By Rakiya A. Muhammad
A mood of despondency sets in as Mallam Abdullah surveys the devastation to his farmlands.
The 56-year-old farmer lost all 13 farms to flood in Taloka village, Goronyo local government area of Sokoto state Northwest Nigeria. Investments in rice, millet and pepper worth millions of Naira went down the drain.
Torrential rains had led to significant flooding, causing widespread destruction to farmlands in the locality where the majority rely on agriculture for their sustenance and income.
Abdullahi is among thousands of farmers across Sokoto state hard hit by the flood that was recorded in virtually all the 23 local government areas.
However, the state chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Dr Gagadu Minanata identifies the worst-hit LGAs to include Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Wamakko, Silame, Wurno, Isa and Sabon Birni.
Many farmers were still reeling from the adverse effect of banditry and coronavirus pandemic when flood ushered a new setback, resulting in a triple whammy for farmers in Sokoto.
One of the many farmers who were displaced by bandits, Aliyu Nasiru calls to mind how insecurity made them to flee their communities and abandoned farming activities.
“For months bandits’ attacks hindered many us from accessing our farmlands and engaging in other agricultural activities which are our sources of livelihoods.”
On the other hand, the COVID-19 lockdown has had varying effects on farmers in Sokoto. A watermelon farmer, Isiyaka Musa, 42, from Unguwar Lalle, Sabon Birni local government area, reveals that he recorded a massive loss to coronavirus pandemic.
“We bought inputs at high prices owing to border and ports closures and ended up with glut that ruined our hope for appreciable income.”
Isiyaka spent over N400,000 on inputs, comprising fertilizer, chemicals and fuel for water pumping machines.
Unfortunately, almost 50 percent of the harvest went bad following the coronavirus lockdown.
“I harvested over 2,000 pieces of watermelon and almost half of them wasted while waiting for off-takers who were constrained by COVID-19 restrictions.
“Hardly can I get N250, 000 from what I am left with, which is far below what I invested in it,” the farmer laments.
He voices the experience of another watermelon farmer who lost all during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“A friend toiled to produce a canter load of watermelon and paid money at many checkpoints before arriving Oyo state in Southwest Nigeria,” he narrates, adding, “The moment the vehicle entered the town, hungry resident mob the driver and the owner. They took all the content; it was the peak of COVID-19 shutdown.”
Muhammad Kada of Kwalkwalawa village, a vegetable dealer, says he lost all his capital of N50,000.
“Right now, I am without capital because the moment our customers from Lagos/ Ibadan axis could not reach us due to shutdown occasioned by COVID- 19, glut crept in and our resources dwindled to zero points,” Kada reveals.
“I used to purchase spinach, tomato and pepper from farmers worth N40,000-N50,000 and transport them to the Ramin Kura village market in Sokoto city where customers await our arrival. I made N5,000- N7,000 profits daily. Now, I only attend the market to socialize and collect some hand-out from concerned colleagues.”
Labour shortage and resultant negative consequence on agricultural activities was another drawback recorded by Sokoto farmers owing to COVID-19.
“Many abandoned their farming activities and remained indoor—even the youth who earned a living from working on people’s farms. The situation was such that even with your money, you can’t get workers to work for you,’ Yakubu Adamu discloses.
“I invested in onion and pepper production, and after planting the crops, there were no people to work in the fields; as a result, I lost all I invested amounting to N200,000 owing to COVID-19,” he enunciates.
“Now the flood has overtaken my guinea corn farm where I sank almost N44,000 and I don’t think I am going to get anything out of it. Nothing can be salvaged.”
However, for some other farmers but for the recent flood which affected some areas, they had expected a bumper harvest notwithstanding COVID- 19.
Mohammed Balarabe Sambo, 39, of Bakin Kusu village asserts: “Border closure occasioned by COVID-19 encouraged the hike in prices of agricultural inputs such as seedlings, chemicals and fertilizer and we experienced limited supply of all of these.
“But COVID-19 also encouraged hoarding of food items, and their prices skyrocketed. So no matter the cost of input, a farmer could realize good profit following a bumper harvest.”
