Mansir Nasiru, a farmer at Mararaban Liman Katagum community In Bauchi State prefers making ridges with a camel to cow. The advantages are enormous, he told WikkiTimes.
In this exclusive report, Nasiru who migrated from Taraba State due to banditry, explained how economical farming with camels could be — a local innovation he had stuck to a few years back.
“I was working with bulls (male cows) before now,” he recalled. “But when I saw a Fulani man using a camel instead, I went and bought this one, that was five years ago.”
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What distinguishes a camel’s farm work from a cow’s, according to Nasiru, were independence and efficiency.
“It (camel) works alone unlike cows that you must have in pairs. Camels can cultivate a vast piece of land in a shorter time and even seamlessly,” said the farmer.
In addition, camels, unlike cows, eat every plant, “with the exception of Duman Kada (Ipomoea asarifolia also known as ginger-leaf morning-glory),” Nasiru told WikkiTimes.
Just working with the camel on various farmlands — as a farm labourer — Nasiru disclosed that he gets a daily return of N15,000. “But sometimes it downsizes to N7,000 and the least, N5,000.”
With this, he feeds 19 members of his polygamous family. Nasiru told WikkiTimes he has two wives and 17 children.
He could have not migrated from Taraba, but worsening insecurity gave no option. Still in Bauchi, Nasiru was gripped by fear of what deserted his former home. “The greatest challenge we face is the issue of insecurity and theft,” he decried.
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“That’s why I had to leave Taraba after my crops had grown. Kidnapping and other security challenges need to be addressed,” Nasiru added, calling on the Bauchi State government to tackle head-on, the exacerbating unrest holding residents and farmers to ransom.
In Bauchi, farming with cows is a common practice. However, Nasiru’s style, if imitated , would enhance more productivity among farmers, especially in the traditional way.
