Osun Farmers Fear of flood

All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria in Osun at the weekend, allayed the fear that farmlands or crops might be washed away by flood in view of the ravaging flood disasters in the country.

Alhaji Raheem Adeniji, the chairman of the association, gave the assurance while responding to questions on the NIMET’s prediction of downpour in October.

Other stakeholders who spoke on the state of farmlands and crops were; Dr John Olunlade, Osun Farmers Congress; and Dr David Ogunsade, Chairman, Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria.

They called on farmers in the state to entertain no fear about flooding in some parts of the country as the state government had put in place precautionary measures to check flooding.

``No farmlands and crops in Osun have been washed away or submerged in any part of the 30 local government areas of the state since the start of the rains in January,” the farmers said.

Adeniji said that the leadership of All Farmers Association had gone round to inspect farmlands as well as contacted farmers in the council areas, adding that there were no report of losses due to flooding.

According to him, no part of the state is also being threatened by flood.

``The effort of the present administration is laudable for dredging the rivers which usually overflow to cause flooding.’’

 Adeniji, however, observed that flooding in the Northern part of the country, where farmlands had been reportedly submerged, might lead to scarcity and high prices of food.

He said that there had been no report of price increase on food crops in the state, except that the prices of grains and livestock which were main products from the North had gone up all over the country.

Also speaking, Olunlade said, ``farmers are not affected by flooding and in fact, they are happy with the magnitude of rainfall which signaled the possibility of having bumper harvest.’’

Olunlade observed that cassava farmers had been benefiting from the downpour in the state, stressing that cassava actually needed a lot of rain to grow well.

At these junction what is the state govt suppose to do to these case of flood now that the flood as not gotten to some part of there state now.

The president on Tuesday release fund for some project to be done concerning the flood. Now is the time most of our govt should start working on dredging of all the water ways that needs to be dredge before the flood gets to us. And for farmer start dredging ways for free water flow away from there farms.