A multi-million naira automated farm located at Agbobo Umuoga Ossomala Community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, South East Nigeria has shut down operations due to flood disaster.
The disaster resulted in the death of over 25,000 birds in the poultry section of the farm and adversely affected fish and potatoes and other crops.
Patrick Sule-Ugboma, the proprietor of the farm complex, Matuuci Farms Ltd, made the disclosure on Wednesday when he took reporters around the facility.
He said that about 400 staff members of the company had been directed to stop work.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that communities in Ogbaru are living on the River Niger coastline and often experience flooding.
Mr Sule-Ugboma said that the farm sitting on 20 hectares of land had lost a fortune to the flood disaster.
“We have lost more than 25,000 poultry birds, fish in our ponds worth several millions of naira, and numerous other properties worth several millions of naira,” he said.
According to Mr Sule-Ugboma, the flood has equally affected some bridges on Onitsha-Ndoni Road, especially Umunnakwo Bridge.
NAN reports that the collapse of the same Umunnakwo Bridge in 2022 resulted in a boat mishap that claimed some lives.
Mr Sule-Ugboma said that the collapse of bridges on Ogbaru-Ndoni Road posed dangers to residents and travelers, who had resorted to crossing the river by wooden boats.
He appealed to the federal and Anambra State governments to urgently address the situation.
“I am calling on Governor Charles Soludo to look into the plight of our people, especially with flooding hitting Ogbaru communities again.
“I also call on the Niger Delta Development Commission to consider the reconstruction of the Onitsha-Ndoni Road,” he said.
“Agriculture is the mainstay of communities in Ogbaru as well as communities in Delta, Imo, and Rivers states,” Mr Sule-Ugboma said.
(NAN)
