Sokoto records bumper millet harvest …Be wary of middlemen, farmers warned
In Sokoto State, millet harvest has commenced with a call on farmers to avoid middle men who tend to buy in large quantities from them only to hoard the grains and sell at a later time at exorbitant rates.
A visit to some areas in the state reveal that the harvest of millet is ongoing with signs of bumper harvest.
A prominent farmer and Village Head of Kauran Miyyo in Bodingo Local Government Area, Alhaji Maidamma Aliyu, said, “At the commencement of the season, some Bodinga farmers were battling to have steady cultivation while others were already farming with their planted crops sprouting impressively. As we planted, they dried up before another rain came and it continued until at a point when rainfall became steady,” he explained.
The village head said his people were happy with the outcome of the 2018 season, which he noted came at a time when all hope was lost.
“As the season progressed, more rainfall was recorded at regular intervals. Hardly three days passed without adequate rainfall and this made us catch up with the rest, and today, all praises to Almighty God we realised enough; much more than last year.”
At Marnona in Wurno Local Government Area, a farmer, Mallam Amadu, noted that most of farmers in the area recorded bumper harvest.
Amadu said, “The generality of farmers in Marnona recorded an appreciable bumper harvest because there was abundant rainfall which assisted our farmers greatly.
“We are now preparing for sorghum and beans harvest as harmattan, which promotes their growth, is nearby,” he informed.
Chairman of Sokoto State All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Murtala Gagado Minanata, described this year’s millet harvest as satisfactory.
“Farmers in Sokoto are lucky that the much anticipated drought did not come. It was not like last year when we experienced drought in some parts of the state. There was adequate rainfall this year and I am going to triple last year’s yield; as I am still harvesting. The harvest has been favourable almost all over the state from reports we are receiving from our local government excos.”
Minanata added that, “There was abundant rainfall and Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal provided fertiliser to farmers in good time, which greatly assisted in recording the bumper harvest.
He said, already, a measure of millet which earlier sold at N350 to N400 had plummeted to between N200 to N220. “You can even get a measure at N180 in some villages, he said.
The AFAN chairman cautioned farmers against the activities of middlemen might likely swarm them for grains to hoard.
He also advised Muslims to ensure some of their yields were given out in Zakkat in line with the Islamic injunction for their grains to receive divine blessing.
“The farmers can give out to the poor through the local government Zakkat committees in their respective areas so that they contribute their quota to the development of Zakkat across the state and help check poverty.
“We thank Allah for the bumper harvest as we look forward to harvesting guinea corn and other crops still growing.”
A farmer, Tukur Umaru, of Gwamfa Dan Gara, admitted that farmers in the village did not plant on time thereby resulting in their reaping far less than what they got last year despite abundance of rainfall recorded this season.
Tukur, who has been into farming for over 30 years, said other villages in the same local government area were not affected as their harvest was quite impressive.
“Gidan Yaro, Mallamawa, Gidan Yamma and Gidan Doki had bumper harvest. We are just not lucky this time around, but there was abundant rainfall,” he said.
He, however, said they would make up for the losses during the dry season farming with rice, pepper, onions and corn.