Food scarcity, price increase fears grip farmers amid floods
Some farmers and concerned individuals have expressed fear of scarcity of staple foods like garri, yam and others as well as astronomical price increase due to early flooding ravaging farmlands in some communities in Delta State.
The floods, which came as a surprise to them, according to one of the farmers whose farmland was affected, has destroyed their yam and cassava, forcing them into early and fruitless harvest. The Trumpet Gathered
One of them, a retired civil servant in Okpe Olomu, Ughelli South Local Government Area, Mr James Etele, said all his cas sava and tomatoes farms were destroyed, Etele explained that they normally harvest cassava from the farm in July but this time the flood came in May.
He lamented that his only hope of survival as a retired civil servant had been dashed, adding that if the trend continues, prices of garri and other foodstuff may rise astronomically l in the near future.
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He appealed to the Delta State Government for assistance. Another farmer, Mrs Emeren whose yam farm was affected by the flood, while harvesting them expressed fear that hunger was imminent, just as she noted that the price of garri had been on a steady increase since late last month, jumping from one thousand naira (#1000) to one thousand two hundred naira (#1200).
Emeren disclosed that most farmers were already harvesting their cassava because of the weather.
Mrs. Dora Oru, a primary school teacher in Ughelli South Local Government Area, expressed fear that hunger was palpable. She noted that salaries had been constant while prices of foodstuffs were on increase daily.
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