Flooding: FCTA begins sensitisation, distribution of seedlings to farmers

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has flagged off sensitisation and distribution of improved seedlings to farmers affected by the recent disaster in some Area Councils in the territory, with a view to mitigating the effect of flooding and erosion.

The intervention scheme was mainly for 3,000 farmers in 21 communities affected by the flooding and erosion in Abaji, as well as Kwali and Kuje Area Councils.

While flagging off the exercise, the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) Secretary, Stanley Nzekwe, said the initiative was part of the rebuilding effort as recommended by a committee, which moved into the affected areas, and assessed the scale of damage caused by the flooding.

Represented by Director, FCT Agriculture Development Project (ADP), Mr. Musa Doma, ARDS secretary said to ensure the effectiveness of the intervention to affected farmers, the FCT minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, had approved assorted farm inputs for immediate distribution to farmers in 21 communities.

”The items for disbursement include; 10.5 metric tons of rice, 10.5 metric tons of maize, 2,100 seedlings of cashew, 2,100 seedlings of oil palm, and 2, 100 seedlings of teak,” he said.

He recalled that as a result of the devastating magnitude of the incident, many hardworking farmers in those communities completely lost their crops and source of livelihood.

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ARDS boss explained that aside from relief materials in the form of farming inputs being provided for the farmers, it was also imperative to deploy field agriculture extension workers of the ARDS to step down enlightenment on effective measures that could be adopted by farmers to mitigate the effect of flooding when it occurred.

“The findings of the committee, which was conducted by the filed officers of the Agriculture Secretariat indicated that a total of 3,000 farmers were affected by the incident.

“Even though flooding is a natural phenomenon caused by heavy and continuous rainfall, which causes riverbanks to overflow, there is a lot that farmers do to mitigate losses especially by adhering to some practices,” he stressed.

In his remarks, chairman, Abaji Area Council, Abdulrahman Ajiya, described the initiative as a laudable precautionary and decisive measure to mitigate the seemingly recurring scourge of destruction of farms by erosion.