National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) over the weekend, began the distribution of agro-chemicals and sprayers worth millions of Naira to farmers affected by the 2018 flood disaster in Anambra.
Mrs Bolanle Ojo, NEMA’s Supervisor for the National Food Council Emergency Agricultural Intervention said at the Awba-Ofemmili distribution centre, Awka North Local Government Area that the agency will assist affected farmers to achieve good yields.
Ojo said it was to ameliorate their plights and avoid food shortage in the country.
She said the victims affected by the flood were from seven Local Government Areas of; Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Orumba North, Ogbaru, Awka North and Ihiala.
Ojo added that the gesture was the third phase of the Federal Government’s support to the 4,390 farmers and 7,251.72 hectares of farmland affected by flood in the state.
“The first was the verification of affected farmers, the second phase was the distribution of seedlings and now, this third stage is to support them with the necessary agro-chemicals to ensure that they have a good yield.
“Some of the chemicals given to them are used to prepare the soil before the planting of crops, some are used to control worms, others to control leaf holders and stem borer as well as pest control.
“The essence of the distribution is basically to really ensure that there is no food shortage in the country,” Ojo stressed.
The supervisor, who noted that the agro-chemicals were distributed to the farmers based on the crops they cultivated, assured them that they would soon receive fertilizers too.
She disclosed that the Federal Government has hired a group of consultants to organize training for the extension workers, who would step in to train farmers.
“The essence will be to train farmers on natural ways of treating their crops against the pest, when they run short of money,” she added.
The agency had earlier distributed yam, rice, maize, tomato, pepper and vegetable seedlings as well as plantain suckers and cassava stems to the farmers in the state.
Some of the beneficiaries commended President Mohammadu Buhari for the gesture, noting that it indicates that Buhari love farmers.
A rice farmer and President-General of Awba-Ofemmili Development Union, Mr Ike Ofokansi said the items would help him recover from the loss.
“We thank President Buhari and Gov. Willie Obiano for their magnanimity to remember farmers with these items, even though, they are small, we deeply appreciate them,” he said.
Also speaking, a yam and cassava farmer Mr Samson Ojo from Ugbenu community, who also thanked the Federal Government, said he could not have afforded the items because he was poor.
He, however, appealed that the fertilizers which the agency promised should arrive early to enable farmers to apply them before another flood sets in later in the year.