Farmers of Ekpeye extraction have been called upon to start planting early and put the effects of the flood that ravaged their farmlands behind them to ensure that they come up with increased yields as the rains are expected to come early this year.

Giving the charge in an exclusive interview with The Tide over the weekend at his country home  in Ahoada, the pioneer elected President of Ekpeye Youth Congress (EYC), Mr. Sunny Ojimini –Maduenyi, said the farmers should start planting based on the nature of their soil.

According to him, there were some soils which were ideal in planting during the dry season and there were some that were suitable for planting during the rainy season and urged the farmers to take that into consideration.

On the forecast by weather agencies in the country of early rains that may lead to another flooding, Ojimini – Maduenyi said it was not good news for the farmers.

“That prediction shows that the efforts of the people, by the farmers especially of those of Ekpeye and all other people that would be by this prediction will be in rain”, he said.

He said the forcast not withstanding, the farmers should look for improved varieties and seedlings so that they can get good yield.

He said he was aware that the government was doing something positive toward that direction, even as he said he recently saw heaps of cassava stems at the Ahoada-East local government council headquarters, “and I understand they are being distributed to farmers although I don’t know the process of the distribution”, he said.

He explained that the farmers had the advantage of buying cassava stems also from areas that the flood did not affect.

According to him, there was a time at the height of the flooding that the people of Ibaa brought a lot of cassava stems to the Ekpeye people through HRM Robinson O. Robinson, the Eze Ekpeye Logbo and the stems were equitably distributed through the Ekpeye committee on the flood to various Ekpeye communities.

On the complaints from some quarters that government did not provide enough relief materials after the flood, the former youth president said it was wrong to say the government did not to enough.

According to him, “I won’t subscribe to anybody saying that what government provided after the flood was not enough”.

He said government could not do everything and whatever government does cannot be enough because it was not peculiar to this part of the world alone.

“Government will do what they are supposed to do and they have done what they are supposed to do”, he said.

On the opinion that corn provided to the area after the flood was alien to the Ekpeye people, Ojimini – Maduenyi said being used to processing or eating corn was not the issue.

He said during the season of corn, every Ekpeye man eats corn and they sell it either roasted or cooked.

On efforts being put in place to bring the environment back to shape after the flood he said the government agencies and various NGOs know what to do.

They know what to do to bring back the soil to what it used to be.

“They don’t need to be taught because they know the appropriate thing to do”, he said.

He said the only advice he had for such agencies was to fast track the processes of restoring the environment.

“The only advice I have for them is to put in place processes to bring back the land, bring back the environment to the old order.

“Let them put machinery in fast in place as delay can be detrimental to the well-being of the environment”, he said.