According To A Report From Newspapers In Nigeria, Hundreds of rice farmers in Yauri, Ngaski, and Shanga Local Government Areas of Kebbi State have been thrown into despair following a devastating flood that washed away farmlands worth millions of naira.
The flood, triggered by an overflow of the River Niger coupled with heavy rainfall, has submerged vast hectares of rice fields, dashing the hopes of farmers who had invested heavily in anticipation of a bumper harvest.
One of the affected farmers, Malam Usman Dankwairo, while speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, described the disaster as “unprecedented and heartbreaking,” stressing that many farmers may not recover without immediate intervention.
“The water from the River Niger first took over our farms, and then the rains compounded the situation, sweeping everything away,” Usman said.
“God has brought this challenge, and we have already lost everything. For the farmers of Shanga, Yauri, and Ngaski, all I can say is may God intervene in our situation.”
He further appealed to political leaders to act swiftly, noting that sympathy visits alone would not alleviate the suffering of farmers. “Some of us used to harvest more than 100 bags of rice, but now we have nothing left.
” This is not about coming to sympathize with us; we need real support. Some of us invested all our savings into these farms. Please, Governor, your people are in desperate need of help,” he pleaded.
Yauri, Ngaski, and Shanga are among the leading rice-producing areas in Kebbi State, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s rice production under the state’s famed “Lake Rice” initiative.
However, with large portions of farmland now submerged, the livelihoods of hundreds of farming families and the state’s food supply chain face serious jeopardy.
Community leaders in the affected areas have also called on the State Emergency Management Agency and other relevant authorities to urgently provide relief materials and a recovery plan for the affected farmers, warning that the disaster could lead to hunger and economic hardship in the coming months if left unaddressed.
Meanwhile, local officials say they are assessing the level of damage to determine the scale of intervention required.
