Rice Farmers In Abia State Seek Government’s Support To Boost Yield

     

      Rice Farmers at Ndi Oji Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State are calling on the government to provide adequate conducive environment to enable them cultivate more rice that would assist in cushioning the effect of economic recession on food security.

      The farmers, who have been growing rice for more than two decades, feel alienated from the government agricultural programme and lament lack of adequate rice seedlings during planting season, fertilizers, pesticides, milling machines and cost of transporting the rice from the farm to the village due to the deplorable state of Ndi Oji Abam Road infrastructure.
      However, the state government has sympathised with them and hinted that the roads would receive attention as soon as possible while the Agriculture Anchor Programme would ensure that they get all the necessary facility to enable them cultivate rice with ease.
Large hectares of rice farm located at Ndi Oji Abam are being cultivated by these farmers who are saddled with the challenges of trekking long miles as vehicles often get stuck in the mud due to the impassable road while underage boys take up the task of chasing the birds away to stop them from feeding on the rice.
      Although there seem to be a kind of rehabilitation on some portions of the road, the bad sections are still not passable by vehicles. Only motorcycles which still need to manoeuvre the red muddy road use the road.
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