Farmers of beans (cowpeas) in some states in Nigeria have been affected by a sudden cessation of rain and lack of moisture, which has diminished their expectations for a good harvest.
According to AgroNigeria farmers who were forced by the heavy rain to plant beans in September lamented how their crops were already in the flowering stage when the rain abruptly stopped in late October.
Meanwhile, a farmer named Ayuba Shekwo claimed that given the way the rain fell this year, he anticipated it would last until November. “I wanted to plant in early August, but the rain was so heavy that I decided to wait a while. In fact, I planted in September; I can’t remember the actual date. “Now the rain has suddenly stopped when the beans are flowering.
This land is not the type that retains moisture, and the crop started withering two weeks after,” he said.
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Shekwo planted earlier this year in the Gora and Uke communities of Karu, Nasarawa State, but has given up hope of harvesting anything from those farms, from which he harvested 600 kg last year.
In spite of an earlier warning from NiMet, the nation’s meteorological agency, the farmers claimed they believed the rain might stop by mid-November. Today, the loss is palpable for many who planted in some of these locations too late.
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