Experts have advised farmers on ideal situation for intercropping leguminous with non-leguminous crops so as to enhance the fertility of the soil and get maximum yield on the farm.

An agronomist, Alhaji Kabir R. Charanchi who has decades of experience in the field said that some farmers plant legumes in between the stems of the cereal crops on the same ridge leaving a space of 4m in between stands of cereal crop

elative advantage sets in when the financial status of the farmer was considered, “Not every farmer at a certain period can boast of even N80, 000 not to talk more of N130, 000, they have no option,

“So that’s why they can’t go into that production because they don’t have the money. Even though government is subsidising fertiliser not every farmer can afford to buy,” he said.

Although more yield is obtained in mono-cropping whether in the northern or southern part of the country because of the higher planting density as you can get up to 53,000 to 55,000 stands per hectare in maize.

He said that in extreme parts of the north, the yield of maize due to rainfall limitation is 2 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes per hectare. But in areas like Musawa and Funtua axis where is a bit wetter, at farmer level you could get up to 3.5 tonnes per hectare.

He noted that the decline in yield per hectare was a direct effect of climate change with the constant dry spells, shortage of rainfall and fluctuations in rainfall pattern.

He gave an example with farmers in Batsari area of Katsina state, who intercrop millet and sweet potato cuttings noting that per hectare, a farmer could harvest up to 100 bundles of grains which is approximately 2.5 tonnes of millet per hectare and about hundred bags of sweet potato.

Windstorm displaces 500, destroys property in Kogi

Windstorm has displaced over 500 people and destroyed properties worth millions of Naira in Ife- Ijumu in Ijumu Local Government of Kogi State.

The member representing Ijumu State Constituency at the Kogi state House of Assembly, Victor Omofaiye, who raised the issue on the floor of the house on Wednesday, noted that the natural disaster caused untold trauma and pains on the affected community

According to him, public and private institutions such as churches, business centres, electricity poles and wires were not spared by the windstorms that lasted for about thirty minutes and properties worth millions of naira were also destroyed.

“It is an open fact that this ugly incident has made the affected victims who were formerly landlords temporary tenants on the mercy of good Samaritans who are scouting them in their compounds”, Omofaiye lamented.

The lawmaker however called on the State Government to direct the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials as palliative measure to the affected victims so as to enable them keep their bodies and soul together.