Flood destroys rice farms in Taraba

Several  rice farms located by Taraba and Benue rivers in Bali and Gassol local government area of  Taraba state have been destroyed by flood.

Daily Trust gathered that all rice farms located  by river Taraba were destroyed by flood while several other farms also located by river Benue in the state  have been destroyed.

Most of the rice crop had matured and was due for harvest when the flood came and destroyed all the farms.

It comes amidst record heavy rainfall.

River Taraba, the second biggest river in the state which has its source from the top  of Mambilla Plateau mountains has over flown its banks following days of heavy rain fall.

The river which drains into river Benue covers over 200 kilometers from its source  to river Benue.

It was further gathered that over 30,000 farmers grow rice along the bank of the river in parts of Bali local government area and entire part of Gassol local government area.

A farmer at Tella, Nuhu Mohammed said he harvested 500 bags of  paddy rice last year but now his entire farm was destroyed.

He  said  both small and large scale rice farmers were affected by. the flood in the area adding that scarcity of rice looms in the state this year as a result of the flood that destroyed  most of the  rice farms in the area which is a major  source of paddy rice in the state.

The chief of Gassol chiefdom, Idi ciroma told Daily Trust the numbers of affected farmers in his chiefdom are in thousands and it was not possible to ascertain at present.

Ciroma said the latest flood came as a surprise because farmers thought the rains were over but  suddenly the rain pattern changed.

The flood is second this October but more devastating.