About 280 hectares of rice farm in Iguoriakhi and Iguomo in Ovia North-East and Ovia South-West local government areas of Edo state have been destroyed by flood.
State Chairman of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Mr. Dirisu Abdulsalam, made this disclosure on Thursday in Benin while briefing newsmen. According to him, farmers close to the riverine areas were worst hit by the flood.
He called on governments at all levels to come to the aid of farmers following the havoc wrecked by the flood, noting that the flood disaster would negatively affect government’s drive at sufficiency in rice production in the country.
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According to Abdulsalam, the association was working on plans to ensure farmers were ready for dry season farming, to make up for the destruction.
“The association will be sensitising rice farmers for dry season farming to make up for the shortfall occasioned by the destruction of rice fields by flood.
“There are many problems in rice production and the worst of it at the moment is that flood has eroded or washed away crops and even submerged some of our members’ houses.
“Therefore, we appeal for assistance from government and international donors so that our farmers will not go and commit suicide,” he said.
Abdulsalam who said Edo was one of the major rice producing states in the country regretted that the state government was not giving priority to rice farmers in terms of provision of certified seedlings and funding.
He pointed out that the flood incident will impact negatively on rice production chain in the state, disclosing that the affected farmers have lost millions of Naira in investment.
He also appealed to the state government to make tractors available to rice farmers, noting that the state had no single tractor.
