Flood affected cassava, maize, millet, beans production in 18 states — Report

The “2023 Wet Season Agricultural Performance in Nigeria” report by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has revealed the impact of the August 2023 floods on cassava, maize, millet, beans, and some animals in 18 states.

The report further stated that rainfall rates decreased in the northern part of the country and increased in the southern part.

Presenting the report to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Executive Director of NAERLS, Professor Emmanuel Ikani, mentioned that twenty-one states across the country recorded dry spell occurrences affecting the growth and development of different crops.

Professor Ikani also noted that pests affected rice and maize in some states to varying degrees of severity. Moreover, incidences of diseases and pest infestations on roots and tubers (cassava, yam, cocoyam, potato, and ginger) were reported in nineteen states in 2023.

“Rainfall rates decreased in the northern part of the country and increased in the southern part. The number of average rainy days in the southern part of the country increased significantly compared to 2022, while the number of rainy days in the northern part decreased in all zones except for the north-east.

“There was excessive rainfall that led to flood occurrences in 18 states as of August. This indicates the impact of climate change across the country. The flood affected crops such as cassava, maize, millet, cowpea, and some animals.

“Pests affected rice and maize in some states to varying degrees of severity. Incidences of diseases and pest infestations on roots and tubers (cassava, yam, cocoyam, potato, and ginger) were reported in nineteen states in 2023.

“Pests and disease infestations on cashew, cocoa, citrus, and mango were prominent in eight states. Okra was attacked by a viral disease across many states in the country.

In Kwara state, cashew plants were affected by leaf locusts, while infestations of cocoa by mealy bugs, capsid bugs, black pod, cocoa swelling virus, and pod borer were reported in Kwara, Akwa Ibom, and Osun States.

In his response, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, highlighted that the country faces several challenges, with soil degradation being a major concern.

He lamented youth apathy towards agriculture due to the continued use of traditional tools like hoes and cutlasses on farms. The minister emphasised that unless farms are mechanised, Nigeria may struggle to feed its growing population in the future.

“We are faced with a lot of challenges, with the major one being the degradation of land due to insurgency, banditry, desertification, erosion, flooding, and more. Another significant challenge is that youth are turning away from agriculture because of the use of hoes and cutlasses.

“Many farmlands, you see, the majority of the farmers are elderly men and women and small children. You hardly see the middle-aged; they are usually in the cities in search of other livelihoods and sometimes engage in illicit activities.

This is mainly because farming is seen as difficult, and that’s why the majority of the smallholder farmers in Nigeria are the ones producing food.

“If we’ve been using hoes and cutlasses for years, it’s time we moved to the next level, especially considering the challenges we face. Land is seriously shrinking; I come from an agrarian area, but unfortunately, due to insecurity, there are only pockets of places where you can farm.

“I also see opportunities in some of the issues that are happening because it is now going to wake us up to see, in the limited land that we have, how can we increase yield and adopt other climate-smart agriculture”, Kyari added.

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