More than 100 acres of dry season farmlands have been submerged by flood waters after heavy downpour a few days ago in many parts of Mamprugu Moagduri District of the North East Region.
Affected dry season farmers are appealing to government to help them recover their costs of production.
The Mamprugu Moagduri District is a farming enclave and close to 87% of residents in the area are into large scale of farming including people outside the area engaging in farming due to the rich soil in the district.
Largely, farmers here engaged in wet season farming during the rainy season. But due to climate change and economic atmosphere of the country, most farmers for the first time have engaged in dry season farming to meet the high demand of certain food items especially vegetables.
But fortunately, these farmers have been met with a flood disaster affecting their farmlands.
A visit to the some vegetable farmer by NADMO and the district Assembly depicts the effect of the recent rains to the farmlands.
The district Chief executive for Mamprugu Moagduri, Abdul-Rahman Abdul Aziz has assured the farmers of government support after the final assessment is completed
“As you can see, we are encouraging farmers to go into dry season farming. And this will help reduce the poverty levels of our people. And this is their first time of farming in the dry season. And
because of the heavy downpour we had about two days ago, it has affected the farm this week. In fact, I’m very sad that this is a very big investment that they have done here.And I’m sure if this disaster hadn’t occurred, they would have been able to harvest, make a good harvest, make some income, and then also provide okra for the market at this time of the season. But unfortunately, this heavy rain has come to spoil the farm this way. We are here to do an assessment, I’m here with NADMO, so that we can take it from there and then know what kind of support we can extend to them”.
Some of the farmers expressed their frustrations and how this affects them
” This is our first time in dry season farming and look at what we have encountered. Almost everything in my farm is gone after spending huge sums of monies on the farm. We need help from the Assembly”, a farmer said.
The North East Regional Director of NADMO Alhaji Tahiru Rafiu said an assessment on the situation is ongoing and that the needed support will be extended to the effected farmers
Aside from farmlands, other properties including homes, land schools have been collapsed but no death have been recorded.
End.