Reps task governments on irrigation farming to avert looming famine

The House of Representatives on Tuesday stressed the urgent need for the present administration to leverage on the abundant water resources for irrigation farming in the bid to forestall outbreak of famine in Nigeria.

The lawmakers also emphasised the need for intensified efforts towards provision of improved seed, pesticides, fertilizer and implements to farmers across the country to embark on irrigation farming as a way of increasing food production.

The resolution was passed following the adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance sponsored by Abdulrahman Abubakar (APC-Adamawa).

In his lead debate, Abubakar urged Governments at all levels to “take extra measures to boost agricultural produce by embracing irrigation farming which I belief is one of the most important Rural development investments that can have both direct and indirect impacts on poverty and food security.

“We produce tomatoes, onions, cabbage, carrot, etc from Plateau and Sokoto and other states in the North, foods like rice, yam are more in the North and Ebonyi State. There is no State where we don’t have farmers in Nigeria,” he observed.

Abubakar, who solicited for support for irrigation farming in the North due to the longer period of dry season, harped on the need for government to embark on sensitisation campaign all over the States of the Federation especially in the North, with the view to identify serious farmers, enlighten them and assess their level of preparedness in respect of land and sources of water.

He assured that the move will free farmers from being dependent on rain to grow crops year round and to grow more high value crops.

“Nigeria has one of the best agro-ecology to grow variety of crops. Nigeria’s cultivable land has been estimated to about 71.2 million hectares but less than 50 percent is put to use due to water constraint.

“The output per hectare has been reducing due to erratic rainfall distribution. In this present drop in the price of crude oil, there is no other time we have to bring revolution to agriculture other than now. Let it begin now with irrigation farming,” Abubakar added.

To achieve the feat, the House urged Federal Ministry of Water Resources to urgently provide through various River Basin Development Authorities water from dams and reservoir for irrigation farming.

The lawmakers also urged government at all tiers to ensure that boreholes were provided to serve the farms in areas where there were no dams or reservoir.