Firm: Flooding impacting distribution of agricultural produce in Nigeria

First Aquagrico Farms Nig. Ltd, an integrated agro-business company, says the recent flooding across the country has impacted the distribution of agricultural produce.

Recently, there were reported cases of flooding in some states across the country, with so many residents displaced, properties destroyed and farmlands submerged.

In a statement on Thursday, First Aquagrico Farms said it has come up with a solution to the problem with modern preservation and transportation techniques to stop post-cultural losses.

The firm said it has approached the Bank of Agriculture, through a letter by Kolapo Joshua, its managing director, for its planned establishment of Africa’s largest farmers’ market.

“It is reckoned that the situation will worsen with the hazardous climatic changes and flooding which have major impact on the distribution and marketability of agricultural produce,” the agro-allied firm said.

“The primary objective of setting in motion Africa’s largest farmers’ market in Nigeria is to create an all-in-one agricultural market-hub which encompasses gathering, re-distributing, storing, processing and exporting of agro-products.

“The concept is to enhance the promotion of large scale commercial agriculture in Africa through a process that maximises profit while sustainably satisfying the needs of consumers. In addition, the concept will assuredly make a great impact in the country’s agricultural sector by boosting food supply, creating jobs, raising incomes, reducing malnutrition and contributing to the progress of the continent’s agro-economy.”

First Aquagrico Farms said it has undertaken a study and survey of the agricultural sector in Nigeria and discovered that one of the major causes leading to the decrease in growth of the agricultural sector especially in the 2nd Quarter of 2022 with a growth of 1.20% as against 3.16% of the previous quarter is owing to poor merchandise of the agricultural produce.