Flood: Nigeria may experience shortage of rice next year ― Ogbeh

THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has said that if appropriate measures were not taken to replant after the recent flood mayhem in some States, Nigeria may experience shortage of rice.

Chief Ogbeh disclosed this at the Commissioning of National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Molecular Facility and the 2018 seed fair and Farmer’s field day.

The Minister said that the flood which affected some major rice producing States which includes Kebbi, Jigawa, Anambra and Kogi State portends risk of the scarcity of rice in the country if not addressed.

He, therefore, advised farmers to use water that recedes from the flood to replant rice to avoid shortage of the crop next year.

Ogbeh said: “we have to find a way to reach out to farmers who have lost their crops because in places like Jigawa, Kebbi, Anambra and Kogi many farmers lost everything they planted.

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“New varieties of rice are been produced at the National Agricultural Seed Council, the Faro 66 and 67 which are flood tolerant, we hope to get them into the field in large quantity for farmers to plant in the near future.

“We are also hoping that as soon as the rain recedes we encourage farmers to replant so that the residual moisture in the soil plus irrigation can give up another crop maybe by the end of December or early January otherwise we may be in serious trouble for millet, rice, maize and sorghum.