In order to respond to the challenges brought on by climate change, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has assured the nation’s rice farmers that ongoing, intensified efforts will be made to maintain interagency collaboration.
The National Programme Coordinator, FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, Dr Fatima K. Aliyu made the disclosure during the presentation of cheques for crop insurance claims for flood-affected rice farmers in the 2022 season in Bida, Bida Local Government Area of the state.
Aliyu, who was represented by Alh. Bello Gidado, claimed that the federal government’s distribution of the checks to the recipients was in response to their suffering. He added that because climate change challenges would likely persist, rice farmers needed to insure their farmland.
According to him: “Because we are in the era of climate change, these problems may continue to occur and this emphasizes the importance of insurance and the need for rice farmers to insure their lands. However, efforts are on to sustain and intensify inter-agency collaboration beneficial to farmers in the country.”
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The Niger State programme coordinator of IFAD, Dr Matthew Ahmed, said the collaboration with the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Cooperation, NAIC, was to ensure rice farmers affected by natural disasters recover from their losses in the 2022 cropping season in the state.
He explained that cheques worth N14m were distributed to the farmers who were victims of natural disasters in the state.
According to him: “Based on our collaboration when there are natural disasters such as flood, famine, fire disasters [and] pest, NAIC goes in and assesses the farmland within 48 hours and the company will start processing their claims. This is a giant stride for our farmers and the need to keep insuring their fields. The government decided to partner with the company to provide succour to help farmers recover quicker from their losses.”
Presenting the cheques to farmers on behalf of the state governor, Alh Abubakar Sani Bello, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Agriculture Development, Dr Idris Usman Gbogan, urged farmers to use their money judiciously.
He also urged farmers to key into agricultural insurance activities in line with global trends in production in the state by ensuring their farms against natural disasters.
The beneficiaries, from across Edati, Katcha, Mokwa and Borgu local government areas of the state, thanked the state and federal government for providing the succor to ameliorate their plights caused by natural disasters.
Story adapted from Daily Post
