TheCable

Ibrahim Farinloye, the south-west zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), says the agency will distribute yam seedlings to 1,754 farmers in different parts of Lagos.

According to NAN, Farinloye disclosed this development on Monday during the distribution exercise at the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority, Oko-Oba, Agege.

He said that the seedlings are being distributed to enhance and promote food security.

He added that the ongoing exercise was based on an assessment carried out by NEMA and other federal government agencies on the need for interventions from various angles.

Farinloye said the intervention is to support farmers who lost farm produce due to 2020 floods, adding that the support started with supplies of farm inputs such as chemicals, seedlings of rice, maize, sorghum, including livestock and now yam seedlings.

“In 2021, we were able to intervene with fertilisers and different farm inputs, maize, rice and cassava to farmers,” he said.

“The latest one currently is the yam seedlings. As you are aware, the planting season for yam has started, and that is why we are distributing it.

“In Lagos state alone, we are distributing it to 1,754 farmers, each farmer will 150 to 200 seedlings.

“Part of the seedling can be divided into two or three so this means that by the time we are getting the result of this exercise, it is an assurance of the sustainability of food security in the country.

“The exercise is taking place across the whole states of the federation. We are still going to distribute support in livestock, heliciculture, commonly known as snail farming, fishing and animal husbandry to farmers in the next phase.

“This is a continuous exercise, we are presently conducting assessment and verification of the livestock exercise and immediately after the verification, the other aspect of animal husbandry, fishing, and heliciculture.

“We have started distribution this morning, and hopefully, by Wednesday, we should conclude it.

“We will take the seedlings around the state.”

He added that the distribution is almost completed, with only Lagos and Rivers at the last phase.