Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Queen Isiki explained that if the government fail to intervene on time, the people may face serious hunger in 2019 as all their cassava and plaintains farms have been damaged.
According to Isiki, the flood came mixed with crude oil from a bunkering site at Ibelebiri, that were destroyed by the Joint Task Force (JTF) few months ago, adding that the polluted water covered their farmlands before it began to recede.
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She further called on the Federal and State government to send a team of oil spill experts to come and clean up their land, and also provide them with cassava stems, plantain suckers and grains for the coming farming season.
In a related development, the chairman of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, Bayelsa State Chapter, Mr Emmanuel Egbo, has expressed sadness that all their efforts to ensure a bountiful harvest amounted to nought as all their crops have been destroyed by the flood.
Explaining further he said the Association recieved 60 bundles of cassava stems of various kind during a training held at Emadike Seed Multiplication Workshop in Ogbia but the flood destroyed their crops.
“We were expected to return the sixty bundles of cassava stems after harvesting, but we are at a loss on how to make the returns because those planted have been washed away by the flood.”
Egbo noted that they are yet to receive relief materials from both the federal and state government, adding that they also need soft loans and grants, without collateral to help them cushion the effect of their loss.
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