The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari has stated that the ongoing devastating floods will affect the anticipated harvest of farmers this year.
Sen. Kyari said this while reacting to the recent floods that have ravaged the country, mostly in the northern parts of the country destroying farmlands and houses.
In the past two weeks, fatal floodings across the Jigawa, Taraba and other states mostly in the North has led to loss of lives, properties and farmlands.
Recent data released by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reveal that thousands of hectares of farmland have been damaged, with over forty thousand people displaced due to flooding across the country.
Senator Abubakar Kyari expressed concern over the situation, noting that it will adversely affect the social and economic well-being of rural farmers, particularly small-scale farmers. He emphasized that the government will prioritize the 2024/2025 dry season farming to compensate for the losses caused by the flood.
Additionally, he mentioned that his ministry is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to enhance the areas under cultivation during the dry season.
He said, “We will meet our food security target despite the losses. We will intensify efforts in dry season farming to cover the losses.”
“”As we witness the devastation caused by the recent flooding in our agricultural heartlands, my thoughts turn to the hardworking farmers whose livelihoods have been swept away by the unforgiving forces of nature.”
“The impact of this will be felt on the anticipated harvest this year, though we are hopeful it will have minimal effect on national food security.”
Backstory
In the past two weeks, floods mainly in the Northern states of Adamawa, Jigawa and Taraba states have resulted in the loss of lives, farmlands and properties across the region.
- The Minister of State for Agriculture had earlier stated that up to 51% of farmlands in the country were at risk of being damaged due to the recent floods.
- The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that recent floods have damaged up to 16,488 hectares of farmland, affecting crops in 27 states across the country. In a related report, the Jigawa State Emergency Agency revealed that recent floods have devastated over 2,000 hectares of farmland throughout the state.
- In response, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun has stated that the federal government will provide states N3 billion to mitigate the impact of the flood especially on farmers.
- Reports of floods damaging farmlands and residential areas across the country could worsen the ongoing cost of living crisis and intensify food insecurity. These events may also impede efforts to increase food production as the dry season approaches.
