The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Malaysia 2018 palm oil output to rise by 2.5%

    Malaysia 2018 palm oil output to rise by 2.5%

    Palm oil production in Malaysia, the world’s second largest producer, is expected to increase by 15.5 per cent this year and will grow by 2.5 per cent in 2018, the government said on Friday.

    Malaysian output is forecast to rise to 20 million tonnes this year and to 20.5 million tonnes in 2018 due to better yields and expansion into matured areas, according to forecasts given in the government’s annual economic report released ahead of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement of the 2018 budget.

    In 2016, production was 17.3 million tonnes, the report said.

    Average prices for palm oil are also projected to rise because of higher demand.

    “Palm oil price (in 2018) is expected to increase to an average of 2,750 ringgit per tonne bolstered by higher demand, particularly from China, the (European Union) and India.”

    The government expects an average palm oil price of 2,700 ringgit ($638) per tonne this year.

    NAN

  • AfDB targets 513 million tonnes of food production by 2025

    AfDB targets 513 million tonnes of food production by 2025

    The African Development Bank (AfDB)’s new initiative  Technologies for African Agriculture initiative will produce 513 million tonnes of additional food across Africa. It will also lift nearly 250 million Africans out of poverty by 2025.

    A statement from the bank said 25 African countries have written letters, confirming their interest and readiness to participate in TAAT, and help transform their agriculture.

    TAAT, according to the bank, will support its Feed Africa Strategy for the continent to eliminate the current massive importation of food and transform its economies by targeting agriculture as a major source of economic diversification and wealth, as well as a powerful engine for job creation.

    The commodities value chains to benefit from this initiative are rice, cassava, pearl millet, sorghum, groundnut, cowpea, livestock, maize, soya bean, yam, cocoa, coffee, cashew, palm oil, horticulture, beans, wheat and fish.

    AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, at a TAAT side event in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, said: “TAAT was born out of this major consultation and brings together global players in agriculture, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Programme, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Rockefeller Foundation and national and regional agricultural research systems.

    “It’s the biggest consolidation of efforts to accelerate agriculture technology uptake in Africa. Technology will address the variability and the new pests and diseases that will surely arise with climate change,” he said.

    Adesina explained that TAAT would help break down decades of national boundary-focused seed release systems. Seed companies will have regional business investments, not just national ones, he said. “That will be revolutionary and will open up regional seed industries and markets.”

    TAAT, he explained, is to be implemented through a collectively agreed central delivery platform, coordinated by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, with national, regional and international agricultural research centres.

    “TAAT is a transformative and landmark partnership effort. The African Development Bank, World Bank, AGRA, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation intend to mobilize US $1 billion to help scale up technologies across Africa.”

    The Director, External Communications, African Region, World Bank Group, Haleh Bridi, described TAAT as a regional technology delivery infrastructure for agriculture, linking countries across agro-ecological zones.

    Bridi stressed that Africa can learn from Asia, which had made “amazing strides” in its agricultural revolution. “This is why we are involved in the TAAT programme,” she said to resounding applause.

    The Director for Agricultural Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nick Austin, said, “Technology obviously evolves the journey to prosperity, the way economies transform and the way small-holder farmers engage.

    “Locally, there are varieties. Locally, there are new technologies and solutions to small-holder farmers. We are in the position to play a key role in bringing the best technologies available and supporting new ways in delivering this to farmers. We are delighted and excited to be part of this initiative.”

    The President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Agnes Kalibata, stressed that African governments should drive technological development in agriculture.

    “What TAAT is going to have to do is work with the governments. We have lots of institutions that are ready for these technologies. We should work with governments to ensure that the technologies are not just ready to work, but become available to their country people. I think that ensuring that the farmers get all the technologies they need is going to be very important,” she said.

  • Jobs crisis: Agric entrepreneurship to the rescue

    Jobs crisis: Agric entrepreneurship to the rescue

    Nigeria has a large economy with a  growing youth population .The bigger challenge is how to absorb the large number of unemployed youths. Experts believe agric entrepreneurship will tackle the problem. This was the focus of the 20th annual lecture of Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) held in Ilorin, Kwara State. Daniel Essiet writes.

    For aspiring agric entrepreneurs, a new dawn is here. The 20th annual lecture of the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), held in Ilorin, Kwara State could not have come at a better time. The forum brought together successful entrepreneurs who are making impact uplifting and economically empowering women and men.

    It was to bolster economic renewal, job creation and innovation through agric entrepreneurship.

