Olam provides seeds, fertiliser to Bauchi sesame farmers
Olam Nigeria Limited has provided seeds and interest-free fertiliser to over 650 sesame farmers in Bauchi State.
This was disclosed by the Kano Regional Manager of OLAM Nigeria Limited, Mr Ronsha Tated, during the launching of OLAM Community Resource Services in Ningi Local Government Area.
Tated said Bauchi State sesame farmers were to enjoy free seeds and interest-free fertilizer for the 2017 farming season.
He said the company wanted to increase the production capacity of sesame through strong collaboration with the Bauchi State government through the Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme (BSADP).
Tated further stated that the relationship between OLAM and BSADP to improve sesame production started since 2008, adding that, “at that time, OLAM found that the production yield capacity in the state was 264kg/ha, but now that OLAM is collaborating with the state, the production has increased to 850kg/ha.”
He stated that each farmer would collect one bag each of NPK and Urea and 4kg of sesame seeds to cultivate on one hectare of land.
He noted that the company purchased over 11,000 metric tonnes of sesame worth N3.3bn from Bauchi State farmers, which he said had directly and otherwise created jobs and increased food security in the state, and that as part of its community relations service, OLAM drilled boreholes in Miya in Ganjuwa Local Government Area in addition to the training of farmers from over 500 associations in the state.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Barrister Yakubu Kirfi, commended OLAM for its support for sesame and other farmers in the state over the years.
He also called on OLAM to establish a sesame value addition centre in the state and urged it to continue ploughing back some of their gains to the rural communities through community development projects such as potable water, feeder roads, education and health facilities that would have great impact in the communities they worked with.
In his vote of thanks, Chairman, Sesame Farmers Association, Bauchi State chapter, Aliyu Salihu Sarkin Doguwa, commended OLAM and the Bauchi State government for the intervention.
He assured the collaborators on the judicious use of the inputs and also promised to maintain quality control.
Guinea savanna:
Early planting is by March/April Late planting is by mid-July/year August
Planting should be conducted as from the last week of June to first week of July
Planting should be conducted by the first rain which usually occurs between June and July.
(i.) Plant on flat land with inter-row and intra-row spacing of 60cm x 10 cm Planting seed by drilling on flat beds makes the operation very easy. The spacing between plants will ensure vigorous growth and high yield. A tractor, where available, can be used to draw the lines for seed drilling for large-scale production (ii.) Planting on ridges at an inter-row and intra-row of 75 x 15 cm is also recommended. Planting on ridges is ideal when beniseed is grown as intercrop with other crops. (iii.) Planting by broadcasting is useful where area of cultivation is small.
Sudan Savanna Sahel Savanna Method of planting Seed rate
The recommended seed rates are: 5kg/ha where planting method is by broadcasting; 4kg/ha when planting is by drilling on flat land and 3.5kg/ha when the drilling is an ridges.
Thinning
When your plants have fully germinated, thin the plants at three weeks after planting (WAP) to about 2 plants per stand along the rows, this permits maintenance of appropriate plant density and also alleviates the attendant problems associated with high-density. Leaving too many plants per stand will make the plants grow tall excessively and induce lodging.
Beniseed does not required much fertiliser except where the soil is very poor. NPK fertiliser is required where the soil fertility is low. Two bags of NPK fertilizer is enough to fertilise one hectare.
Fertilizer application