AATF advises beans farmers on new planting window

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), has advised farmers on newly identified suitable planting windows for cowpea for the different ecologies in the country.

Mr Alex Abutu, Communicaton Officer, AATF, made this known in a statement on Sunday.

Dr Jean Baptist, AATF Regional Representative for West Africa said, during a visit to Pandagric Farms in Nasarawa, that the windows would enable farmers cope with the vulnerabilities of climate change.

He said, the Cowpea Field in Panda was part of the dry season cowpea production being introduced by AATF to ensure the variety produces at its maximum in the absence of insect pressure and other climate vulnerabilities.

“The impact of climate change results in either too much or too little rainfall.”

According to him, this makes it difficult for beans to produce at its maximum potential thereby leaving Nigerian farmers miserable during harvest.

“After a careful study of the situation, we have come to the understanding that because farmers are not guided on when to plant, the crop productivity is often interrupted by climate uncertainties.

“The rainfall pattern for the country is not uniformed and each year comes with its own surprises; so, it is important for farmers to be accurately guided,” he said.

He noted that in the last few years, farmers have been suffering from several uncertainty associated with the rainfall pattern which has greatly reduced cowpea productivity.

He said, that when the rain is too much, cowpea farms were submerged as a result of flash flood.

“Also, when the rains end suddenly, drought sets in at a time that the crop needed enough water.”

Baptist advised cowpea farmers to take advantages of identified planting windows which was carefully arrived at after studying the weather pattern in the last few years.

He said that farmers in the Sahel region comprising Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Katsina and Sokoto states should endeavor to plant from the 3rd and 4th week of June.

“While those in the Sudan Savannah region Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Yoba and Borno states should plant from the 1st to 2nd week of July.”

He equally urged those in the Northern Guinea Savannah states such as Bauchi, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano and Zamfara to commence planting from the 3rd week of July to 1st week of August.

Those in Southern Guinea Savannah in Niger, Kwara, Abuja, Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe have the 1st to 3rd week of August to plant.

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