The year 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction ( SCP) has predicted a delayed rainfall that may lead to food shortage if proactive steps are not taken by policy makers in the sector.
The minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamu said this yesterday while unveiling the 2024 SCP that is put together by young science experts at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet) to the nation's stakeholders that cut across all the economy including Agriculture.
Festus Keyamu stated that yams harvest may be delayed in a state like Niger due to rainfall delay, while Bornu, Abia and Akwa Ibom states are predicted to have an early onset when compared to their long term averages.
Keyamu said that the year 2024 onset of rain is predicted to be delayed in some parts of the country especially the North Central states while an early end of the season is predicted for the parts of Yobe, Jigawa , Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Ebonyi , Ogun and Lagos just as late cessation is predicted in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Ekiti, parts of Edo, Delta, Ogun, Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, FCT, Niger and Kaduna.
The rain predictions according to Keyamu stated that most parts of the country are expected to experience a shorter length of the season with the exception of Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom that will experience a longer length of the season.
He advised that NiMet SCP should not be seen as mere scientific projection, but rather a tool of instruction to regig the economy with resilience climate smart strategies to enhance food security and renewed hope for sustainable economic development for the nation.
The Minister said that the insight provided by NiMet should inspire collaboration among government agencies, private sector, non governmental organizations and communities to collectively build a climate resilient nation towards food security and a better economy that cuts across all sectors.
The youth farmers' leader Mr. Suliamon Arigbabu asked the NiMet management to ensure the scaling down of climate related information to food security to the grass root farmers who are the end users towards food system sustainability just as he and his group appreciate the intervention of NiMet organization.
Also, the All Farmers Associations (AFAN) President Architect Kabiru emphasized the significance of climate information for farmers, stressed the need for farmers to utilize the information to increase production, especially at this challenging times where importing food is limited.
Kabiru acknowledged the importance of NiMet's climate predictions in guiding farmers on when to plant and harvest, enabling climate-smart production and increased productivity.
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