Cotton farmers in Adamawa State have had cause to celebrate high yields achieved in recent times.
This is as cotton crops mature and farmers harvest the produce.
The farmers gave testimonies of how they have experienced more than double of what they used to get from their farms, owing largely to use of improved seeds and better farming practices.
Trending News eeports that cotton is grown in Adamawa State 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, as contrasted from the about one ton or less that they were harvesting previously.
During a segment of testimonies at the Cotton Farmers Field Day in Hosere, one of the cotton farmers from Shelleng LGA LGA, Joshua Dauda 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 that, thanks to the Bollguard2 improved cotton seed which he plants, he is now a successful cotton farmers as there have been much progress in yields per hectare.
By Bollguard2 seed, Umar was referring specifically to MAHYCO C571 BGII cotton hybrid seeds with Bollyguard 2 technology produced by MAHYCO Nigeria Ltd, a cotton and vegitable seed production company with presence across Nigeria.
The Coordinator of the company in Adamawa State, Mr Samson Pius Agunu, explained to our correspondent 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 are hopeful that the Adamawa State Government would step in and ensure availability of the same quality seed at lower price.
