Over 2,000 Hectares of rice farm in Majin Gari village in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger state, are on the verge of being washed away by flood.
This is as a result of constant downpour in being experienced in recent time which has left farmers in the affected communities counting their loses.
Majin Gari village is one of the largest producers of rice in Niger State with thousands of hectares of rice farmlands by the inhabitants of the community.
Rice cultivation in the area is so important that farmers harvest three times in a year, both during the raining and dry seasons .
Nigerian Tribune investigation revealed that it serves the immediate markets in the State with paddy rice while offtakers across the country were said to have been visiting the village during harvest periods to buy from the farmers.
It was however, gathered that unfortunately, this strategic rice producing community is presently on the verge of experiencing a bad year with the havoc wreaked by floods.
Further checks revealed that presently, majority of the hectares are already submerged with floods while others are at the mercy of the future occurence.
Some of the farmers expressed worries that this may lead to scarcity of rice in the market and eventual increase in the price of the commodity.
To further worsen the situation, the Badeggi irrigation system that would have supported the farmers during dry season farming is said to be in bad shape as its canal can no longer accommodate the large scale of water coming into the community from the rivers in Bida.
Nigerian Tribune further learnt that the irrigation system was constructed during the colonial era and the only time it was renovated was during the former military administration of Colonel David Mark in 1984.
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