Nigeria: Taraba farmers count losses as crops dry off

Farmers in Taraba State have lost crops worth millions of naira following the abrupt cessation of rainfall for over two weeks across many local government areas of the state. The ensuing aridity has affected growth of crops, which include maize, groundnut, rice, and melons, among others. Areas badly affected are; Ardo-Kola, Gassol, Gashaka, Bali, Jalingo, Zing, Yorro, Lau, Ibbi and Wukari Local Government Areas of the state. Findings revealed that there are areas that did not record rainfall for over seven weeks, resulting in the drying up of many crops. A large-scale farmer, Yarima Isa Tafida, is top on the list of people in the state who have suffered serious loses in his farms located in Gassol, Bali and Ardo-Kola Local Government Areas. He told Weekend Trust that he planted about 140 100kg bags of rice seeds in his Sheka farms in Gassol LGA. According to him, two days after he planted the seeds, rain stopped for about 40 days. Yarima Isa said the seeds did not germinate and he ...