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The Niger State chapter of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has advised members in the state to use more of compound manure instead of fertilisers.
Its chairman, Alhaji Shehu Galadima, gave the advice, on Thursday, in Minna.
Galadima said the measure would reduce the negative effect of climate change on the soil and crops, as farmers prepare for the 2017 cropping season.
He added that “there was a recent stakeholders meeting in Abuja where Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and experts discussed
climate change and the way forward.
“After the Abuja meeting, we held our own meeting in Niger, where experts told us to use more of compound manure instead of fertiliser.”
He said that AFAN in the state had agreed to adopt the use of compound manure such as green manure, animal faeces, poultry droppings and other natural manure that would not affect crops and the soil.
The AFAN chairman said experts discouraged the use of fertilisers such as the NPK, urea, and others due to climate change, which they said may affect crops because of their chemical content.
He also urged members to always consult government agriculture extension workers in their locality to ensure bumper harvest.
Galadima said members of the association in the state were prepared for this year’s farming season, as most of them had cleared their lands and waiting for the rain.
Malam Usman Abdullahi, an AFAN member from Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, said he was ready to cultivate but for the rain.
Abdullahi appealed to government at all levels to expedite assistance to farmers with inputs and implements toward early cropping that would in turn result in increased yield. (NAN)
