Business
Flooding: Nigerians Bemoan Devastation Of Farmlands
Nigerians in several parts of the country are lamenting the devastation of farmlands which affected agricultural production last year.
The flooding, which inundated several farmlands across the country, destroyed property worth millions of naira, even as thousands of people, including farmers, were displaced and rendered homeless.
A survey, in some states of the country, revealed that the heavy rainfall and resultant flooding also destroyed agricultural produce running into billions of naira.
Coordinator, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), in Edo North, Alhaji Abdulahi Mohammed, attributed the current scarcity of vegetables in Auchi and its environs to the flood that inundated the Omeme River bank.
He said that the flood destroyed over 50 hectares of farmlands near the river bank and also affected cocoa yield.
He appealed to the Federal Government to rehabilitate parts of Jattu town and some areas of Auchi ravaged by the flood.
Mohammed said the economic impact of the destruction caused by the flood was immense, adding that it prevented vegetables farmers in the area from planting.
He said the flood carried with it a type of soil that was not suitable to grow any type of crop.
“It was a serious flood. It washed off cocoa and plantain farms. Farmers near the riverbank were all affected and this led to scarcity of vegetables within Auchi and environs”.
“Cocoa trees in the area were covered with a type of mud that prevented them from yielding this season,” he said.
Mohammed explained that the effects of the flooding aborted all agricultural activities along the river belt and he urged the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to send relief materials to farmers who lost their crops as a result of the flood.
He said the flood also caused the collapse of the bridge linking Auchi and Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo.
In Kano and Jigawa states, respondents lamented that torrential rains and the ensuing flood, led to the displacement of thousands of people.
The downpour also forced the management of two dams- Challawa and Tiga, to open their spillways to release water from their overflowing reservoirs to prevent them from collapsing.
Jigawa State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Aminu Mohammed, noted that several families were displaced by flood waters which also washed away several houses and farm lands.
A large-scale female farmer in Kwari in Wudil local government area of Kano State, Malama Aishatu Haru, said several farmlands were destroyed by flood.
To make up for the loss of their farm produce, Haru said she and other female farmers in the area would embark on large-scale irrigation farming this farming season.
Another female farmer in the area, Harira Musa, said irrigation farming would help them reduce the immense loss they suffered from the flood in 2010.
A farmer in Kwara State, Alhaji Rauf Ogene, noted that the 2010 farming season would be remembered by the flood disaster, which wreaked havoc on 15 agrarian communities in Edu local government area.
He said that no fewer than 500 hectares of farm plantations were submerged by the flood, while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
He named some of the communities affected by the flooding to include Kpatairingi, Tada, Emaji, Kpilegi, Kusogi, Kpatako, Kochegi and Bafinta.
Others, he said, incuded Chiji, Tunga Dady, Tunga Alhaji Haruna, Tunga Shayau, Tunga Mallam Sanni and Ogudu.
The Emir of Shonga, Dr Haliru Yahaya, said the flood waters destroyed property worth hundreds of millions of naira.
“The flood, which however, claimed no life, left the victims with no food to eat, no sleeping materials and there was lack of other basic necessities of life,’’ he said.
Ogene said the release of water from Kainji Dam exacerbated the impact of the flood on people in Kwara and Niger states.
The Emir of Shonga described the flood as “very devastating’’ as it swept away farm plantations and property worth millions of Naira.
A spokesman of farmers in the area, Malam Muhammed Subair, described the flooding as a “great loss” while Mr Ayotunde Oyeniyi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, described it as “unfortunate’’ and “tragic’’.
Oyeniyi said the government assisted the victims by providing them with emergency relief materials.
“When the incident happened, government realised that the people needed urgent assistance as their crops were submerged in large quantities,” he said.
He said the government had put in place necessary measures to check the recurrence of the incident.
