THE agricultural sector is hard hit by the prevailing flooding situation across the country. Extension Officers of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) are currently on the ground assessing damage to crops and farms. The institute is working to make relief packages available for farmers after the floodwaters recede.

In mid-May, heavy rainfall resulted in the flooding of many communities across all administrative regions. The amount of rainfall recorded for the current period has exceeded the normal average expected rainfall for the May/ June period. Apart from the heavy rainfall, high tides restricted the drainage structure in some of these areas, thereby resulting in the flooding of communities.

His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has described the current flood as one of the worst disasters the country has ever experienced. As such, government agencies have been partnering to conduct assessments and provide flood relief and the Civil Defence Commission is distributing food hampers to affected residents and farmers.
Thankfully, owing to NAREI’s proactiveness in the area of extension services, mobilising manpower on the ground was without effort.

Immediately, our staff joined other government agencies in visiting the many affected communities. About 18,000 cash-crop farmers have been affected. One of the most affected areas is Black Bush Polder, Region Six, where the main economic activity is farming (both livestock and crops).

NAREI is currently preparing relief packages for our farmers to help reduce the high cost of putting their lands back under cultivation. However, these relief packages would only be made available after the water has receded from farmlands.

The institute has taken on the task of producing vegetable seedlings and the production of orchard seedlings have increased. Simple tools, vegetable seeds and NPK and urea fertilisers would also be distributed free of cost to farmers.