IFAD flags off flood recovery support for Taraba rice farmers
By Terna Chikpa
The Federal government assisted, International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), on Saturday, flagged off the 2022 flood recovery support for rice farmers in Taraba state.
Dr Fatima Aliyu, the programme acting National Coordinator, explained at the event in Jalingo that the idea was to mobilise the 2022 flood affected rice farmers of the implementing local government for dry season rice farming to recover the losts of the disaster.
Aliyu who was represented by Dr. Chima Unanema, the Agricultural Production Advisor for IFAD, also disclosed at the event that the Programme has put in place modalities to deploy climate adaption strategies to reduce future effect of flood on farmers.
“The (IFAD), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), flagged off and distribution of the 2022 flood recovery support for rice farmers is to mobilize the 2022 flood affected rice farmers of the implementing local government for dry season rice farming to recover the losts of the disaster.
“I want to disclose here that modalities have been put in place to deploy climate adaption strategies to reduce future effect of flood on farmers. 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.
“The VCDP has reallocated funds and have set aside N252 Million to provide agro inputs and equipment to the affected farmers to carry out dry season farming. It has also approved N467 Million to VCDP as support to farmers that were affected by flood.
“This idea is the federal government and IFAD’s respond to the effects of flood, and an effort to provide succor to farmers accross VCDP participating states.
“Nine participating states of Benue, Taraba, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Ogun states would benefit from the intervention,” the acting National Coordinator explained.
Earlier, Mr Irimiya Musa, Taraba State Coordinator IFAD VCDP, noted at the event that, 238 VCDP farmers who were affected by the 2022 flood would benefit from the Flood Recovery Support and Input Distribution for Dry Season Rice Production in the state.
According to him, six out of the eight participating local government in the state, namely Ardokola, Jalingo, Wukari, Karim Lamido, Bali, Gassol and Donga were selected to benefit from the Programme due to their eminent devastation caused by the 2022 flood in the areas.
Musa also encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the residual moisture especially as the flood had receded by planting early so that they would also harvest early.
The programme state coordinator while commending governor Darius Ishaku for his unprecedented support to agriculture particularly the VCDP by creating an enabling environment for the Programme to thrive in the state, he said the Programme has impacted positively on the income status of the indigent as well as the state’s food security.
Our Correspondent reports that two bags of 50kg Urea fertilisers, four bags of NPK Fertiliser, two bottles of herbicides, one bag of 50kg improve rice seeds and a water pump machine were given to each benefitting farmer.
