Kebbi Flood A Setback To Food Production - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the recent flood that claimed lives and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice farms and houses in Kebbi state.

Buhari who sympathized with the Kebbi state government in a statement on Wednesday said that the destruction caused by the flood is a setback to efforts at boosting food production.

The President further lamented that the destruction of the rice farm came at a time when farmers were looking forward to having a bumper harvest.

“I am particularly sad over this incident because it’s a setback to our efforts to boost local rice production as part of measures to stop food importation,” Buhari said.

“Kebbi State is the focal point of our policy to produce rice locally as part of this administration’s commitment to agricultural revival which suffered relative neglect in favour of food importation.

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“With the loss of six lives and still counting, thousands of hectares of land flooded and estimated economic losses of more than one billion Naira by rice farmers in Kebbi State, we face a major setback in our efforts to boost local food production.”

“This bad news couldn’t have come at a worse time for our farmers and other Nigerians who looked forward to a bumper harvest this year in order to reduce the current astronomical rise in the costs of food items in the markets.

Kebbi state commissioner for agriculture Attahiru Maccido, on Sunday, lamented that over N1 billion worth of rice and other farm produce were lost in the floods which hit different parts of the state.

President Buhari further promised to work with the state government to bring relief to the flood victims.