    Analysts at the event noted that Nigeria was a major economy with a growing youth population.  However, they believe that there is little evidence to suggest that the economy will absorb youths across the spectrum of skill levels and education.  They say the solution to youth unemployment is in the agri-food value chain.

    One of those who shared this view was the Chairman, Board of Directors, FirstBank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika. She was the keynote speaker. She spoke on the topic: Promoting Agripreneurship Green Alternative: A Catalyst for National Security and Sustainable Development.

    She said the youth employment deficit left thousands of graduates produced by tertiary institutions jobless. Against this backdrop, she said agriculture has the capacity to absorb unemployed graduates.

    She described agriculture as an alternative to the much=touted economic resources derived from petroleum.

    “Nigeria is blessed with a very fertile land, but it is saddening to know that majority of its youths are jobless,” she said.

    According to her, the stability of Nigeria depends on the nation being able to sustain its citizens’ food production,  which would translate to social stability.

    Mrs. Awosika further said Nigeria has all  the fundamentals needed to grow in agriculture, saying, “we need to know the time of oil is long gone”.

    She said Nigeria has opportunities for young workers to start new businesses, create quality jobs, improve their quality of life and wellbeing, strengthen their sense of belonging and integrate themselves into the community. From cash crops to grains, fruits and vegetables, livestock and others, she noted that there are countless opportunities along the value chain.

    Currently, she said, the potential of the agric sector is highly underutilised.

    Mrs. Awosika noted that agriculture has evolved into what is now known as agribusiness, which is centred on making profit through maximised productivity.

    She called for entrepreneurial skills development for profitable agriculture and agribusiness enterprises among the youth.

    Mrs. Awosika said the time had  come for institutions to play their part in developing entrepreneurs,  adding that the society requires a re- orientation to enhance the entrepreneurial mindset to boost startups and create employment.

    To her, entrepreneurship has been widely acknowledged as an important mechanism for economic growth and employment creation.

    A motivational speaker, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, listed the characteristics of an entrepreneur to include vision, hard work and focus. For her, one must be focused to be the best in the market. With a good vision and great execution, one’s dreams can come true.

    A discussant at the lecture and Managing Director of Thelma Farms in Ijebu-Ode, Mr. Babatunde Ogunyemi, emphasised the need for Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture, “On my 350 hectares of land in Ijebu-Ode where I grow fresh indigenous vegetable for exportation, I feel depressed that not enough is done in agriculture.

    “Even with our huge production we can only meet just nine per cent of the demand.

    “When I met with Mr President some weeks ago in Abuja, I told him that though Nigeria is winning the war against insurgency, but how do we fight the war of feeding our citizens,” he said.

    The Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, called for the overhaul of the agriculture sector to boost the economy, saying if government can overhaul the sector to bring appropriate intervention, agriculture will be a life saver for the nation.

    He said  the institute is working to empower Nigerians to explore opportunities in the agric sector.

    The aim, according to him, is to help Nigerians create jobs, combat food insecurity and poverty by expanding agribusiness, increasing  food production, and supporting entrepreneurship .

    Oladunni said through its training, the institute focuses on the key gaps inhibiting growth in agribusiness,  as it enables smallholder farmers to raise their incomes and yields, while also creating jobs for young people and raising incomes for women.

    He said ARMTI supports the development of a vibrant and diversified commercial agriculture as a means to move away from subsistence agriculture, often synonymous with poverty for a majority of rural households.The forum aimed at raising awareness on the importance of engaging youths in agribusiness, making a case for agribusiness as a solution to the high youth unemployment rate, and building consensus around initiatives to address unemployment, contribute to economic growth, and poverty reduction.

  • Nigeria cultivates only 40% of its arable land – Sen. Adamu

    Nigeria cultivates only 40% of its arable land – Sen. Adamu

    Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, says that only 40 per cent of Nigeria’s arable land is under cultivation.

    Adamu, who said this in an interview on Monday in Abuja, called for increased investments in agriculture, as the situation had elicited serious concern.

    He said that one good thing that the recent economic recession had done to Nigeria was that people from all walks of life were now going into agriculture.

    On some reports that foreigners had taken over farming in the country, the senator said that the Nigerian economy was a free and open economy.

    “We need large-scale farming to increase our agricultural output if we are talking about food security.

    “Yes, we have been fed by peasant farmers, smallholder farmers in this country for quite a long time,’’ he said.

