All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kaduna State Chapter, has called on governments at various levels for timely distribution of inputs for dry season farming to boost food security in the country.
Alhaji Nuhu Aminu, State Chairman of the Association made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Sunday.
He said the process for dry season farming of wheat had already commenced in some parts of the state, he however added that other commodities such as maize, rice, beans and vegetables were yet to commence.
He said that insecurity and secession of rainfall in some of the parts of the country were some of the factors that affected food production in the last rain farming season.
The chairman, therefore, appealed to the government and other key stakeholders to expand the dry season farming to improve food production in the country.
He said agricultural research institutes had developed varieties that would do well in dry season and urged the government to leverage on the findings to harness its `Agric business Policy’.
In a separate interviews with NAN, Alhaji Hassan Buhari, National Secretary, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), said the association had concluded a plan to expand the dry season farming of cotton.
He said the expansion of the dry season farming programme would be in Niger, Gombe, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina States.
“In 2020, NACOTAN commenced the dry season farming in Sokoto State with 1000 hectares, we have concluded a plan to expand the programme to 1500 hectares in Zamfara; 500 hectares in Niger and 500 hectares in Gombe State,’’ he said.
He added that substantial fields would be cultivated in Katsina and Kaduna States, stressing that the idea was to enhance the production of cotton so that farmers could earn more money from the process.
He appealed for effective agricultural extension services to cotton farmers, saying that without organised extension services research; results would remain in journals and shelves of research institutions.
The national secretary also appealed for a close working relationship and financial assistance with NACOTAN by the government to the farmers.
He called for enhancement of necessary laws to ensure compliance with quality control regulations, in seed distribution, packaging, and illegal importation of planting materials.