To mitigate the impact of the flooding that devastated the state last year, the Sokoto State Executive Council approved the construction of 1,000 houses for flood victims in three local governments of the state at a cost of over N3.69 billion.
The Commissioner for Information, Malam Dahiru Maishanu, who disclosed this, listed the benefiting local government areas as Goronyo, Silame and Gada.
“This is just the first phase of the project; other communities in the other six local government areas affected by the flooding are being sensitized on the need for them to relocate to safe havens,” he said.
Maishanu said construction of the houses was expected to be completed in one year, adding that payment of 30 per cent advance fee for the contractors had been approved on the provision of a bank guarantee.
Meanwhile, Governor Aliyu Wamakko, has had commended the Federal Government for donating N1 billion to the Sokoto State Government to reduce the impact of the flood which devastated more than half of the state in September 2010.
He made the commendation when he inaugurated the rehabilitated Usmanu Danfodiyo University Bridge, which was washed away by the flood waters.
“I commend the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, for personally visiting the state to inspect the damage caused by the flood as well as commiserate with the people and government of the state on the disaster, ’’ he said.
The governor also hailed the president for deploying military engineers who installed a temporary foldable floating bridge, which was still being used at the site of the collapsed bridge.
He said all the roads and bridges destroyed by the flood had been repaired by his government.
In Kebbi State, about 171 tonnes of seedlings valued at about N33.4 million, representing 80 per cent harvest loss, were destroyed by flooding that occurred in the state last year.
The Chairman of the state’s Flood Relief Committee, Alhaji Bello Tugga, said more than 10 communities were displaced by the flood that affected 11 local government areas.
Tugga, who is also the state Commissioner for Finance, said the Federal Government donated N750 million to the victims after the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the affected areas.
He said the government had spent about N30 million for the purchase of relief materials in addition to N25 million spent to procure drugs and water treatment chemicals in the affected areas.
He said that out of the millions of naira pledged made by individuals, corporate organisations and some state governments, only N59 million had been redeemed.
Tugga said the flooding occurred as a result of the collapse of Gwatanyo Dam shortly after farmers had planted their crops.
The sole administrator of Argungu Local Government Area, Alhaji Ahmed Salihu, said property and houses valued at N36 million were destroyed by the flood.
His counterpart in Arewa Local Government Area, Alhaji Nurudeen Kangiwa, said property worth N18 million were destroyed by rainfall.
Governor Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi State, who inspected farmlands affected by the flood, said they would be used to expand dry season farming, while people residing on the farmlands would be relocated.
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The Commissioner of Finance, Lagos State, Abayomi Oluyomi, has described Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a critical engine for sustainable development in any economy.
He said this recently at the 10th anniversary of the Alert Group Microfinance Bank and the opening of their new head office in Lagos.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, SMEs accounted for about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s gross.
He commended the positive impact of the Alert MFB as it empowers SMEs in the State.
“Alert MFB in the past 10 years has been at the forefront of empowering SMEs in Lagos State, disbursing over N30bn in loans to over 30,000 individuals having small to medium businesses over that period, which is quite remarkable”, he said.
Speaking, the Group Managing Director of Alert Group, Dr Kazeem Olanrewaju, revealed that the financial institution commenced business in 2013 as a microfinance bank.
“We started this journey in 2013 and it has been expanding. Today, they have about 10 branches across Lagos. They have supported well over 30,000 clients and have disbursed over N30bn.
“The company has been profitable since the second year. Looking at the market and the available opportunity, the Alert MFB board decided to come together to establish a Microfinance Institute (MFI), which is the Auto Bucks Lenders”, Dr. Olanrewaju said.
The GMD further stated that the company was focused more on supporting businesses and small and medium enterprises.
“The loan to support business represents over 98 per cent. The consumer loans you will see are the ones given to entrepreneurs. So, the area of focus of Alert MFB and Auto Bucks Lenders is to support businesses across the country.
