The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of United Nations seeks $13.9 million (N5 billion) to boost agricultural production in the 2018/19 cropping season. The $13.9 million was to overcome FAO’s funding gabs and sustain “all-year round agricultural and livestock production” in Lake Chad Basin, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon. This was disclosed on Wednesday in UN food agency’s; Northeastern Nigeria Situation Report, October, 2018 released in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. “FAO faces funding gap of USD 13.9 million to boost agricultural production in the forthcoming 2018/19 dry season; as well as year round livelihood activities,” said the report. According to the report, farmers in northeastern have begun harvesting cereal, vegetables and cash crops, including cow-pea, groundnut and sesame. On this year’s bumper harvests, the report said: “This followed the provision of seed and fertilizer to 112, 500 households in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe under FAO’s 2018 rainy season programme (June‒August 2018). “The season appears to have been effective for numerous farming households, lessening the need for food assistance in some areas.” The report however; noted that; “Cholera which had escalated since last August, has affected more than 2, 000 households in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.” The report explained that most of the affected households are agriculture-dependent.
