Sesame farmers in Gombe expect bumper harvest

Some sesame farmers in Gombe State say they are confident of bumper harvest following the favourable rainfall being witnessed this cropping season.
The farmers in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Gombe said they were hopeful of good harvest when compared to the previous season.
A youth farmer, Yusuf Sabo, said he was excited anytime he went to his sesame farm to see how good the yield was, adding that he was confident of getting good returns on his investment.
Sabo said: “By the grace of God, I am expecting a bumper harvest and it will be a blessing to me. I am so happy anytime I go to the farm to see how my farm looks healthy.
“The rain has been favourable this year. I can attest to that and we thank God. It came at the right time and it has been falling in a way that every farmer here expects.
“I even planted beans not too long ago and it has come out good because of the rains. It is just moderate enough for my crops and I am already seeing the gains in agriculture as a youth.
“I chose to farm sesame this year because it is easy to maintain and without fertilisers, you will still have your yield intact.”
While acknowledging that a lot of farmers opted for sesame this year, the young farmer said he was not disturbed that the price might fall as a result of a possible glut in the market.
Sabo said: “I am not afraid that many farmers cultivated sesame which may lead to a glut but no matter how low the prices maybe, I am sure I will have my returns and make enough profit.”
Sabo urged the government to make provision for adequate fertiliser early and help to regulate the prices so that farmers would not jettison the cultivation of certain crops that required the use of fertilisers.
He called on youth to find vocation in agriculture, saying: “With little, one could get good returns like no other business as the market is available from the point of harvest.”
Alhaji Suleiman Lano, a sesame farmer from Yamaltu-Deba, said since the commencement of the raining season, all farming activities had been productive.
Lano said: “My crop is doing well since the commencement of the rains and we can only but thank Allah for His mercies this year. We are so excited that the yields are coming out better.
“I didn’t witness any issue of crop infestation this year and the ministry of agriculture has been particularly helpful in sensitisation and practical assistance on how to handle pest on the field.”
Lano appealed to the government to step in after harvest to protect sesame farmers and expressed fears of a possible fall in price, which according to him might discourage sesame cultivation in subsequent seasons.
Another farmer, Haruna Mohammed, said: “Before the recent rainfall that led to excessive flooding that ravaged our farms, things were looking good ahead of harvest as we had invested a lot of money.
“We cannot blame Allah but we believe the blessing of the rain is good for all farmers irrespective of what comes afterward. So we are not too happy but Allah knows best.”
Mohammed appealed for supports from the state government not just in giving them aids but addressing the issues that led to the flooding so the sources of their livelihood were not destroyed annually.
NAN.