2 News High Cost Of Food Items Inevitable – AFAN • Irregular Rainfall: Food Crisis Looms Over Stunted Growth In Crops

Yusuf Oketola

FARMERS in the State of Osun have raised the alarm over irregular rainfall, saying it may affect food produc on that will result to food crisis in the State.

According to the farmers, there has been irregular rainfall since the beginning of the wet season in 2023, lamen ng that cash crops were not having their proper growth as a result of dearth of water.

The farmers, in different interviews with OSUN DEFENDER on Monday, stated that the shortage of rainfall brought about harsh weather which resulted in the stunted growth in plants.

The farmers stated that if the prevailing situa on of shortage of rainfall cut s across Nigeria, it would exacerbate food crisis in the country, par cularly in the state.

Specifically, farmers in Ola-Olaluwa, Osogbo, Olorunda, Ayedire, Ayedaada and Egbedore local governments of the State, have begun to count their losses as their crops such as maize, tomatoes, pepper, jute leaves (Ewedu) and okro were affected by stunted growth as a result of shortage of rainfall.

According to some farmers in Olaoluwa local government, the area which is regarded as “the food basket of the State of Osun” was badly hit by the harsh weather and may experience low harvest.

They stated that the irregular rainfall affected the growth of the crops and reduc on in their yields since the incep on of this year farming season.

Chief Wale Mayegun and Mr Akeem Olubori, who are farmers in the local government, said they had cul vated acres of land with the expecta on of having boun ful harvests three mes in the year.

However, they said their expecta on was dashed as a result of the irregular rainfall which resulted into stunted growth for the planted crops.

Narra ng his ordeal, Olubori stated he had planted maize and okra on about 20 acres of land at Idi-Oro and Olupo at the beginning of the farming season.

The father of three told OSUN DEFENDER that the maize crops he planted in late February had a lifespan of three months but an unexpected dry weather set in and stunted the growth of the plants.

Olubori said: “My en re farmland for maize and okra is about 20 acres. I planted maize largely in Febru- ary. I had an expecta on of a great harvest in three months. Unfortunately, the weather has been dry. Rain has not fallen more than three mes since I planted this. The temperature has been very high. have steady contract farm workers whom I must pay at the end of the year. I should have been preparing to harvest at least 10 pickup loads of maize now. With this now, I am considering clearing these maize plants and plan ng another in the June/July growing season.”

This is just as Mayegun also lamented the shortage of rainfall leading to huge economic losses for the farmers.

“Rainfall has been inconsistent in the State since the beginning of the year”, he declared.

Iwara community, explained that he had cul vated 45 acres of maize farm with the hope of reaping 40 pickup loads harvests in May.

Mayegun said the prevailing situa on would exacerbate food crisis, parcularly in Nigeria.

According to him, reduc on in crop outputs means the basic food would be scarce.

He said: “Without being a doomsayer, food crisis is not ending soon. The size of my maize farm is 45 acres. Normally, I should harvest nothing less than 40 pickup loads. But look at what dry weather has done to my farm.”

“The direct consequence of this is that the farm produce will not be enough to go round, and the popula on will struggle to get what is available in the market. Prices would go up and the poor who cannot afford them will go hungry.”

According to a publicaon, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had predicted that a dry spell would occur in some parts of the south, including State of Osun, in April 2023.

Mayegun, who farms at

But the unexpected shortage of rainfall has dras cally reduced the realisa on of his hope, he lamented.

OSUN DEFENDER learnt that a small basket of okra is being sold for N5,000, against N1,500 in 2022 at Odo-Ori market in Iwo.