The federal government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, through the Value Chain Development Programme (FG/IFAD -VCDP), will deploy climate adaptation strategies to reduce the future effects of the flood on farmers.

Fatima Aliyu, the acting national programme coordinator of the FGN IFAD-VCDP, made this known at the distribution of agro-inputs and equipment to farmers affected by the 2022 flood in Taraba.

Ms Aliyu, represented by Chima Unanema, agricultural production advisor for IFAD, said that the strategies would include flood-tolerant rice varieties and climate-resilient infrastructures and other climate-smart agric technologies that would mitigate the effect of the flood on farmers.

She said that the VCDP has reallocated funds and has set aside N252 Million to provide agro inputs and equipment to the affected farmers to carry out dry season farming.

She said that IFAD had also approved N467. Million to VCDP as support to farmers affected by the flood.

“These are responses to the effects of floods and on an effort to provide succour to farmers across VCDP participating states.

The national coordinator said nine states were participating in the VCDP programme, namely, Benue, Taraba, Anambra, and Ebonyi.

Others, she said, are Enugu,  Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Ogun states.

Earlier, Irimiya Musa, Taraba state coordinator of FGN/ IFAD Value Chain Development Programme, said 238 VCDP farmers who had been affected by the 2022 flood were to benefit from the flood recovery support and input distribution for dry season rice production in the state.

Mr Musa said the eight participating local government areas in the state are Ardokola, Jalingo, Wukari, Karim Lamido, Bali, Gassol, and Donga local government areas.

He explained that six out of eight local government areas would benefit from the programme due to the eminent devastation caused by the 2022 flood in the state.

The state coordinator encouraged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the residual moisture, especially as the flood had receded, by planting early so they would also harvest early.

He said Taraba was the second state among the nine participating states with the highest number of beneficiaries.

Mr Musa commended Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba for his unalloyed support to agriculture, particularly the VCDP, by creating an enabling environment for the Programme to thrive in the state.

In his remark, Mr Ishaku urged beneficiaries of the support to use the items given to them judiciously.

He advised them not to sell them to merchants.

He commended IFAD for the support, saying food production had increased in the state tremendously.

(NAN)