EKSG, NiMet Team Up To Guide Farmers with Seasonal Climate Forecasts.

EKSG, NiMet Team Up To Guide Farmers with Seasonal Climate Forecasts.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), in partnership with the Ekiti State Government, will next week Wednesday commence a three-day workshop for farmers, agricultural extension workers, and other stakeholders on the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP).

Announcing the event on the live radio programme Ekiti Loni/Ekiti Today, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Ebenezer Boluwade, said NiMet would at the forum unveil the Seasonal Climate Prediction for the year, providing forecasts on rainfall, temperature patterns, and the onset of rainy and dry seasons. 

He said the information will be detailed by local government and farmstead to help farmers plan crop cycles and manage risks from extreme weather events.

"The training will cascade through agricultural extension workers and farmer representatives to ensure communities across the state benefit,” the Commissioner stated

Boluwade noted that officials from the State Ministry of Environment, State Emergency Protection Agency, and Ado-Ekiti Airport will also attend in view of the strategic role weather plays in their operations.

Highlighting ongoing agricultural initiatives, the Commissioner said the state is distributing improved yam seeds developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) free of charge to farmers , targeting five million seedlings by the end of 2027.

 Boluwade said the government aims to make this variety the dominant yam in Ekiti due to its durability and high export demand adding that an agro-allied investor has pledged to establish a yam powder processing factory in the State to supply markets in Canada, the UAE, and Europe.

He said the State Government had embarked on an  aggressive land clearing and tactorization    programme for farmers at subsided rates and  was also selling highly subsided agrochemicals , inputs  as well as  cocoa and oil palm seedling to farmers  as part of efforts to improve crop  yield and profit margin of farmers in the State

Livestock production is also expanding under the Oyebanji administration through collaboration with the World Bank-assisted Livestock Production and Resilience Enhancement Scheme (L-PRES), according to the Commissioner.

He said once projects such as ultramodern abattoir in Ado Ekiti,  cattle markets in Omuo-Ekiti and Ado Ekiti, veterinary clinics in Ado-Ekiti, construction of 30,000 poultry pens each in Emure Ekiti, Igede Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti and broiler processing facilities in Ado-Ekiti initiated under the L-PRES programme are completed, “the state will become the undisputed leader in livestock production and processing in southwestern Nigeria.”

According to him,  waste from these facilities will be converted into biogas and fertilizer, further boosting sustainable agricultural practices.

Boluwade commended Governor Oyebanji for attracting agribusiness investment and expanding staple and cash crop production, noting that these efforts have strengthened food security, enhanced value chains, and created vital direct and indirect jobs for youths across the state.