Federal Government Writes Govs As Agency Predicts Flooding In 31 States

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency have taken steps to downscale weather and climate information for Nigerian farmers.

This was as the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said that accurate weather readings were vital to food security.

He made this known at a joint news conference on seasonal climate prediction on Tuesday in Abuja.

Kyari said downscaling such information would guide cropping and boost agricultural yield in the country.

The ministry and NIMET had in March 2022 collaborated to provide Seasonal Climate Prediction to farmers.

“There is no doubt in our minds that cascading climate information services to farmers in their localities will readily impact their cultivation against the backdrop of unstable weather patterns.

“Seasonal Climate Prediction is crucial to the agriculture sector where weather forecasts can help inform farmers about upcoming weather conditions,” Kyari said.

He said further that the predictions would allow farmers to adjust planting schedules, optimise irrigation, and apply inputs more efficiently.

“It will, thereby, reduce resource waste while improving crop yields and productivity.

“There is little question, therefore, that NIMET’s Seasonal Rainfall Prediction can assist in shaping agriculture in Nigeria concerning information about the pattern and duration of rainfall across the country’s agronomic zones,” he said.

Kyari added that this would help the farmers to know when to grow, the length of the growing season, and dry spells that could occasion loss of agricultural investment if remedial measures are not taken.

“This in turn helps to boost the adaptive capacity of farmers,” he said.

The minister noted that there had been farming seasons in Nigeria when farmers did not take advantage of the institutional advice from NIMET.

Kyari said that such farmers, on their own, misread the rainfall pattern, only to face dry spells that invariably ruined their crops and livelihoods.

Also speaking, the Director-General, NIMET, Prof. Charles Anosike, said the event would further strengthen the relationship between NIMET and the ministry.

Anosike said that the issue of food security required consistent and deliberate efforts from all stakeholders not just to cooperate, but to empower and equip farmers.

He said that the agency, on February 20, predicted the manifestation of weather irregularities and temperature viability.

“We did say that the huge task that we have after the prediction is the dissemination and communication of this information to farmers, this is a huge challenge,” he added.