Food scarcity looms as flood destroys over 25% rice harvest

•Two million tons lost in Kebbi as rivers overflows

 

There are indications that the raging rain flood across the country would worsen Nigeria’s food crisis as over 25 per cent rice harvests in the country main rice producing areas of Nigeria’s north have reportedly been destroyed by flood. Sunday Telegraph learnt that floods washed away at least two million tons of  rice as the rivers overflow their banks.

 

That is more than 25 per cent of the previously projected national output of 8 million tons, according to estimates by the All Farmers Association of Nigeria. It was disclosed that at least 450,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) were destroyed in Kebbi State alone, the country’s main ricegrowing state, according to Mohammed Sahabi, the state chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria.

 

According to him, rice farmers in the state had targeted a 2.5 million ton contribution to the national basket, but will now meet less than 20 per cent of the target. Farmers in five other states — Kano, Niger, Ebonyi, Jigawa and Nasarawa — also reported damage. “Although we heard the forecast of flooding this year, we didn’t expect that the damage will be of this magnitude,” Sahabi said by phone from Birnin Kebbi.

 

“Our target at state level was 2.5 million tons this year, but now we are looking at only 500,000 tons of harvest.” Meanwhile, about 50 people have been reported dead in Nigerian floods this year as torrential rains caused the country’s two main rivers to overflow, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

 

The agency had warned that at least 28 of 36 states were at risk of flooding due to heavy rainfall. Other crops such as sorghum, millet and corn were also affected by the flood. “There is this trepidation that we might have food problems on flooding and existing insecurity challenges,” Kabir Ibrahim, president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria told Sunday Telegraph on phone from Abuja, the nation’s capital.

 

“It will be too soon to know how devastating the impact is.” Nigeria’s rice production was about 6.7 million tons in the last three years; with imports seen declining by 200,000 tons in 2020 from 1.2 million tons last year as pricesensitive consumers switch to local staples, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.