    Adamu noted that one of the reasons why the country had not been able to attain food security was because smallholder farmers had certain limitations, including how to use the little funds at their disposal in a pragmatic way.

    “The smallholder farmer also has limits regarding the land he owns, how much money he requires to invest on it and the equipment he needs to some extent,” he said.

    Adamu said that as a country, Nigeria had decided to transit from smallholder farming to medium or large scale farming activities.

    He said that most farmers had some waiting period for them to mature, in terms of attaining all the requirements for large scale farming.

    “In the interim, if foreign investors can come in, on terms that are acceptable by government through policy, there is nothing wrong with it,” he said.

    On reports of kidnapping of farmers in the northern part of the country, Adamu said: “I don’t know if that is completely true or correct.

    “I accept the fact that there has been some degree of exposure of insecurity in farms across the country.

    “It is not something that is just in the northern part of Nigeria, but what I do know is that government is striving to check the development.

    “I know government has taken very specific steps to combat it,’’ he added.

    The lawmaker said that government was deploying security outfits to farms, while that the Ministry of Interior was training young men and women to provide security in farms.

    “We cannot be everywhere but at least, for a start, we cover substantially some of the farms where we know huge investments have been made, or where we know there is a menace of disruption of farm activities by these men of the terror world.

    “Government is trying to make sure that the farms have some level of security. It is a national phenomenon and we are seeing it in that light: We are taking the steps that are absolutely necessary to contain the menace,” he said.

    While assessing the Anchor Borrowers Programme ( ABP ) of the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN ), Adamu said that unfortunately, the programme was not quite going round all the 36 states.

    The Anchor Borrowers Programme is designed to create a linkage between companies that are involved in processing of key agricultural commodities and smallholder farmers, among other things.

    Adamu said there was concentration of ABP projects in certain parts of the country, while some areas have yet to benefit from the programme.

    “Like anything in the world, everything has teething problems in the beginning; we can forgive the concentration in one part of the country to the detriment of the other part.

    “The good excuse we have is that the programme is just beginning and it has recorded some successes by the grace of God.

    “The CBN is anchoring the ABP projects through its various intervention funds and this is doing a lot of good to us,” he said.

    NAN

  • Adesina receives award, commits $250,000 to African youths in agriculture

    Adesina receives award, commits $250,000 to African youths in agriculture

    Nigeria’s image received a boost on Thursday before the international community as former Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina formally received the 2017 World Food Prize ( WFP ) Laureate award in the U. S.

    Adesina was confered with the laureate in Des Moines, U. S. during which he committed the 250,000 dollars cash prize to set up a fund for financing African youths in agriculture.

    Adesina had been announced as winner of the global feat by the WFP for his dogged determination and practical commitment to boosting agriculture and food supply chain both as Minister of Agriculture and President of AfDB.

    Adesina, who is also the President of African Development Bank ( AfDB ), commended his staff for the shared passion to feed Africa.

    The former minister expressed gratitude to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for nominating him as minister.

    Adesina also thanked former President GoodLuck Jonathan for giving him the opportunity of his life to serve his country, Nigeria, as a minister.

    He also thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his strong support to achieve the feat.

    “There wouldn’t be any rest for me until Africa feeds itself and for that we need the youth.

    “And so even though I don’t have the cash in my hand, I hereby commit my 250,000 dollars as a cash prize for  the WFP award to set up a fund fully dedicated to providing financing for the youth of Africa in agriculture to feed Africa.

    “A day is coming very soon when the barns of Africa will be filled and all her children will be well fed, when millions of farmers will be able to send their kids to school.

    “Then you will hear a new song across Africa; thank God our lives are better for us,’’Adesina said.

    The Governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, who officially declared Adesina as the 2017 laureate winner of the WFP, said he was a man who grew out of poverty to create wealth.

    Reynolds said that the laureate commitment and dedication in agriculture had impacted on lives of many, not only in Africa but around the world.

    Former President of Ghana, John Mahama, attended the ceremony and other dignitaries from Nigeria and African countries.

    NAN

  • FIIRO woos Unilever on R&D commercialisation

    FIIRO woos Unilever on R&D commercialisation

    Consumer products giant, Unilever Plc and the Federal Institute for Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) are poised to seal a bilateral agreement on commercialisation of some of the research products of the institute.

    This was disclosed when a technical team from Unilever Plc visited  FIIRO office in Lagos.

    On the occasion, FIIRO Director-General Prof Gloria Elemo showed some of the researches to the delegation; saying the institute was well endowed to deliver at all time and that it was open to collaborations with Unilever in various areas.

