Agriculturist warns farmers against weather challenges


 An agriculturalist, Mr Femi Olabode, on Monday advised farmers to adopt the right agricultural methods to cope with unpredictable weather challenges.
Olabode, who is the Chief Executive Officer, Olive Farms, Omu-Aran, gave the advise in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Omu-Aran.
He said adopting the right agricultural methods would reduce natural disaster-induced losses being experienced by farmers.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had earlier predicted inadequate rainfall in some parts of the country in its 2106 rain pattern.
It announced that this year’s rainy season will be characterised by ``late on-set, early cessation and lower rainfall in many parts of the country''.
``This experience will be more pronounced in the northernmost part of the country.''
Olabode, therefore, urged farmers to adopt less rain dependent crops and right planting method to have maximum profit.
``To reduce the effect of natural disaster-induced losses on crops, farmers should adopt appropriate farm practices suitable for a specific region in conformity with NIMET prediction.
``There is the need for farmers to deploy crop varieties that are appropriate to every ecological system in the country to have the desired bumper harvest," he said.
Olabode also advised farmers to update their knowledge and take advantage of recent scientific breakthroughs as regards the development of crops suitable for diverse regional rainfall patterns.
``For instance, scientists have recently developed drought tolerant, early maturing, inter-mediate and late-maturing group of crops in maize and other cereal crops,” he said.
Olabode said two varieties of cowpea that could withstand short rainfall had been developed by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
``If farmers plant Sampea 10 and 8 cowpea varieties that have been developed by IAR to mature earlier, the warning by NIMET, especially as it affects cowpea production, could be averted," he said.
According to Olabode, Sampea 10 matures between 60 and 65 days while Sampea 8 matures in 55 days. 

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