2020 Agric survey reveals huge loses, says ED NAERLS, Kabba

·         Bayelsa/ Ogun lose N18.5 billion on fisheries

·        Bauchi records N278m on cattle

·        Niger state N341m

·        Rice, maize record N33b loss

·        Farming infrastructure N1b

·        Advises govt on refilling empty silos

The 2020 Annual Agricultural Performance Survey (AAPS) has unveiled that billions of naira have been lost to flood disaster of year 2020 with many infrastructures being destroyed with grains and fisheries in different states of the federation.

This was disclosed today during a short interview session with the Executive Director (ED) National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services (NAERLS)  Kabba, Kogi state, Prof. Emmanuel Ikani on Kakaki, African Independent Television (AIT).

Speaking on the finding of the survey already submitted to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Ikani pointed that Bayelsa and Ogun states recorded a total loss of N18.5 billion on fisheries to flood, while Bauchi alone recorded N278 million on cattle as Niger had loses of N341 million, saying that the incident has contributed to the emptiness of our food silos based on the palliative given out by Federal Government (FG) to affected farmers and victims of insurgency across the nation.

He added that  the survey finding attributed about N33b worth of rice and maize as  also being lost to the flood in the same year  with Kebbi state recording highest colossal lose in rice production with no specific amount mentioned just as he mentioned that One billion naira was lost to farming infrastructure nationally.

Responding to high prices of food, he said that efforts must be galvanised through the use of improved seed varieties by farmers with best agronomic practices through extension workers for major crops, adding that high food productivity would bring about excesses to fill the empty silos.

The performance survey has recommended according to him the need for efficient early warning sensitization to farmers at the grassroots through strategic campaign with seasonal rain predictions of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) being taken very serious as extension training on best agronomics on the use of improved crop varieties that is flood resistant are being taught farmers in the grassroots.

He advised government to take agricultural development very serious saying lip service to the sector would not deliver us from the challenges confronting it saying ‘’ hunger does not belong to any political party, government must  stop playing lip service and stop politicizing food’’