By MERCY OMOIKE

Some agriculture experts have cautioned farmers in the country against hasty planting, following the onset of early rains.

The experts issued the warnings in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the experts include: Mr Akin Alabi, an agriculture consultant and Co-founder of Corporate Farmers International, and Mr Omotunde Banjoko, an agriculture analyst.

Banjoko said that despite the onset of the early rains, farmers should not hastily begin planting their crops, owing to inconsistent raining patterns.

He noted that some farmers had begun preparation for the farming season, with the start of early rains.

“We can advise farmers to begin land preparation and tilling, but they should not commence seed planting, in spite of the early rains.

“They need to hold on a bit for the rain to be a bit steady before commencing planting.

“If farmers go ahead to plant crops and the rains fail to come, the seeds may just get destroyed in the soil or be struggling to germinate.

“The crops will be destroyed if there is no rain in the next three to four months. However, preparation of the land for planting is in order, and some farmers are already doing that,” Banjoko said.

According to him, anyone that has the intention of planting in 2024 should begin only land preparation, for now.

“Waiting till the rains are steady is the best bet for farmers to get the desired crop output,” he said.

On his part, Alabi urged local farmers to be technologically informed before the start of any planting season.

“Climate conditions across Nigeria are quite different, based on our different geopolitical zones. The rain in the North usually comes late April, while in the South-West, the rain is a bit earlier.

“With the climate change effects, we cannot determine when the planting season will commence, hence the dependence on climate smart agriculture technology.

“Farming is now more scientific than traditional. Farmers must learn to adapt to the changing seasons.

“The few rains that have fallen should not prompt farmers to begin planting season; they should adhere to weather and meteorological reports before commencing planting.

“Technology, majorly, should guide our planting season; no farmer should commence planting at the first few rainfalls,” Alabi said. (NAN)

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