NiMet predicts low rainfall as Agric, Water meets on irrigation farming

Agric Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Director General/CEO, NIMet, Dr. Anthony Anuforom, Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi & the Mc at the 2016 SRP

The Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMet)’s Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) official released for 2016 has indicated shorter rainfall as both Agriculture and Water Resources Ministries would meet on using irrigation modalities to checkmate vagaries of climate change based on expert’s advice from Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR).

In his message, the Director General (DG) / Chief executive Officer (CEO) of NiMet, Dr. Anthony Anuforom said there would be shorter rainfall that required farmers to be well educated so as to mitigate negative impact saying “rainfall prediction indicates that the rainy season in Nigeria this year will be characterized by late on set, early cessation and lower-than-normal rainfall in many parts of the country, especially in the northernmost parts. Also dry spells during the rainy season may be more frequent and severe in many parts of the North, while the “Little Dry Season” or (August break) in parts of the south are expected to be pronounced. These are risk factors for farmers in the affected areas and have to be carefully and scientifically managed”

 An expert, Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Prof. I.U Abubarkar said during the session titled “SRP: A tool for reviving Agriculture as an Economic Growth” that  the vagaries of shorter rain with dry spells severe in many parts of the North could be mitigated by availability of heat tolerant seed varieties to farmers cum full utilization of our dams for all the year round cultivations to achieving food security. 

IAR ED Prof. Abubakar responding to chairman of the session, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Chief Audu Ogbeh on drought and flood stressed further that government needed to do more in areas of funding research and extension services for the benefit of rural farmers with deployment into irrigation farming.

An insurance expert, Mr. I. Akerele stressed the need for weather index document that would enhance efficient insurance cover for farmers in terms of data adding that insurance policies are another method of risk management against climate change impact. 

Unveiling the SRP for the year 2016, the Minister of State for Aviation Ministry, Sen. Hadi Sirika said the theme of the NIMET review for this year tagged around agriculture and transport cannot be better than now in the face of present economic situation that called for repositioning of local contents through efficient transport system with enhanced weather forecast.

Sen. Hadi Sirika emphasized on the importance President Mohammadu Buhari attached to the issue of climate change saying that “Federal Government is developing an integrated inter-model transport system (air, land and water) that maximizes the transportation of goods, raw materials and people.

 This involves the construction of aviation, rail and highway infrastructures that links major cities and centres of economic activities. All these activities and programmes are sensitive to weather and climate variability. 

In this age of frequent and intense weather extremes, occasioned by global warming and climate change, NiMet’ weather and climate prediction provides useful information for reducing losses, and taking advantage of favourable weather conditions to achieve more efficient and effective implementation of such programmes and projects. 

In the agricultural sector for instance, I have been informed that empirical evidence shows that the proper application of agro-metrological information to farming could increase crop yield by up to 35 percent “

In retrospect, Aviation Minister, Sen. Sirika pointed the impact of the 2012 flood disaster due to not taking NiMet’s prediction very serious saying that “our past experiences in Nigeria show that we are highly vulnerable to extreme weather phenomena. For instance, the 1972/73 drought drastically reduced the contribution of agriculture to GDP in Nigeria from 18.4% in 1971/1972 to 7.3% in 1972/73. 

It was also reported that about 300,000 animals representing 13% of livestock population in the North East Nigeria at that time were estimated to have died as a result of drought. The 2012 flood disaster directly affected 30 states in Nigeria, killed 363, injured 5,851 and displaced 3,871,053 persons due to the resulting floods. The total value of destroyed physical and durable assets caused by the floods in the most affected states was estimated to have reached N1.48 trillion”