Bauchi farmers having ‘sleepless nights’ over poor rainfall

Farmers in Bauchi State who planted crops early this farming season are having sleepless nights following a dry spell being experienced, resulting in the drying up of their tender crops.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that for the past few weeks, rain has not fallen in most parts of the state and the prospect of the farmers having to re-plant, is very high.

Some of the farmers who spoke to NAN said they spent huge resources on payment of labour, purchase of seeds and fertilizer used in planting the crops, adding that they were not financially buoyant to repeat same.

A peasant farmer, Malam Aliyu Hamman, said he spent about N30, 000 and was not in a position to source for same again.

“We rushed to plant crops to avoid a repeat of what happened last year when the rain stopped abruptly without crops maturing, making us to incur losses.

“Now, we seem to be too early and the consequence is almost same as we may have to repeat planting and incur losses again,” he lamented.

Another peasant farmer, Jarmai Dahiru, said his soya beans crops had almost dried up and he may have to re-plant.

Other farmers who narrated the same experience are Mohammed Yunus, Ali Balarabe, Mamamn Kolo and Bashir Inuwa, who said they had been having sleepless nights over the situation.

“Each time cloud forms and disperses, I feel sick and I am sure other farmers feel same.

“There was a time the cloud was so heavy that we were optimistic our crops had narrowly escaped death, only for the cloud to disperse again,” said Kolo.

Meanwhile, an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ibrahim Idris, has called for fervent prayers for rain in Bauchi

Idris, who made the call yesterday in an interview with NAN in Bauchi, said prayers would go a long way in saving the state from possible threat of drought and challenges posed to farmers.

“For two weeks now, rain has ceased in Bauchi; this can stress many crops during certain period of their growth,” he said

He enjoined citizens from all faiths to pray fervently for rainfall, to salvage the situation.(NAN)