Flood: RSG Sets Up Committee On Food Security

The Rivers State Government, has inaugurated an inter-governmental committee on food security in flood ravaged areas to work out modalities towards the resettlement of farmers affected by the incident.

The committee which comprises officials of both the State and Federal Ministries of Agriculture, including Civil Society Organisations and others, will see to the distribution of grains and inputs to farmers affected by the disaster.

The commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Chindah, who inaugurated the committee, yesterday in his office, said that the inauguration was in line with the directives by the presidency for the committee to be inaugurated in all flood ravaged states in the country.

Mr Chindah said that, the committee would set up three to four distribution points in the flood ravaged local government areas, while sensitation programme on the registration of farmers affected by the flood disaster had commenced in the affected areas.

The commissioner who chairs the committee, noted that the registration of farmers would enable the government to get accurate data of the number of farmers actually affected by the flood.

He further explained that the state government through the Flood Relief Committee is would ensure that those in the camps maximally benefit from every programme intended to assist them.

Mr Chindah urged farmers affected in the four local government areas to report to the Divisional Agricultural Officers in their respective local government areas for further directives on the issues.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Alex Hart said that 30,000 tons of grains have already been allocated to the state by the Federal Government in respect of the programme.

Dr Hart also said that the committee would meet next week to discuss arrangement for the distribution exercise.