Oct 18, 2026
2 min read
Farmers in Big Biaboo and surrounding communities in Region Five are set to benefit from improved flood protection, machinery support to prepare their fields and upgrades to a key farm-to-market road, as the government moves to address challenges affecting agricultural production and access to farmlands.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, announced the interventions during a meeting with farmers, outlining plans to strengthen drainage and irrigation infrastructure while helping cash crop farmers reduce the impact of flooding on their crops.
Under the proposed assistance, three machines will be deployed to the area within one week to help farmers raise their planting beds, allowing them to better protect their crops from floodwaters. Each farmer will receive three days of machinery support, with equipment operating for nine hours daily.
Mustapha said the intervention represents an estimated government investment of $500,000 per farmer. A committee comprising farmers will also be established to coordinate the exercise and ensure the assistance is distributed in an organised and equitable manner.
The government will also rehabilitate the community’s farm-to-market road, upgrading its surface with crusher run to improve access to agricultural lands and make it easier for farmers to transport their produce.
Additionally, plans are in place to construct an embankment to provide further protection for agricultural lands. Mustapha said consultations must first be completed and the cooperation of affected farmers secured before the project is designed and put out to tender.
The minister also highlighted the government’s approximately $25 billion investment in high-level drainage canals and related infrastructure across Regions Three, Five and Six, which is expected to improve drainage capacity, reduce flooding and open up approximately 55,000 acres of land in Region Five for agricultural development.
The interventions are intended to help farmers protect their livelihoods, improve access to their fields and strengthen agricultural production in the communities.
