Flood warning puts farmers on alert to reduce production losses

Farmers across the country have been put on alert to avoid catastrophic losses in food production, following a flood warning by the National Hydrological Services Agency, which suggests that 35 states in Nigeria would experience severe flooding, on account of a rise in water levels of eight major rivers across the country.

The warning, which advised residents in flood prone areas to relocate, will affect states such as Anambra, Benue, Ogun, Osun, Niger and Imo, among others, where severe flooding will be experienced this year. Lagos and Ondo states are expected to witness coastal flooding due to the rise in sea level and tidal surge.
This trend is already manifesting, as some parts of Oyo and Imo states have experienced flooding in the past few days, with loss of properties already being recorded.
A handful of experts who spoke to BusinessDay proffered solutions to the problem of flooding. The solution proffered include the need to construct more and better drainage systems across the country, and more dams to be developed to take up water from presently overworked reservoirs. They further pointed out the need for farmers to adopt humidity resistant seeds and effective fungal chemicals, which they described as important in managing crop loss.
In 2012, Nigeria witnessed what was described as the worst floods in 40 years, resulting in the death of 363 people and displacement of over 2.1 million people. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states were affected by the floods. The estimated damages and losses caused by the floods were valued at N2.6 trillion.
During a visit to some northern states last year, BusinessDay correspondent observed in Kebbi state for instance, that many farms in Argungu, Jega, Yauri, and Bagodo areas, had gotten flooded, resulting in huge crop losses.
In many farms, rice, wheat, millet and beans were submerged beyond redemption.
These areas were among local governments reported to have been hit by flooding in 2015 which affected 21,450 people and 5,015 houses, while 37,460 hectares of farmlands worth N 570 million were also destroyed.
Emmanuel Ijewere, vice president, Nigeria AgriBusiness Group (NABG), remarked that, “It will be very sad if losses happen eventually (this year) as it will be a disaster for farmers who may be at risk of going for a year without any source of livelihood. It is important that there is collaboration between the meteorological services and the agricultural family in Nigeria.”
Ijewere added that “the meteorological department needs to be more specific in its statements and indicate particular areas in states expected to be affected by flooding, so that those at risk can make timely response.
“If necessary, they should alert the ministries of agriculture in each of those places. The sad part is that the meteorological service sees itself as doing its job when it makes the announcements, but this in itself becomes so remote and vague,” Ijewere said.
When severe flooding occurs, farmers incur huge losses, as their crops get submerged beyond a level they could thrive. Furthermore, fungal diseases usually become more rampant when extensive flooding overtakes farms.
Africanfarmer Mogaji, chief executive officer, X-Ray Farms, said in response to BusinessDay enquiries, that “We need to engage more seeds that are resistant to high humidity. During the rainy season, there’s a lot of fungi development, which leads to a lot of fungal diseases. Most of the chemicals we have in the market are either adulterated or substandard, so we need the government to really come in with maybe the GES scheme and ensure that the chemicals that are coming in are top quality. So with that, the upland production both in north and south can be salvaged.
“With chemicals of good quality, we can take care of fungal diseases that may emanate due to the rainy season,” said Mogaji.
He further explained that, “Nothing can be done in terms of flood control because there has been negligence over the years. More dams need to be created to take up those waters; and they have not been developed, and there are some river basin reservoirs that ought to have been constructed, but not yet done.”
On his part, Lukman Adeoti, associate professor of geophysics at the University of Lagos, observed that “This is a seasonal occurrence and is attributable to a number of causes, chief among which is rise in water levels, accompanied by poor drainage pattern, exacerbated by the actions of man, through desertification, carbon emissions, distortions of ecological systems and others.”
Studies conducted by the UK-based Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) led by an international team of scientists show that global warming is responsible for a tripling in the frequency of extreme West African Sahel storms and floods observed in just the last 35 years.