Food scarcity looms, no dry season farming, NIMET predicts shorter rain.

There is great indication that year 2015 might experience a down turn of food security as the presidential dry season farming for the year 2014 could not take place due to lack of fund just as indication from Nigerian Metrological Agency has predicted shorter rain thereby advocating for proactive steps to ensure food conservation. 

The Federal government in her determined spirit to reduce billions of dollars expended on food import into the country has proactively embarked upon using the all year round planting seasons to beef up food production after the 2012 flood disaster thereby providing support of improved inputs of seeds and fertilizer to farmers through electronic system of GES.

 Our sources revealed that the year 2014 president’s dry season farming of rice, maize, sorghum and other crops at the value chain of Agricultural Transformation Agenda could not take off due to lack of fund as preparation that supposed to have started by last year December became impossible. 

Food Farm News consistently monitors to see the take off of this dry season farming but to no avail as many official responses revealed that lack of fund and political uncertainty has over ride the event.

Although some states in the North and South who are very serious about food security business did not wait for the federal government support as they provided the logistic for their famers to embark on dry season farming.

Coupled with this, the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) in its prediction of weather for the 2015 has said that shorter rain will be predominant thereby giving room for more dry spells as farmers from the northern part are advised to plant drought resistant crops varieties to forestall the effect of shorter planting season to food security.

According to NIMET’s prediction in its Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) booklet for 2015, it was stated that “Dry spells are likely to occur as a result of the El-Nino condition prevailing throughout the season. Consequently, farmers in the extreme northern states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe and Bornu are advised to note that the length of the growing season is expected to be shorter” and thereby suggested that drought resistant crops should be planted.

NIMET also pointed that livestock production would mostly be negatively affected by the combined effect of the predicted warmer than normal temperature as there will be delayed onset and early cessation thereby resulting to below normal rainfall in many parts of the country.

“To ensure adequate and sufficient good yield of cereal, root crops and other crop-types in 2015, farmers will need to be supported with sufficient irrigation. Increased sensitization will need to be embarked upon by all stakeholders to disseminate this information early enough to ensure that adequate measures are put in place by the MDAs in the agriculture sector to reduce losses. 

The predicted warmer than normal temperatures in the month of February and April in the country will impact storage, packaging and transportation of perishable agricultural products. Therefore the use of climate change-controlled warehouses for storage and night time transportation of perishable produce is strongly advised” said NIMET.