Ekiti govt issues advisory to farmers as dry spell persists

The Ekiti State Government has urged farmers in the state not to be disturbed by the long dry spell currently being experienced, saying that the present weather is not unexpected.

In an advisory by the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezer Boluwade, given the prevailing circumstance, the government noted that in line with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet)’s Seasonal Climate Prediction for 2024, Ekiti State and other states within the forecast region were expected to experience a dry spell of 20 to 30 days within the months of July and August 2024.

Mr Boluwade stressed that another advisory by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security at the beginning of the year also forewarned of the prevailing weather situation.

He recalled that the issue of the weather was also discussed at a stakeholders’ engagement convened on the step-down workshop of 2024 of seasonal climate prediction and Crop Calendar for 2024.

According to him, the need for farmers to embrace climate-smart agricultural practices and align their production with the farming calendar was emphasised at the workshop.

The Commissioner said that the NiMet release stated that “the occurrence of 2024 Little Dry Season (LDS) is projected to start from 22 July through August 2024. Some parts of Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos are likely to have a low to moderate event with a coverage of about 18-27 days.”

He urged the farmers not to be perturbed, but to gear up for the rest of the season when the dry spell is over, adding that the year’s rainy season is projected to last till November.

Mr Boluwade advised the farmers to key into the numerous programmes initiated by the government, which included the subsidised improved seeds distribution programme of the state government, the continuous land clearing and establishment of cluster farms, and the subsidised agro-chemicals distribution programme.

The agriculture and food security commissioner assured the farmers that the state will soon start free fertilizer distribution.

He also assured that the Federal Government’s National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) where seeds and other inputs have been subsidised up to 75 per cent through the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda in Agriculture, will commence soon. He disclosed that 10 clusters have been identified as the distribution points.