Bauchi farmers resort to prayers as days pass without rainfall

Some farmers in Bauchi held a special prayer for rainfall as the state witnessed a dry spell for two months.

The farmers prayed for divine intervention.

According to Alhaji Mahmud Zakariyya, an Islamic cleric in Bauchi, prayers are inevitable because of the high rate of immorality going on in the society.

“We need more prayers for God to intervene. This is the right time to stop all immoral acts in the society such as wanton killings, fornication, gossip, kidnapping, among others.” he said.

Malam Babaji Alkaleri, a cash crop farmer in Alkaleri, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the prolonged dry spell had affected early planting.

”We resorted to the special prayer for God to intervene. The dry spell has affected farmers who planted early.

”I have been planting and selling different types of vegetables and root crops in the last 16 years and I made profit when there was rain.

“Access to sufficient water supply is essential for successful and sustainable farming. Without water, crops die; farmers lose their income and people go hungry,” he said.

Another farmer, Mr Ayuba Sallau, said that crops had dried up because of lack of rain.

“What we are going through right now is really tough. We mobilised our colleagues to engage in this special prayer,” Sallau said.

Also speaking, an Agronomist, Dr Iliyasu Gital, advised farmers to step-up development of irrigation facilities.

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“Natural disasters are beyond our control; it is something we cannot change; however, while watering plants, farmers need to use water sparingly,” Gital noted.

He urged farmers not to be deterred by the prolonged dry spell and should go for crops that are cultivated and harvested between three to four months.”