“With the establishment of Auto Bucks Lenders, we have the opportunity to also do business outside Lagos. So, presently, we have offices in Ogun State and Oyo State. We intend to go to every part of Nigeria to support what we are doing”, he declared.
The cement market, in the last couple of weeks, has seen a significant turnaround with prices tumbling from between N10,000 and N15,000 per 50kg bag to between N7,000 and N8,000.
The sudden rise in the prices of cement and other major building materials in February this year upsets the construction industry, especially in real estate, where many developers were forced to abandon building sites.
A recent market survey conducted by The Tide’s source in different locations across the country confirmed a price drop, ranging between N7,000 and N7,500 per bag, though BUA cement is selling for N7,500 to N7,800 per 50kg bag, depending on location.
Both entrepreneurs and major distributors who were interviewed, explained that the price drop is due to low demand and government’s intervention.
At the peak of the price hike, the Federal Government called a meeting with major producers where it was agreed that a bag of cement should be between for N7,000 to N8,000, depending on location.
But the producers did not comply with this agreement immediately, followin which “Nigerians stopped demanding for cement; many project sites were abandoned as developers sat back and waited for the prices to come down.
“So, what has happened is an inter-play of demand and supply with price responding, which is Economics at work”, Collins Okpala, a cement dealer, told the source in Abuja.
In the Nyanya area of the Federal Capital Territory, a 50-kg bag of Dangote cement now sells for between N7,000 and N7,500, while BUA cement sells for between N8,500 and N9,500, down from between N11,000 and N12,000 respectively.
In Lagos, the product has seen significant price drop too. In Ojo area of the state, Sebastin Ovie, a dealer, told our reporter that what has happened is a crash from the January price, attributing the crash to low demand and stronger naira.
“The current price of the product is between N7,000 and N7,500 per 50kg bag, depending on the brand. This is a significant drop from the average of N12,000 which most dealers were selling in February and March”, he said.
A dealer in Agege area of the state who identified himself as Taofik Olateju, told the source that sales are picking up due to the drop in price.
He recalled that Nigerians at a point stopped buying due to the high price of the product at N15,000 per bag.
“I am sure most dealers ran at a loss then because we had mainly old stocks which we wanted to offload quickly”, he said, confirming that the product sells for between N7,500 and N8,000, depending on the brand and the demand for the brand.
Continuing, Olateju noted that “because the naira is now doing well against the dollar, it will be unreasonable for manufacturers to continue to sell the product at the old prices. I also believe that the federal government’s intervention and the threat to license more importers may have worked, leading to the reduction in price”.
In Enugu, the source reports that the product sells for between N7,200 and N7,500 depending on the brand and location.
“This is a city where the price of a 50kg bag went for as high as N12,000 and N13,000 in some cases in February and March”, Samuel Chikwendu said.
He added that the prices of other building materials, especially iron rods, have also dropped considerably which is why, he said, activities are picking up again at construction sites.
The story is slightly different in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where Innocent Okonkwo told the source that low demand was also driving the price drop, adding that a 50kg bag was selling for N9,000 on the average in the state.
Sundry market observers are optimistic of further price reductions, but they remain cautious as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers continue to play critical roles in setting prices for end-users.
They lamented, however, that despite Nigeria’s status as one of the largest producers of cement in Africa, the price of the product continues to rise, particularly in the face of high inflation impacting the building materials market generally.
Okpala in Abuja highlighted the variations arising from direct sourcing from manufacturers versus procurement through dealers, with traders holding old stocks selling products at prices ranging from N8,500, N8,300 to N8,000 per bag.
Lucy Nwachukwu, another dealer in Abuja, said the significance of procurement volume in determining cement costs, noting that stability in prices has been observed over the past month, with the product retailing for between N7,000 and N7,800 depending on the brand.
In Port Harcourt also, a customer, Daniel Etteobong Effiong, said the price goes between N7500 to N8500, depending on the brand and the location one is buying from.
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