Kano Farmers Heave Sigh Of Relief, As Rainfall Resumes
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Some farmers in Kano State have expressed relief at the resumption of rainfall in the area, after several days of interval that generated fears of a possible drought.
The rains have been falling torrentially in many parts of the state, renewing hope for a bumper harvest, this cropping season.
The Nigeria Meteorological Agency(NiMet) had last week predicted heavy rainfall in 25 states in the country, including Kano, beginning from Thursday, September 28.
Some of the farmers interviewed at Yargaya in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of the state, said that the return of the rains had allayed their fears of a possible drought “because some of our crops such as Sorghum,Beans and Groundnuts had already started drying up following the stoppage of the rains.”
One of them,Sani Kabiru, said the resumption of the rains about four days ago, had revived his crops and rekindled his hope for a bumper harvest.
“I believe that the rainfall came back because Allah(SWT) has answered our prayers.We have fervently prayed to Him to bless us with more rainfall so that our crops could mature towards a bumper harvest,” Kabiru said.
Another farmer,Baballe Salisu,who spoke at his Ladinawa farm,said he was rattled by the earlier cessation of the rains to the point that he started thinking about how himself and family would survive in the event of a poor harvest.
“Because we have virtually eaten up the millet that I harvested recently,and I am now looking forward to harvesting the corn that I planted on my two farms;so,if the remaining crop does not reach fruition due to shortage of rainfall, that would be catastrophic.
“But thank God,the rains have resumed,and from all indications,our crops are responding and we hope to harvest them bountifully,”Salisu added.
Alhaji Muhammadu Maikaura,a large scale sorghum farmer in the area, also welcomed the resumption of the rains, saying,”it couldn’t have happened at a better time than now that our crops have begun to wither.”
“Now that the rains have come back,I am anticipating a bumper harvest of my sorghum which is my staple foodstuff.The cessation of the rainfall had made me to fear the consequences of a drought in an already desperate situation like ours,” Maikaura said.
