Hundreds of jobs are at risk in Nigeria’s coastal State of Cross River, after heavy flooding destroyed an integrated fish and poultry farming cluster in Kasung community.
The disaster which affected fish stocks, poultry birds and farm facilities, has left the farmers facing mounting financial losses, threatening food security.
The affected farmers are calling for urgent government intervention, warning that without support to rebuild and lasting solutions to the flooding, the impact will extend beyond their businesses to workers, families and food supply.
AIT online Correspondent who visited the affected community reports that what remains at the farm cluster are visible signs of the damage caused by the floodwaters that swept through fish ponds, pulled down poultry houses, destroyed equipment used for storage and processing, alongside solar installations and poultry stocks.
For the farmers, the losses represent more than damaged infrastructure.
They lament that their years of investment have been wiped out, while loan repayments and workers’ wages remain obligations they can no longer meet.
They are asking the Federal and State governments to grant them financial assistance, affordable agricultural loans, and the supplies needed to resume production.
The losses also threaten people whose incomes depend on the farming cluster, from workers and fish smokers to traders who buy and sell its produce.
The Clan Head of Kasung Qua Clan, HRH Ntoe Edemdem Ayito, said the farming activities in the area have provided employment for local youths and women, while serving as a training ground for people seeking practical agricultural skills.
The Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Livestock, Liyel Imokhede, has visited the affected farm cluster, where he expressed sympathy with the farmers and said discussions would follow on possible remedial measures.
For these farmers, the challenge now is how to rebuild after losing their productive assets, protect the jobs that depend on the cluster and restore a source of food supply.
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(Editor: Ken Eseni)
