmer received three bags of fertiliser at 50 per cent discount and 25kg of improved rice seeds.

    Yusuf said more than 400,000 farmers from 19 participating states were being supported under the 2013/2014 dry season GES scheme.

    He said: “The effort produced more than one million tonnes of rice during last year’s dry season farming with just over 200,000 farmers drawn from 10 states.

    “We intend to double or even triple the production this year.

    “We have already carried out sensitisation campaign across the state, identified genuine farmers, enlightened them and assessed their level of preparedness in respect of land and source of water.

    “I am happy to inform you that our farmers are ready; they have prepared their lands in clusters and ready for planting. Very soon, we will commence distribution of the input.”

    The director advised farmers to utilise the input to expand their production capacity, adding that the problems of processing and marketing had been addressed through the value chain initiative.

    Director, Dams and Reservoir Operations, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Emmanuel Adanu, urged farmers to embrace irrigation farming, as it can deliver greater crop yield than rain-fed farming.

    He noted that irrigation farming was more productive because it was usually regulated and more focused than rain-fed farming.

    According to him, that is why people in the South are being encouraged to use the dams in their areas for irrigation.

    “We are encouraging people in the South now to go into irrigation farming even though  we don’t have a long period of dry season for them to do continuous irrigation.

    “So, we encourage them to go into some irrigation because the production from irrigation normally is better than rain-fed agriculture,” he said.

    Adanu said the North engaged in irrigation agriculture more because it has a longer period of dry season and abundant expanse of land than the South.

    The Manager, Asaba Area Office of Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority, Mr Charles Ovweigho, said dry season rice farming would soon start at Illah, Delta State after the inauguration of Illah irrigation project.

    He said the N200 million project was for dry season rice farming.

    He explained that 100 hectares, out of the 200, earmarked for rice farming, was irrigated for dry season farming.

    “The contract for the irrigation was awarded in 2012 and the project will soon be inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture,” he said.

    Ovweigho said the farm project extended to the neighbouring Ebu community, where 100 hectares of land was acquired, adding that 15 hectares had also been cleared in the community.

    He said interested large-scale farmers would be allowed to farm on the land after fulfilling some obligations.

    “This is a Federal Government project and it is all over the country; no restrictions or discrimination is placed on anybody,” adding that interests of host communities would be protected.

    Ovweigho said farmers on the land, only paid for the cost of land preparations, adding that when the irrigation system becomes operational the cost would also be subsidised.

    The government is said to have earmarked 230,000 hectares in 10 states under a pilot scheme to commence dry season farming.

    To  support  the  Federal Government, MARKETS II programme of the United States Agency  for International Development(USAID)  trained 2,229 lead farmers on best agronomic practices in dry season rice farming. Following the success of the 2013 pilot dry season rice programme that reached an initial 3,005 rice farmers in three states, MARKETS II continues to expand on the potential to improve farmers’ livelihoods and meet increasing demand for paddy.

    Last year, the dry season rice programme has been expanded to 10,000 rice farmers in Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, and Niger states. The project conducted demonstrations on the use of a motorcycle-mounted water pumping device for irrigation and established 17 technology transfer centres (TTCs) in the northern states using fertiliser deep placement technology. The TTCs serve as learning sites for networked farmers.

    Stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to ensure early completion of  the various irrigation projects spread across the country to ensure the success of the dry season farming programme, food security and prosperity for farmers.

    The challenge, however, is that farmer-driven investment in small-scale irrigation is spreading without much government’s support in creating an enabling environment where farmers have information on the various systems, financial services to help them invest, and market access to sell produce.

    Another constraint is the lack of detailed hydro-geological mapping for the nation as a whole. This is because successful rainwater harvesting in on-farm ponds can depend on soil type and rainfall patterns, and works best on moderately sloping land.

    Finding a way to do mapping with some economies of scale and making the information public or available to smallholders would change the landscape and economics entirely.

    One of those affected is Mallam Kabiru Musa. Sometimes, when he has to do some work in the farm, he leaves his home early and work before the sun becomes scorching. He has to plough the land to grow millets and to control weeds.  But in  recent years,  climate  change  has made  his pre-planting activities challenging. This is because it makes rains more unpredictable.

    The farmlands get more  degraded. The fertility of soil decreases thus posing threats to agricultural production and resulting in lower crop yields and endangering the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

    Where they  have to apply input and use improved seeds to get high yields, there is  shortage of water, attributed  to the changing climate. Sometimes the rains stop or it does not rain during the season. Musa is worried about the increasingly harsh weather as  the   rainy season is becoming short and  some    of his  crops   need three months rainy season to  grow  to harvest.

