By AMINU GARKO

A Chinese agricultural investment company, Smartisan Investment Nigeria Limited, on Monday unveiled a new spraying technology aimed at boosting crop yields and cutting production costs for farmers in Kano State.

Speaking during a demonstration in Kura Local Government Area, the firm’s representative, Mr Charles Lee, said the equipment popularly referred to as “agricultural spraying drums” can replace the tedious manual method of applying chemicals and fertilisers.

Lee explained that the device can do the work of about 40 farm hands in a single day, enabling large-scale spraying to be completed within hours.

He stated that manual spraying often leads to significant losses during pest outbreaks because many farmers cannot cover their fields within the critical two-to-three-day window.

“With this machine, a farmer can finish spraying 10 hectares in one day. When pests arrive, you don’t have time to waste because the damage can reach 50 percent.

“This technology ensures a quick response,” he said.

According to Lee, the system has already been deployed in China, Kenya and Mozambique, where it has increased harvests by 15–20 percent annually.

He added that the device atomises chemicals into ultra-fine particles of about 10 micrometres, ensuring deep penetration and full coverage of both sides of plant leaves.

Lee added that the technology reduces chemical consumption by up to 40 percent, thereby saving farmers’ costs.

“The hand-spraying method wastes a lot of chemical. With this system, the chemical becomes fog and reaches where human hands cannot.

“It reduces cost, increases yield and is safer for the environment,” Lee said.

The Chairman of the Kura Local Government Farmers’ Association, Usman Abubakar, described the innovation as timely, saying that it aligned with farmers’ struggles against the rising production costs and labour shortages.

“This technology is coming at the right time. Many of our farmers can no longer afford labour for spraying, and pest attacks are becoming more frequent.

“Anything that helps us save cost and increase yield is welcome,” he said, urging government agencies and development partners to help the farmers to acquire the equipment.

Some farmers who witnessed the demonstration also expressed optimism.

A rice farmer Malam Kabiru Sani, called the device a potential “game-changer” for large-scale producers.

“Sometimes we spend two to three days spraying just five hectares. By then, pests have already done damage. If this machine works as shown, it will save us a lot of loss,” he said.

A maize and vegetable farmer, Hajiya Rabi’u Ibrahim, welcomed the reduction in chemical use.

“Chemicals are very expensive now. If this machine can do the same work with less chemical, that is good for us.

“It also means the food we harvest will have less chemicals’ residue,” she said.

The participants urged the firm to partner with local cooperatives to provide flexible payment plans, adding that many smallholder farmers may not be able to afford an outright purchase. (NAN)

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