From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has flagged off flood recovery support for rice farmers in Taraba State.
The programme acting National Coordinator, Fatima Aliyu, explained at the event in Jalingo that the idea was to mobilise flood affected rice farmers for dry season farming so they could recover their losses.
Aliyu, who was represented by Chima Unanema, IFAD agricultural production advisor, also disclosed that the programme has put in place modalities to deploy climate adaption strategies to reduce future effect of flood on farmers.
“I want to disclose here that modalities have been put in place to deploy climate adaption strategies to reduce future effect of flood on farmers. The strategies would include flood tolerant rice varieties and climate resilient infrastructures and other climate smart agric technologies that would mitigate the effect of the flood on farmers.
“The VCDP has reallocated funds and set aside N252 million to provide agro inputs and equipment to the affected farmers to carry out dry season farming. It has also approved N467 million to VCDP as support to farmers that were affected by flood.
“This idea is the Federal Government and IFAD’s respond to the effects of flood, and an effort to provide succour to farmers across VCDP participating states.
“Nine participating states of Benue, Taraba, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Ogun would benefit from the intervention,” he said.
Earlier, Irimiya Musa, IFAD VCDP Taraba State coordinator, noted at the event that, 238 VCDP farmers who were affected by the 2022 flood would benefit from the Flood Recovery Support and Input Distribution for Dry Season Rice Production in the state.