Should farmers get free inputs?

Farmers do not only worry about failure to get abundant harvests; they also worry about safeguarding and preserving their harvests. They worry about thieves who sneak into their gardens and steal the crops.

Such thieves can be classified with rodents, monkeys, birds, and insects which also invade gardens to eat food that they never worked to produce --- harvesting where they did not plant.

Food loss actually begins in the gardens before the crops are harvested. When crops are seen to be ripe or mature enough they should be harvested without delay.

Some crops uncontrollably get out of their husks and drop on the ground where they may germinate, rot, or pick germs and become unfit for human consumption.

Some fruits and vegetables have short shelf lives and will rot and decompose if not harvested on time.

The farmer should endeavour to get safe storage facilities for harvested crops. For most crops such as maize, beans, and coffee, it is important for the farmer to have sufficient drying space.

The crops must be dried up to moisture content of about 13 per cent on a clean surface such as mats, tarpaulin, cemented floor, or a netted drying tray. The idea is to keep them away from soil contact and impurities that would degrade their quality and reduce their market value.

Nobody will want to buy crops that have unpleasant smells and foreign objects. Mindless application of pesticides can make the crops poisonous.

Farmers’ shops stock chemicals that may be used to protect crops against pest attacks during storage but every precaution must be taken to ensure that the manufacturers’ application rates are followed to the letter.

The farmer should also think of a strong store for the harvested crops. Rats will not only feed on crops like maize and groundnuts, they will also defecate on the crops and leave behind their excreta and fur leading the crops to be condemned as unfit for human consumption.

Keeping the grass trimmed and prompt disposal of rubbish around the home will keep rats at bay.