2023 rainfall: NiMet, experts predict better farming season in Gombe
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency and experts from the agriculture sector have predicted better farming season during this year’s wet season in Gombe State.
They stated this on Wednesday during the Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme’s Quarterly Technology Review Meeting (QTRM) held in Gombe.
They said their optimism was based on NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) which gives a general climatic and weather forecast advisory during the year.
Mr Isham Ibrahim, the Technical Officer in charge of Operations, NiMet, Gombe State office said the weather and climatic predictions for 2023 would be favourable for farming activities across the state.
Ibrahim said the meeting with critical stakeholders from the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State was to get farmers informed about the rainfall information towards improving farming activities.
He said that information about yearly rainfall would help farmers know when to plant and when to harvest their farm produce in order to improve the yield at the end of the season.
“The prediction in Gombe is near to normal onset.
“This year won’t be like the previous year where there were lots of events of excess rainfall which resulted in flooding, ” he said.
Dr Ibrahim Yakubu, overseeing Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, who represented his commissioner, Mr Muhammad Magaji, said the meeting was timely as farmers approach the wet season.
He said the weather forecast remained a critical aspect of agriculture sector in contemporary farming practices.
“It will tell farmers details of weather, when to plant and which crops to be planted per senatorial districts in the state.”
He advised farmers in the state to use the vital information and the outcome of research made available by critical stakeholders through extension officers to improve productivity and boost their income.
Also speaking, Dr Joseph Hussaini, Director Technical Services, Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme (GADP) said the rainfall prediction for the 2023 wet season was good news for farmers across the state.
Hussaini said the predicted pattern of rainfall for the state meant that there would be less dry spells and the flood may not be too excessive as witnessed in 2022.
He said with the good rainfall outlook for Gombe State, it was important for farmers to embrace use of certified seeds that would fit into the raining season as predicted by NiMet.
He said that there were variety of seeds that match rainfall patterns and for Gombe State, he advised farmers to go for early maturing variety that matures between 90 and 100 days.
Hussaini advised farmers against engaging in panic planting to avert economic losses through replanting farmlands that had been planted before..
“With the prediction, we expect a bumper harvest, we don’t expect any crop failure if all indices of production are accurate.
“That will help farmers to cover up the losses incurred as a result of flooding.
“So we don’t expect any farmer to be hungry in the state and even in Nigeria this cropping season,” he said.
