To sensitise maize farmers in Bayelsa state towards this year’s anticipated flood, the federal ministry of agriculture and Rural Development has organised a one day training programme for Maize farmers in Bayelsa state . The event which took.place at the School To Land Conference hall, Imiringii road in Yenagoa Friday was in conjunction with the state ministry of Agriculture and the state Agriculture Development Programme (ADP) . The training programme had the theme : Emergency training and demonstration of climate resilient practices in maize production in the South East, South South and South West regions”.
In his opening remarks, David Alagoa, the Bayelsa state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural resources , noted that the training programme was important as it would enable maize farmer know how to beat the flooding situation that had ravaged most farmlands in the state . Alagoa says the training would enable them know how and when to plant maize before the next flood that may come . The Agric Commissioner lauded the federal ministry of agriculture for taking the initiative and promised to replicate the training programme in all Local Government Areas in Bayelsa state .
” The training is so essential to us because wether like last year or not , the flood will come ‘”So in the South South how do we start preparing for the realities in our own environment “Don’t afraid of flood, it is what God send to us every year to fertilize our land ” We in the ministry should also learn from this and do our own training on climate or flood compliance training so that we should be able to translate what we are getting from federal to our state to start training people “Try and plant early before flood and harvest so that after the flood you plant again “Let us not fight against nature because nature is God , you can’t fight it. Let us instead thank God “We will.continue to train and train because knowledge is power The ministry will.come.up with series.of trainings that will happen in the next three months . ” We all know what happened to farmers during the last flood in the state” , he added.
Also in his speech , Jackson Diegbegha , the Programme Manager of ADP in the state , disclosed that eighty (80) farmers drawn from the eight local governments areas of the state.perticipated . Diegbegha noted that the training programme was to prepare farmers towards this year’s flood . ” The flood is now coming , how are we going to mitigate against this flood ” When are we going to plant our maize and when are we going to harvest” said Diegbegha who advised participants to digest what would be taught by the resource person to enable them teach others . “The training is on how we can mitigate the flood either to start early or to use diffent varieties or diffent ways to avert the flood ….so that before the flood.comes you have already harvested your crops”, he added .
Doris Attah, a participant who is also an extension agent , in an interview says the training enabled them acquire new ways of approach to planting maize . “The new ways and varieties of maize taught by the resource person will be replicated in the rural areas. ” We are expected to move away from the way we have been planting maize to new ways for better harvest”, she noted. Oruwari Prince Poubeni, the resource person for the programme took participants though various topics inluding maize production and the lucrative business , various ways to.mitogate climate change , water management initiative , Maize spacing, among others .