Rice one of Nigeria’s most common staple food may go off the table due to price increases during the approaching festive season as a massive flood ravaged Africas’s largest rice farms operated by Olam Nigeria in Nasarawa state.
In a chat with Channels Television, the farm’s Chief Agronomist, Dr Umar Ismaila, said more than 4,000 hectares of farmland has been submerged due to the floods.
Although the level of damage cannot yet be ascertained until the water recedes, Dr Umar said the incident will have an implication on Nigeria’s food security.
Many parts of the country have witnessed heavy flooding in recent weeks.
The Nigeria Hydrological Services (NIHSA) has blamed state and local governments for disregarding “adequate and timely warnings” and weather advisories issued by various Federal Government agencies.
A statement later released by Olam said damage to its farm could be worth as high as $15 million.
“Other Damages are infrastructures like Dykes, Canals, and drainage worth $8 million,” the statement said.
“Counting the losses, the farm’s business head and Vice President of Olam rice farm, Anil Nair said in a statement that the losses are huge but can only be estimated once the water recedes.
“OLAM rice farm in Rukubi, Doma local government area of Nassarawa state is seated on a thirteen thousand, five hundred (13,500) hectares land and operates a crop area of four thousand, four hundred (4500) hectares.
It is the largest rice farm with the state of the art equipment in Africa.
“The company recently upgraded its milling capacity from one hundred and twenty thousand (120) metric tonnes to two hundred and forty (240) metric tonnes annually as part of the company’s efforts to ensure food availability and security in Nigeria.
“Olam also has consistently supported its host communities as part of its social corporate responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“Hundreds of people from the six host communities where Olam rice farm is located in Rukubi Doma local government area of Nassarawa state, have benefited from these gestures by the company as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
“The farm also provided instructional facilities for primary and junior secondary pupils in the communities to enhance learning.
“With these numerous supports both for Nigeria’s Agriculture sector and humanitarian support to the host communities, it won’t be overboard to say that the government’s urgent interventions are necessary to mitigate the effects of the disaster, reduce hunger and encourage the development of adapting climate change technologies to enhance food security.”
