Sequel to NiMet’s predictions of early commencement of rainfall this year, farmers in Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina states say they are weighing their options.

In their responses to a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the farmers said considering their past experiences, appropriate timing of when to start planting crops, was paramount.

While others said early planting of crops was a wise idea, others argued that such a move was never a sensible option because there could be periods of ‘dry spell’, or excessive rainfall.

They, however, urged the authorities to play their part by ensuring the provision of farm inputs early enough to enable farmers to take an appropriate decision as to when to commence planting.

One of the respondents also challenged agriculture research institutes, to produce seeds that would suit the changing pattern of the rainy season.

In Kaduna, farmers said they would exercise caution in deciding when to commence planting this cropping season.

They told the media that early or late planting of crops had its advantages and disadvantages, saying the situation and rain pattern must be followed carefully.

Auwal Abdullahi, Chairman, of Maize Farmers Cooperative Society, said farmers who commenced planting early last year following similar NIMET predictions, lost 70 percent of their crops due to excessive downpours.

” This year, we will consider our past experience and observe the situation before we commence planting; we have our fears in planting early, so we would wait for the rains to start properly,” he said.

Mr. Joshua Mallam, farmer, and member of Masanawa Cooperative Society, said it was not advisable to plant early as crops would not get the needed moisture required to develop.

He said any break in rainfall, after early commencement, would result in damage to crops, and result in losses.

However, he said with the right intervention from the government, farmers could argue for any fluctuation in rainfall to boost yields.

Bage Bungwon, Director of Agricultural Services, Kaduna State Ministry for Agriculture, said farmers could start clearing farmlands and wait for tillage and planting when rainfall became steady.

“They should plant smartly, or wait till the month of May to plant their crops when NiMet said the rainy season will stabilize,” he suggested.

On the contrary view, Salisu Yahaya, a farmer in Kudan, Local Government Area, said early commencement of rain was a blessing, and that there should be no cause for fear if the right crops were planted.

On their part, farmers in Katsina urged the government to support them with fertilizer and other farm inputs to enable the early commencement of farming activities.

The farmers said the call became an imperative sequel to the prediction of early rainfall in some parts of the country in 2023.

They observed that whenever the rainy season commenced early, it also usually ended early, pointing out that the situation called for ‘meticulous calculations’.

Malam Tukur Yunusa, a farmer, said that provision of farm inputs in good time would enable them to plan well and adjust to the predictions made by experts.

He argued that early rainfall might not have any negative effect on crops if the farmers planned well, warning that any delay in planting could result in disappointment.

“If farmers delay planting until the month of May or June, there could be problems; they need to follow the weather and plant the crops because time is of the essence,” he said.

An expert in agriculture, Malam Nasir Umaru, said the change in the rainfall pattern might not affect crop production, provided that farmers also planted crops at the right time.

He said that early rainfall was not a new thing because the planting period had been changing from time to time.

Umaru then urged agriculture research institutions to come up with improved seeds that would suit the changing pattern of rainfall.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), in Kano State, Malam Abdulrasheed Rimin-Gado, advised farmers not to rush into planting because of the perceived early rains this year.

Instead, the AFAN chairman enjoined them to prepare their farmlands and start planting from the month of May, when the rainy season would have stabilized.

The chairman also advised the government on the timely distribution of fertilizer to ensure a good harvest and food security.

The chairman also called on Federal, State, and Local Government authorities to take measures that would help in reducing the high cost of fertilizer.