Drought: Explore dry season farming, Niger govt tells farmers

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Mathew Ahmed has urged Niger state farmers to explore dry season farming to avoid drought, stating that the dry season being experienced since July, was expected to end in August.

He emphasised the importance of adopting drought-resistant crops, highlighting that the most concerned farmers in early 2024 farming season were those who adopted improved seeds by planting drought-resistant crops.

“We wish to encourage farmers in the state to plant Tella maize as soon as the rains are back, they can plant up to the first week of September.

“We must continue to enlighten our farmers that improved seedlings and crops that are drought resistant have huge advantages over the traditional varieties.

“This new and improved varieties are available for our farmers at designated market locations.

“We must discourage them from keeping attached to traditional varieties which are reducing day-by-day in yield and adaptation to environmental factors,” Ahmed said.

The Permanent Secretary, however, appealed to the farmers in the state to exercise patience as, available information from the Nigeria Meteorological Service Agency (Nimet) has said/ predicted that normal rains will soon be experienced.

Ahmed noted that arrangements have been concluded by the state government and Niger foods security systems and logistics company Ltd. to support dry season farming.

He stated further that development partners, including FADAMA N-CARES, IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP-AF), ATASP 1, and ACReSAL, will be supporting dry season activities across the state hence the need for farmers to prepare to take advantage of the opportunity to complement wet season cultivation.

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