Kebbi records bumper millet harvest
Millet farmers in Kebbi State are excited over the bumper harvest they recorded this year. Though harvesting of the crop is still ongoing at various farm in the state, many of the farmers are already counting their blessing over the bountiful harvest.
The four local government areas of Zuru, Danko-Wasagu, Fakai and Sakaba, are known for massive cultivation and production of millet, guinea corn and maize in the state. Farmers in the areas, during this year’s farming season, embarked on large scale millet farming and are currently harvesting bountifully.
Some of the farmers, who spoke to our correspondent in Danko-Wasagu, Zuru, Birnin Kebbi and Bunza, said this year was one of bountiful harvest for them because what they were harvesting by far surpassed what they harvested last year.
Malam Alheri, a millet farmer in Danko-Wasagu told our correspondent that after harvesting, he got 268 bags of millet.
“I thank Allah for His blessing because He rewarded my effort this year more than any harvest year. I cultivated three and half hectares of land but I realized over 268 bags of millet despite the damage rainfall and windstorm caused in the state this year,” he said.
Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, during his recent visit to some farm locations in the state, was excited by the feat recorded in millet production by farmers of the various communities in the state.
He said his government would continue to support increase their yield production.
The governor said crops like millet, guinea corn, maize and soya beans would be given same attention as was given to rice production by his administration.
A millet farmer in Birnin Kebbi, Yahaya Usman, was particularly excited over the yield recorded in his five hectares millet farm. “I am a rice farmer. This is the first time I ventured into millet farming and Alhamdullilah I don’t regret it. I am still harvesting but I can tell you I have already realized over 156 bags of millet.
“I urge other farmers who have not tried millet farming to go into it as it is farmers to in sorghum a good crop that does not require huge capital to venture into, like dry season rice farming.”
Since early in August when the millet harvest began in many areas of the state, farmers are seen daily conveying their harvested millet on donkeys, camels and vehicles to different locations where they would be thrashed and bagged.
Another farmer in Zuru, Benjamin Senchi, told our correspondent that he would begin harvesting his millet next week, adding that he was expecting nothing less than 300 bags of millet.
“Last year, I cultivated six hectares of millet and I realized over 200 bags. This year I will realize almost twice that number of bags,” he said.