The Bauchi State Agricultural Development Program (BSADP) has warned farmers to shun cultivating crops along river banks to avoid incurring losses associated with flooding.
The Program Manager of BSADP Alhaji Abubakar Ja’afaru Ilelah said this in Bauchi.
Mr Ilelah advised farmers to plant early maturing and drought-resistant crops so as to reduce the effect of early cessation of rainfall and also avoid planting near the river bank as there is a possibility of flood in some local governments of the state as predicted by NIMET.
LEADERSHIP reports that the move became necessary considering the challenges of climate change which lead to so many uncertainties.
Read: Bauchi Traditional Ruler Demands Remedy For Flooding In Kirfi
The Programme Manager warned farmers to strictly follow this year’s rainfall prediction released by Nigeria meteorological agency so as to make an informed decision that will lead to a bumper harvest and by extension ensure food security in Bauchi state and the country at large.
Mr Ilelah said going by the prediction released, farmers in various local governments of Bauchi must have planted their crops and advised them to always consult extension workers before taking any decision.
He also encouraged farmers to buy and keep in store the fertilizer and other materials they require for farming activities, saying that farming is now considered a business that must be done with all seriousness.
WikkiTimes recalls that in 2021, flooding in Bauchi killed 20 persons with 37 others injured and property projected to be worth one billion naira were destroyed; 6,000 farmlands were submerged, 47 culverts were washed away with 27 bridges collapsed and “over 2,000 families affected and over one billion Naira property lost.”
