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Fertilizer Scarcity:Farmers in search of humans/animal feces

  1. Posted on Thursday 30 September 2010 - 15:16
    Hussaini
    Image of Hussaini
    Farming is the noble occupation among the northern Nigeria’s states with the farming community making over 70 percent of the states’ total population.

    But it is done mostly at the subsistence level as farmers have over the years, yearned for incentives with only promises without government’s appreciable action.

    This is made worse by the perennial unavailability of the essential farm input, THE FERTILIZER. In years fast farmers have had bitter experience in the hand of government as tones of fertilizer procured for sale had always ended in the hands of unscrupulous politicians.

    Due to scarcity and high cost of modern fertilizer scavengers’ and rubbish collectors in Kano State northern Nigeria now make quick money by selling human feces and animal dropping collection as manure to small scale farmers who give cash in return.

    Africa news reporter who observed the trade at major refuse dump deport saw scavengers busy searching for the feces after collecting it they spread it on the ground to dry and re bag it into polypropylenes bags for sale.

    When Africa news reporter contacted the local farmer who bought the collections said he resorted to the use of manure five years ago when he realized that fertilizer was not forthcoming and almost inaccessible to peasant farmers like him. He disclosed that local farmers have no access to fertilizer because there is a huge selfish interest in the distribution of the all important farm input.

    In terms of farm yield, he said there is not much different when compared to the use of modern fertilizer. He said the most important thing is the rainfall, saying if the rainfall is consistent the farm yield will not differ.

    On the type of crop that local manure is applied on, the farmers said it can be applied on all grains. They also disclose that local manure is good on vegetables, especially garbage, lettuce, spinach and pepper.
    Fertilizer Scarcity:Farmers in search of humans/animal feces

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