Agriculture
Farmers who suffered losses to the 2018 flood disaster in Anambra have commended the Federal Government for supporting them with agricultural inputs.
The farmers expressed their appreciation when officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) inspected farmlands of the affected victims on Thursday at Enugwu-Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NEMA’s inspection is follow up to its earlier distribution of seedlings, agro-chemicals and sprayers worth millions of Naira to the farmers.
A vegetable and cassava farmer, Mr Lawrence Udemezue, from Enugwu-Aguleri, while expressing delight over the assistance, urged the Federal Government to sustain the gesture.
“If the Federal Government had been supporting farmers since the 2012 flood, everybody would have grown as big as I am today.
“This year’s support really helped many farmers here. We applied the chemicals provided to us; as you can see no insect infestation.
“Look at how green my bitter leaf farm is. See the cassava you gave us, the variety is good judging from the tuber it is already producing,” Udemezue said.
Another beneficiary at Enugwu-Aguleri, Mr Ignatius Nwabunwanne, who cultivates yam and cassava, said the Federal Government’s assistance had helped to wipe his tears from the loss of last year’s flood.
“I got yam seedlings from NEMA and planted them in three places. I also planted the cassava stems given to me across the Emu River.
“All the seedlings given to us are of good quality from what we see,” Nwabunwanne said.
He appealed for more yam and cassava seedlings ahead of next year’s farming season to enable him grow more crops.
Also, Mrs Ifeoma Uba, who the delegation met, spraying agro-chemicals on her cassava and yam farm, however, appealed to the Federal Government to redeem its pledge of fertilisers.
Uba, who noted that she applied various seedlings and agro-chemicals on five farmlands in different locations, said she was hopeful of a bumper harvest.
Receiving some agro-chemicals at Atani in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Mr Chukwudum Ukodei, the Chairman of Rice Farmers Association in the area, said the gesture would help to avoid food scarcity next year.
Mrs Ogechukwu Ndukaihe, a mother of four and recipient of the agro-chemicals, noted that increased yield from her cassava and yam farms would help her in the feeding and payment of school fees of her children.
Mrs Bolanle Ojo, NEMA’s Supervisor, who led the Distribution Project delegation, said over 5,000 farmers benefited from the distribution gesture whose farmlands span over 7,000 hectares.
Ojo said the flood affected farmers across seven local government areas of Awka North, Orumba North, Ayamelum, Ogbaru, Anambra East, Anambra West and Ihiala.
According to her, we have been in the state for this distribution project since April.
“First of all, we verified them to ensure that they were actual farmers affected by the flood in the area.
“After registration, we gave them seedlings to help them to recover from their farming business so that there will not be food shortage in the country.
“We also provided them with herbicides and later pesticides to clear the weed and to ensure good yields.
“The only thing we are waiting for to complete the distribution exercise are fertilisers which are expected to arrive the state soon,” the supervisor said.
She noted that Thursday’s inspection was the second time officials of the agency were inspecting farmlands after distribution of seedlings and agro-chemicals.
Ojo expressed satisfaction with the level of result achieved by the farmers following the Federal Government’s intervention.
“We are happy with them because they made good use of the inputs given to them,” the supervisor said.
She said the agency had earlier distributed tomato, yam, rice, maize, pepper and vegetable seedlings as well as plantain suckers and cassava. (NAN)
JULY 25, 2019 13:45 GMT|
Tags: Anambra: 2018 flood victims hail FG’s agricultural support
