Nigerian Government trains Rivers state farmers on smart agricultural practices

As the rainy season begins, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has urged farmers in the Niger Delta region, especially Rivers State to brace up against the perennial flooding incidence in the region.

To forestall a repeat of the devastating effect of last year’s flooding, the ministry has trained farmers on smart Agricultural practices to safeguard farm produce against a seeming recurrence.

The training, according to the Assistant Chief Agriculture Officer of FMARD, extension department, Gloria Iboroma, served as a measure to cushion the effects of the 2022 flood disaster and to forestall future occurrences.

Iboroma, who disclosed this during the two-day training/workshop for the affected farmers, tagged; “Emergency Training and Demonstration of Climate Resilient in Maize Production in the South-East, South-South, and South-West region,” noted that the essence of the training was not only to cushion the effect of the flood on victims but to also provide every available support to farmers to boost production and to ensure food security.

She decried the rate at which prices of food items have skyrocketed in the state, blaming the hike on the devastating flooding of last year.

Meanwhile, some of the affected farmers who spoke during the training expressed optimism that with the soft loans and provision of improved seedlings, the annual flood will not meet them unprepared.

According to one of the participants, Mrs. Gold Ingowari-Ekini, the training boosted their courage to go into large-scale farming of maize.

She said: “They have now given us the empowerment to go into maize farming for mass production. They are also trying to give us the best species and with the workshop, we believe strongly that farmers are going to make great output.”

The Guardian / Foluke Ibitomi