The Federal Government has received $249m (N109.3bn at Tuesday’s official exchange rate of N439.02/$) from the African Development Bank ($244m) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development ($5m) for flood impact mitigation and food production.
It has also commenced the construction of mini-earth dams and is currently restocking the country’s strategic food reserves with 200,000 metric tonnes of assorted commodities. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood Abubakar, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja to explain how the government was ameliorating the disruptions of food production by the recent flood incidents in Nigeria.
He said the devastating impact, damage and loss of lives and property due to flood were becoming an annual event in many parts of Nigeria. To guide its interventions, Abubakar said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies carried out the 2022 wet season Agricultural Performance Survey across the country.
He explained that this was to provide empirical data to support the amelioration of the adverse effects of floods and ensure increased food production in Nigeria. The minister said the government received support from international partners, donor agencies and collaborators for emergency food production and mitigation of the impact of flood disasters in Nigeria.
