Rainfall: Expert urges farmers to begin transplant of seedlings now


 Farmers with interest in tree crop cultivation have been advised to begin transplanting of seedlings like cocoa, palm and kola nut trees nursed during the dry season.
A cocoa farmer, Chief Abiodun Falajiki, gave the advice on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ijesa-Isu, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
Falajiki said the ground now had enough water to make transplant of seedlings possible without fear of losing them to drought.
``Downpour in recent days is a blessing to farmers, especially those who need soak rain to transplant tree crops and other nursed plants.
``They can begin transplanting now but dig ground to certain level before planting to avoid been felled by wind while growing.
``Our farmers should also not forget to plant plantain suckers alongside the crops to provide shade for protection from sunny weather, `` he added.
He cautioned farmers against misapplication of fertiliser on seedlings, saying wrong use of fertiliser on them would have negative impact on their fruit bearing abilities.
He further advised cocoa farmers to use genuine chemicals when spraying cocoa pods to avoid production of less quality cocoa beans.
He expressed optimism that cocoa farmers would have a successful farming season in 2016 following the recent downpour. (NAN)

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