By Osaretin Ekiadolor
Six hundred and forty two farmers in Gwagwalada and Abaji area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory who lost their farms to flood in September 2012 on Monday, received grains relief from the Federal Government.
Each farmer got 10 bags of assorted grains as part of the federal government support to reduce their losses and have materials for planting in the coming season. Each bags weighs 50kg.
Minister of State for the Federal Capital, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, said the effort by the federal government was aimed at reducing the impact of the farm-produce losses suffered by the farmers during the difficult times.
According to her “The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has allocated to FCT 8, 400 bags of maize and 6,600 bags of guinea corn for distribution to 642 flood affected farmers in the FCT.”
The relief materials were distributed to the farmers at Tunga Maje in Gwagwalada Area Councils to encourage the people who suffered by the flood to keep them on their farming activities thereby boosting agricultural production and ensuring national food security.
Akinjide who was represented by the Mandate Secretary of FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Olvadi Bema Madayi said the agricultural agenda of the administration was wholly targeted at attaining food security in the country.
She then called on private sector stakeholders to ensure their participation to through maximizing the incentives offered by the federal government for the country to reach the food security is desires for the nation.
Akinjide maintained that the issue of agricultural development and food security will continue to be of top priority to the Jonathan administration especially for its tripartite role of providing food for human and animal consumption; raw materials for our industries and foreign exchange earner. As well as a major employer of labour .
She said the agricultural programme of government was no longer ambiguous as it is mainly to provide the needed conducive atmosphere for all stakeholders to be on board from the large and small scale farmers.
On her part, Mrs Madayi said that the intervention by the federal government was timely as it demonstrated to the people the practical concern of the administration to their plight and willingness to support the farmers.
She noted that already the Administration is partnering with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET to get the necessary climate information to transmit same to the farmers as a way to help them follow the predictions and know the caution to adopt.
