Snake bite: INDORAMA-Nigeria distributes 10,000 boots torural farmers

Rural farmers facing killer snake bites across the country can now heave a sigh of relief as INDORAMA-Nigeria Limited, Port-Harcourt, the Rivers state capital has distributed free gum boots to farmers in their various rural communities.

The company revealed that some parts in northern Nigeria where poisonous snakes are mostly found include Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Kano, Kastina, among others.

So far, the company standing out as a world-class urea fertiliser producer in Nigeria, has distributed over 10,000 of the life saving boots to farmers across the country.

Information from the company’s corporate communications department and made available to Blueprint in Port-Harcourt, Monday, revealed that the it became imperative for the company’s management to take the initiative to protect the lives of rural Nigerian farmers who are the major end-users of the company’s fertilisers and beneficiaries of its other agronomy free services.

Dr. Babir Singh of the agronomic section of the petrochemical and fertilizer company told our reporter that: “We started gum boots distribution in 2018 with the idea from our CEO. Mr. Munish Jindal.

“Our major motivation was to protect our small holder farmers from snake bites and other diseases that may affect their legs and efficiency during farming operation in raining season,” he said.

He added that the effort was a demonstration of its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) to strengthen farmers to increase their farm output to ensure food sufficiency in line with the federal government agricultural revolution policy being driven by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

Like every other occupational health hazard, rural farmers in Nigeria contend with poisonous snake bite in their farms, bush and poor environmental homes apart from perennial poverty and other diseases.

The company observed that in many parts of Nigeria, especially the northern parts of the country, highly poisonous snakes such as cobra, puff adder, viper, green mambas, etc, as well as other poisonous reptiles and insects such as scorpions, ants, leeches, mentis and bees are prevalent.