The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed Anambra State Ministry of Agriculture to submit to it, data of all the farmers affected by the recent flooding to cushion the devastating effects on them.

Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Foster Ihejiofor, announced this while declaring open, a three-day training of Extension Agents on Extension tools, Methodologies and selected Agricultural value chains, at the Agricultural Development Programm office, ADP, in Awka.

The training, which took place simultaneously across the thirty-six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, is organized by the department of Agricultural Extension, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, NAERLS.

Commissioner Ihejiofor, who spoke through the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mr. Samuel Ike stated that the list was on Tuesday, October eleven, submitted as requested to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

While encouraging farmers not to loose hope because of the havoc wrecked by the ongoing flood, Dr. Ihejiofor assured the state government’s readiness to also assist them to bounce back on their feet when the flood recedes.

In his address, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar frowned that the decline of the fortunes of Agricultural Extension System due to decreased funding, policy changes, reduced manpower and lack of interest of young people in agricultural entrepreneurship has affected food production and exposed the country to the dangers of unemployment, youth restiveness and economic instability.