The Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, through the Value Chain Development Programme (FG/IFAD -VCDP), will deploy climate adaptation strategies to reduce future effects of flood on farmers.
Dr Fatima Aliyu, Acting National Programme Coordinator of the FGN IFAD-VCDP, made this known in Jalingo at the distribution of Agro Inputs and Equipment to VCDP farmers affected by 2022 flood in Taraba State.
Aliyu, represented by Dr. Chima Unanema, Agricultural Production Advisor for IFAD, said that the strategies would include flood tolerant rice varieties and climate resilient infrastructures and other climate smart agric technologies that would mitigate the effect of the flood on farmers.
She said that the VCDP has reallocated finds and have set a side N252 million to provide agro inputs and equipment to the affected farmers to carry out dry season farming.
She said that IFAD had also approved N467 million to VCDP as support to farmers that had been affected by flood.
“These are responses to the effects of floods and on an effort to provide succour to farmers across VCDP participating states.
The national coordinator said that nine states were participating in the VCDP programme namely, Benue, Taraba, Anambra and Ebonyi.
Others, she said, are Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Ogun states.
Earlier, Mr Irimiya Musa, Taraba State Coordinator of FGN/ IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, said that 238 VCDP farmers who had been affected by the 2022 flood were to benefit from the Flood Recovery Support and Input Distribution for Dry Season Rice Production in the state.
Musa said the eight participating local government areas in the state are Ardokola, Jalingo, Wukari, Karim Lamido, Bali, Gassol and Donga.
He explained that six out of eight local government areas would benefit from the programme due to the eminent devastation caused by the 2022 flood in the state.
The state coordinator-encouraged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the residual moisture especially as the flood had receded by planting early so that they would also harvest early.
He said that Taraba was the second state among the nine participating states with highest number of beneficiaries.
He said the programme has impacted positively on the income status of the indigent as well as the state’s food security.
Musa commended Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba for his unalloyed support to agriculture particularly the VCDP by creating an enabling environment for the Programme to thrive in the state.
In his remark, Gov. Ishaku urged beneficiaries of the support to use the items given to them judiciously.
He advised them not to sell them to merchants.
He commended IFAD for the support, saying food production had increase in the state tremendously.
Mr Isaac Ishaya, one of the beneficiaries, commended IFAD for the support.
Also, Mrs Husseina Adamu, another beneficiary form Karim Lamido local government area, said that the inputs would go a long way on enhancing rice production in the state.
Items distributed include NPK and Urea fertilisers, herbicides, rice seeds and water pumps.
By Martins Abochol