Sambo illuminates: “For instance, we spend N4,000-N5000 to harvest a sack of rice which currently sell at N17,000 enabling a profit of N11,000 which is comfortable, but the current flood issue poses a significant danger to bumper harvest expected across the state.”
The previous year, a farmer in the locality, Isa Musa realized 87 sacks of rice. This year, he rented additional acres of land to boost his yields. Unfortunately, the flood dealt a severe blow to his dream.
“I can barely get only 14 sacks of rice now with the devastation on the farm. This is the reality we are facing.”
As the Sokoto farmers continue to lament the disruptions to their normal activities and loss of their sources of livelihood, they seek pathways out of the privation.
But the AFAN Chairman says the association has taken statistics of affected farmers and contacted appropriate authorities for necessary action.
The last report from an AFAN team, according to the chairman indicates that the flood had submerged over 25,000 hectares of farmlands.
Rice and maize are among major crops adversely affected by the flooding.
The Chairman Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, MAAN, Sokoto chapter, Abubakar Danfuloti discloses that all their members with farmlands along the riverine areas lost their farms to flood.
He put the number of maize farmers in Sokoto affected at roughly 2,650.
Rice farmers, who lost an estimated 61,197.5 tonnes of the crop worth about N27.5 billion to flood in 2018 in Sokoto, are also among worst hit in the latest flood incident.
The Chairman Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN, Sokoto Chapter Ibrahim Salihu asserts that 80 percent of their members were affected in the recent flood disaster.
There have been growing concerns over the combined effect of the COVID-19 and flood and insecurity on agricultural activities with a consequence on food security.
Even before the COVID-19 and the flood, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNFAO, notes millions of people across the globe exposed to food insecurity.
The state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, SOFI, 2020 Report articulates: “The combination of moderate and severe levels of food insecurity brings the estimated total to 25.9 per cent of the world population, about 2 billion people.”
An upshot could be a worsening poverty which the UNDP finds that across 107 developing countries, 1.3billion people-22 per cent -live in multidimensional poverty.
Sokoto based entrepreneur, Hajiya Aisha Muhammad points out that the combined effects of flood, COVID-19 and insecurity could threaten efforts towards the achievement of SDG 1, 2, 3-poverty eradication, zero hunger and good health/wellbeing.
She observes that more impoverished communities are most vulnerable to the impact of disasters which exacerbate existing poverty, hunger and undernourishment.
Aisha underscores the need to put in place mechanisms to effectively tackle banditry, flooding, as well as mitigate flood impact on food production and build the resilience of livelihoods to disasters.
However, MAAN and RIFAN are heartened by the recent move by the Veritas Kapital Assurance to ensure prompt settlement of the Insurance premium to cover their losses under the Area Yield Index Insurance (AYII) exercise.
AYII covers all forms of disaster that might affect harvest, Managing Director Kenneth Egbaran reveals.
Already, the agricultural insurance company has undertaken an assessment visit to affected localities in Sokoto with an assurance of its commitment to the provision of good disaster cover to farming communities in Nigeria.
For its part the state government plans to construct three dams in areas worst hit by flood as a measure to tackle the menace. It urges the federal government to desilt the major dams of Goronyo and Bakolori.
The state governor Aminu Tambuwal points out that currently the dams are congested with a lot of sand and debris, thus limiting their carrying capacity and increasing the chances of their being overwhelmed and overflowing with rainwater.
Boosting irrigation efficiency may also be to the rescue as Sokoto plans to ensure maximization of the dry season to enhance agricultural performance.
Tambuwal explains that his administration would this year support dry season farming extensively and introduce a special package to cushion the effect of the losses.
“The state government is working towards this not only because of the incidence of flooding but to reposition the state for agri-business and to also minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the economy,” he asserts.
“We are doing our best as a government to engender security and provide development opportunities for Sokoto people.”
The expectant farmers say they are praying to get back on track in food production, and are urging the required commitment to the goal of improving agricultural production to enhance food security.
“We look forward to the actualisation of these promises, Abdullahi says .”We await a significant upturns in our agricultural yields and a boost in our financial capacity.”
Muhammad is the publisher of rmtimesng.com
