Farmers in the flood ravaged Oko communities in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State said they were no longer planting in flood-prone areas of the community.

A community leader, Chief Nwanze Nwanji, said this in Oko-Amakom in an interview with  newsmen recently.

He said that the farmers took the decision to plant on the higher lands this farming season to avoid a repeat of losses of last year’s flooding.

It would be recalled that Oko communities, comprising Oko-Amokom, Oko-Anala and Oko-Ogbele were among the worst hit by the last year’s flood disaster in Delta State.

Nwanji said that as a leader, he listened to news daily and especially on warning from Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET), signaling that this year’s rains would be more than last year’s.

“So, I warned my people not to plant at the low areas to avoid the crops being destroyed by the early rains.

“What we did is to plant our cassava stems in the higher land areas of the community so that we can harvest them before August when the flood is likely to take over the entire community,’’ he said.

He said that the community was totally submerged during the flooding and because it took them by surprise, the farmers lost everything.

He thanked the Delta State and Federal governments for the quick intervention then and urged them to prepare ahead of the NIMET’s warning before the flood would finally come.

He said that farmers in the community currently bought cassava cuttings on loan to pay after harvest, adding that they were suffering from hunger and lacked funds to meet their daily needs.

According to him, the community has received some foodstuff from the federal and state governments but other promises by the government are still being awaited.

“After the flooding, we returned to this community to continue again. I must say that we have lived in this community for centuries without experiencing that kind of flooding.