Food shortage imminent, as floods destroy farms in Cross River

Farmers along the Offor-Ekokol axis of Mkpani Community in Yakurr local government area in Cross River State have cried out as floods have destroyed their farms and crops worth millions of naira.

The Nation gathered that the rains, which started in the area since Tuesday and continued unabated till Thursday had caused floods that affected farms belonging to almost 100 farmers from the area.

One of the farmers, Chief Stephen Nniga, lamented that a food shortage is imminent in Calabar, the state capital and some other parts of the state, as well as Akwa Ibom States, as they supply farm produce to these areas.

Nniga, a retired Superintendent of Police said they last time they experienced such flooding in the area was in 2012, adding that this time was worse.

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“Our farms are along the Ikom-Calabar Road near Mkpani junction. Right now all the farms are gone. The yams, cassava and all other food crops we have are all gone and the water has taken over. I don’t know what is going to happen now. We are looking at hunger now. If it continues that means all hope would be lost.

“All my efforts, all the money spent there would be wasted. All the farmers around there are affected. Almost 100 farmers in the area are affected. The problem when it started raining Tuesday. It continued on Wednesday and uptil today, Thursday as we speak. The last time we experienced something like this was in 2012 and even then it was not as serious as this one has been so far, and the rains are still coming.

“We don’t have any other means of survival. As we speak we need relief materials right now. The government, at the Federal and State levels, should also come into the area to see what can be done check the situation and help us. We have lost millions of naira. For me and many others here this farming is the only source of livelihood we have and if it is gone, I don’t know how we are going to survive,” Nniga lamented.

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