Farmers in Bauchi have adopted various food storage and preservation methods for both consumption and planting.
In separate interviews on Monday in Bauchi, the farmers said they cultivate rice, maize, beans, groundnut, millet, soya beans and Bambara nuts.
Hauwa Dauda, a 65-year-old farmer, said she had been farming for over 50 years. She stores her produce for household consumption and for planting the following season.
“After I harvest my grains from the farm, I put them in storage bags and add a chemical tablet commonly called a bomb.
“This tablet preserves the grains for as long as I want and also prevents pests and weevils from attacking them, which could lead to spoilage,” she said.
According to her, the tablet has never failed her since she began using it for preservation more than 30 years ago.
Abdulmumuni Isah, a 37-year-old farmer, said preservation methods used by farmers differ. Some store their crops in purpose-built structures, while others use chemicals.
“I personally use the phostoxin tablet, popularly known as bomb, which has proven to be very effective over the years. I use it to preserve my crops, and it works well for me,” he added.
Rita Nambol, a civil servant, said she stores grains, pepper and melon (egusi). She buys from farmers at harvest and treats the produce with acetyl 25EC liquid chemical, which she mixes with water and spreads over the storage bags.
This method, she said, prevents weevils and beetles from damaging the grains. When the grains become scarce and expensive in the market, she sells them to make a profit.
“When a particular grain is less abundant in a given year, I store it, because such grains will be expensive and scarce the following year,” she said.
The farmers, however, appealed to the government for intervention in the areas of fertiliser and farming tools to help boost productivity.
