Dr Idris Badiru, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Agric Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, says dry season farming yields more money to farmers.
Badiru, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, said that the crops planted during the dry season (between November and March) are usually vegetables and maize sometimes, stressing that the products are always fresh and healthy.
Badiru emphasised that planting during the dry season pays more to farmers as the vegetables are usually more expensive and neat unlike the ones gotten in rainy season.
“With dry season farming the products can grow throughout the year because ordinarily at that particular time of the year, people don’t normally cultivate.
“The practice is virtually the same with that of rainy season, just that farmers will water the crops themselves.
“They should do the normal land clearing, till the soil, do some weeding after all and also apply insecticide to control pests and diseases,” he said.
Dr Morufat Balogun, a Principal Lecturer at the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, University of Ibadan, said vegetables especially pumpkin (ugu) could be gotten very fresh when grown out of season.
Balogun noted that farmers can plant in close containers like pot, saying that it requires no labour as they will not need to water it too often.
The Geneticist emphasized that a farmer depending on the capacity can choose any of the systems, stressing that access to information on the technologies is important.
She further explained that planting around the riverside is better and cheaper as the farmer will not need to pump/pour water on the plants and there will be enough water for cultivation in dry season.
