Crops planting

Local farmers in Lagos State have urged their members not to rush into planting after first rainfall was recorded in the state on Monday.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some farmers and motorists gave their opinion on the early rain, noting that it was not enough to start planting crops.

The first rain of the year was witnessed in Ikeja, Igando/Isheri and Iyana-Ipaja axis of the state.

Mr Chukwuemeka Chuba, a vegetable farmer, said it was a good sign that the rain came early this year but warned farmers against early commencement of planting to prevent loss of crops.

“The first rain this year is a good sign for local crop farmers. It means it is time for crop farmers to start clearing their farms and prepare.

“However, the first rain does not mean they should commence planting immediately.

“They should prepare the ground and start planning ahead for the rainy season.

“Going by last year when the first rains came, a lot of farmers went ahead to start planting and it did not rain again for so long and many people lost their crops.

“Farmers need to be wary of commencing planting simply because of the first rain,’’ Chuba explained.

According to him, we need to watch the way the trend goes and farmers should also be observant of climate change effects.

On his part, Mr Michael Aleagbu, a crop farmer, asked local farmers to be patient and observe the trend of the rain before starting the planting season.

“It is really great to experience the first rain of the year so early.

“I do not want farmers to be so excited about it and begin farming immediately.

“We should be observant and patient to see if the rain will continue in good succession before beginning planting.

“This is the first rain as crop farmers; we are still studying it but the early rain simply means we should expect more rain this year.

“It is going to be a good year for crop farmers; we should also expect better yields but we are still studying the rain,’’ Aleagbu said.

Mr Solomon Eromosele, a Commercial Motorist plying the Igando/Isheri to Iyana-Ipaja route, said the rain was most welcome and a good start for the year.

“It is a good thing that we witnessed the first rain of the year in Lagos State this afternoon.

“We really welcome the rain; it is a good start for the year.

“The rain today has made the weather quite suitable for us motorists plying the Igando/Isheri to Iyana-Ipaja route.

“Right now I am driving without sweating; the weather is no longer hot.

“I do not think the rain will cause gridlock or traffic on this route because now the government has ensured that the road on this axis is quite free of potholes.

“We are glad that it rained,’’ Eromosele said.