Following the flood which destroyed several farmlands in
Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State, farmers in the area have
started buying cassava stems for planting.

The displaced farmers, who
have all returned to their various communities after more than two months in
relief camps, are rushing to buy the stems.

A bundle of the cassava stems
costs about N200.

The Coordinator of All Farmers Association of
Nigeria (AFAN) in Edo North Senatorial District, Alhaji Abdulahi Mohammed said
that about 350 hectares of cassava farmland were destroyed by floodwater in the
area.

Most of the cassava farmers in Udaba,
Anegbette, Udochi, Usomegbe communities, among others, are women. Some of the
women lamented that they had to start making provision for their future soon
after the flood.

They noted that transportation
costs in the area had shot up considerably, adding that it was now between N100
and N150 per trip.

The women farmers also said
that they did not want to wait endlessly for government assistance before
returning to farms, as the planting season had just commenced.

Explaining why they had to
travel far to procure cassava stems, Florence Agbona said that it was because
their farmlands had been destroyed by the flood.

“We
have no cassava stems in our community because all our cassava stems have been
destroyed by the flood. “In order to get cassava stems, we have to travel from
Anegbette or Udaba to Ughomere where we buy these stems,” she said.

Some
of these women, however, noted that in spite of their self-help efforts, they
were still in need of government assistance.

“No form of assistance will be
too small in our present situation now. “We have lost all we had beside the
fact that some of us do borrow money to farm; if we get financial assistance
from government now, it will help us a great deal,” Mrs Resikatu Farouk, one of
the farmers, said.