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Dry season farming reduces poverty, food insufficiency – Agriculturist

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An Agriculture Extension Officer, Mr. Nathaniel Adetunji, has called on farmers in the country to embrace dry season farming to boost food production in the country.

Adetunji made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, on Saturday.

According to him, dry season farming would promote all year round farming and increase food production.

“This will in turn help to reduce poverty, food insufficiency and the menace of unemployment.”

Adetunji said the present administration’s agriculture initiatives, such as the Anchor Borrowers Programme, to the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, and the much-publicized Food Security Council, are veritable platforms to achieve success as regard dry season farming implementation.

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He noted that with those policies in place the envisaged increase in production and income would be achieved as beneficiaries under the scheme have unhindered access to credit facilities and highly subsidized farm inputs.

Adetunji said engaging in dry season farming would improve food production and more income by keeping farmers busy on their farms all year round.

He, however, expressed the need for the Federal Government to exhibit strong political will and accord top priority to promoting dry season farming in its programs and policies.

He maintained that potential dry season farmers required adequate funds to achieve all-year-round farming.

According to him, inadequate rainfall as forecasted for some regions could pose serious challenges to farmers in meeting up with their food production target.

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Adetunji, who noted that dry season farming, was capital intensive, called for more adequate budgetary allocation for the sector to reduce poverty and unemployment.

He said that the recent decline in the global prices of crude oil was enough reason for the authority to give the sector the necessary attention to bail the country out of food insufficiency challenges.

“I think it is time the Federal Government gives priority attention to increasing its budget provision for agriculture, especially dry season farming for the 2017 planting season.

“There are lots of expectations from all tiers of government to turn around the socio-economic fortune of the country by utilizing our God-given land and natural resources for our own benefit.

“With an increase in production of crops like rice, wheat, sorghum, and vegetables, this will go a long way to complement the wet season harvest and output in meeting up with the desired target.

“Dry Season farming, if well planned and implemented, would allow for all year round farming and is capable of solving the nation’s poverty and food insufficiency challenges,” Adetunji said.

He also called for the provision of modern storage facilities and markets to assist farmers in actualizing their high production target and income.

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