    It is not in the North alone that farmers face dry season challenges. Farmers in the Southwest are  also  confronted by challenges farming during the dry season.

    Programme Corodinator, Farmers Development Union (FADU), Mr Victor Olowe, said it is difficult for  farmers to grow okro and  other  vegetables that need much moisture.

    According  to him,  farming is becoming more challenging yearly with changes brought  by hotter temperature.

    Not only is it difficult to make decisions about what to grow, but yields have dropped. Climate change also is interacting with other pressures on the land, such as deforestation and environmental degradation, to reduce farmers’ ability to cope.

    To this  end, the farmers have had to work  with extension to advocate practices such as using input, planting trees, using drought-resistant crops, early-maturing crops, diversification into other activities to adapt to the changing climate.

    Generally, he explained that the changing climate is shifting weather patterns, reflecting  in increasing  number of hot days.

    He said the government can help  to cushion  the impact by supporting smallholder irrigation to improve productivity and incomes. This will also involve encouraging farmers to embrace  irrigation systems, such as pumps and on-farm ponds, freeing them from rain dependence to grow crops year-round, and to grow more high-value crops. In response, farmers are trying many things. They are growing new crops, trying drought-tolerant varieties, and changing other farm practices.

    Publisher, Agro Nigeria, Mr Richard Mbaram, said  he had witnessed a lot of efforts by the government to offer solutions to challenges faced by small farmers on drylands.

    According to him, Dr. Adesina has articulated his passion and commitment to smallholder agriculture, and a strong desire to improve the lives of millions of impoverished smallholder farmers and their families living in the drylands of the country.

    Mbaram said the Federal Government’s intervention policy on rice has boosted rice production.

    He acknowledged the  attestations of the governors of Kebbi and Kogi states, and the billions of naira invested by the private investor-driven interest groups, saying they were an endorsement of the government’s policy by the private and public sector.

  • Dry season farming support for 30,000

    Dry season farming support for 30,000

    Over 30,000 farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received support for dry season farming from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

    The initiative, a collaboration between the FCT and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was launched in December last year as part of efforts to ensure food security.

    The Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, said at the official flag-off ceremony of the 2013/2014 dry season farming in Gada Biu in Kwali Area Council that dry season farming in the FCT would produce additional 45,000 metric tons of grain, to the Nigerian grain market, diversify the economy and enhance foreign exchange earnings.

    Akinjide, represented at the occasion by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr John Chukwu said: “The business of agriculture in Nigeria has been left mostly to the peasant and small-time farmers. While their efforts may, to a large extent, meet the basic needs of the country, it has not done same for the country’s economy or economic conditions of farmers.

    “We are determined to improve agricultural productivity of small-scale farmers by ensuring that they embrace modern farming methods and take full advantage of abundant market opportunities to boost their economic base.

    “The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) which was launched in 2011 has recorded appreciable success in the FCT with more farmers accessing farm inputs with ease. During the 2013 rain-fed farming exercise, 92,143 farmers (82.8 per cent) out of the 111,276 FCT farmers captured on the GES national data base representing 82.5 per cent redeemed their farm inputs (fertiliser and seeds) through the e-Wallet platform.”

    The Secretary, FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat Mrs. Olvadi Madayi said the FCT has signed on to the Nigerian Incentive-base Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending System (NIRSAL) programme which is promoted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that farmers have easy access to credit for their farm enterprises.

    Madayi said: “We will strive to ensure that FCT farmers have easy access to agricultural inputs as well as markets for their products through off-takers and contract farming system.

    “In addition, we are encouraging private entrepreneurs in the FCT to complement government’s effort in value addition and product marketing.”

  • NEMA warns on dry season challenges

    The National Emergency Management Authority on Wednesday charged Nigerians to be adequately prepared for the challenges of the forthcoming dry season and its associated emergencies.

    The Director- General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, gave the charge in his address to stakeholders at a sensitization and awareness workshop held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    He specifically urged Nigerians to be wary of the environment-related epidemics such as Measles, Cholera, Lassa fever and Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM), among others.

    The NEMA boss, who was represented at the workshop by the South West Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Iyiola Akande, said measles, cholera, lassa fever and CSM are among the 10 most critical health issues associated with dry season, hence the urgent need for the public to guard against them with all seriousness.

    He particularly noted that the International Emergency Data (IED) had confirmed that both the women and children are the most vulnerable people and emphasized the need for them to be more cautious in their health habits by avoiding polluted water and dirty or overcrowded environment.