Cotton farmers in Adamawa State are currently celebrating high yields.
During the weekend, the farmers gave testimonies on how they experienced more than double of what they used to get from their farms, owing largely to use of improved seeds and better farming practices.
Our correspondent reports that in Adamawa,cotton is grown mostly in the local government areas of Mayo-Belwa, Yola South, Demsa, Numan, Guyuk, and Lamurde.
Farmers from the LGAs who gathered at an event in Hosere, an agrarian community in Demsa LGA, said they got between two and four tons of raw cotton per hectare compared to about one ton or less that they were harvesting previously.
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Joshua Dauda, a cotton farmer from Shelleng LGA, said, “It has recently been great to be a cotton farmer, as I now gather average of four tons per hectare.”
Another of the hundreds of farmers at the event, Umar Garba from Guyuk LGA, said thanks to the Mahco Bollguard 2 cotton seed produced by MAHCO Nigeria PTE Ltd which he plants, he is now a successful farmer.
Coordinator of the company in Adamawa State, Mr Samson Pius Agunu, explained that the field day at the weekend was organized for the farmers to tell their stories of success and challenges with use of the company’s improved cotton seeds so that necessary actions could be taken.
“To the glory of God the only challenge people have mentioned is price, as they are satisfied with the quality of the seed,” he said, adding, ” As you would have heard when the farmers were testifying, some of them planted one hectare and got three tons, four tons, whereas, with the local seed in Nigeria here, the maximum you could get is one ton per hectare..”
He said his company and the farmers were hopeful that the Adamawa State Government would step in and ensure availability of the same quality seed at lower price.
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