    She called for collaboration on  product development and commercialisation, adding that the raw materials, crops and technical back-up for the exploitation of research results were available and in the right quantity and quality.

    Prof Elemo stressed that FIIRO was well positioned to see to the transfer of appropriate technologies that could catalyse industrialisation, urging  organisations and individuals  to invest in the various products that the institute had perfected.

  • Boosting agric productivity through partnership

    Boosting agric productivity through partnership

    Agriculture in Ogun State has enormous potential to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of farmers. Some challenges are obstructing the opportunities, but the government is collaborating with international organisations to bridge gaps in supply chains and alleviate the plight of farmers, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Ogun State government is striving to boost the agricultural sector and promote export growth.

    This is as rising demand for food in local and export markets has increased earnings’ prospect for farmers.

    Addressing the 2017 National Trade Promotion and Knowledge Fair in Abeokuta, last week, the Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, said increasing the productivity of the state’s farm sector was essential in  meeting its economic growth targets and boosting food availability.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, Amosun said by supporting agriculture, the state was helping to develop a more-diverse and competitive sector that can create jobs and promote economic growth.

    In a state that is highly agrarian, with agriculture accounting for over 70 per cent of the total number of the employed, the governor said it made economic sense for Ogun to develop the sector and encourage greater export.

    According to him, agriculture has a bright future and the government is doing all within its powers to tackle issues affecting the competitiveness of the sector, including the cost of doing business, regulation, access to capital and critical infrastructure improvements.

    In addition, he said the government was pushing investments in rural areas to increase smallholder productivity and farm incomes by strengthening capacity building, service delivery and market linkages.

    He said the theme of the fair “Market and Product Development for Competitive Rice and Cassava Value Chains” was in consonance with the state’s agenda of improved agricultural production.

    According to him, value chain is a topical issue in sustaining agriculture and the state will leave no stone unturned in promoting it.

    He added: “The issue of agricultural value chain has become topical in the promotion of sustainable agriculture in Nigeria. Agricultural activities should not stop at production level. Consideration should be given to processing and marketing as it prolongs the shelf life of products and guarantee good reward for farmers’ effort.”

    The overall efforts of the state, according to him, have been complemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which has stepped in  to  assist. One area, IFAD partnership is helping the state, according to him,  is rice and cassava production.

    Having fulfilled its counterpart funding for 2014 and 2015 of N124 million, he said the state was able to draw N420 million from the fund.

    The fund, he explained, facilitated the capacity building of over 4000 farmers on good agronomic practices, construction of 20km farm access roads in Obafemi-Owode, Ijebu North East and Yewa North Local Government Areas, and  building of cassava and rice processing centres.

    The fund, he added, enabled the state to provide agro-inputs such as fertiliser, cassava cuttings, rice seeds and herbicides for 3,044 farmers in five local  government areas, cassava and rice processing  equipment to  six farmer organisations in Yewa North, Ijebu North East and Ifo Local Government Areas. The fund, he added, faciliated the  development of 500 hectares (ha) of farmland for cassava and rice cultivation across the five local government areas.

    He informed the forum that payment of 2016 and 2017 counterpart funding has been approved and released.

    The National Programme Coordinator, IFAD-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP), Dr. Ameh Onoja, said the agricultural value chain, included the set of actors and activities required to bring agricultural products from production to consumption, including processing, storage, transportation, marketing, and retail.

    Onoja underscored that food security remained a critical issue , given expected population rise.

    According to him, the programme presents an opportunity to reduce pockets of poverty and build the capacity of smallholder farmers to move from subsistence farming to commercial market-driven agriculture.

    The programme, he explained, seeks to address multiple problems faced by farmers and rural households through a set of integrated, consolidated, and area-specific interventions responding to local constraints and opportunities.

    Specific interventions, he maintained, included strengthening farmers’ groups and building their technical and business capacities; increasing the productivity of food and high-value crops through improved agri-inputs and technologies, and enhancing access to markets for farmers.

    He said the programme is ready to support the Ogun State government‘s strategic plan of improving food security and agriculture productivity.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Technical Quality Control, Mrs. HectarAkani praised  Ogun State government for keying into its agricultural policies especially in the areas of cassava and rice value chain development programme.

    The minister said the objective of the fair was in line with the Federal Government’s plan to boost agricultural market and increase waste to wealth through cassava value chain.

    Special Adviser to the Governor of Ogun State on agriculture, Mr. Akin Lawson  said IFAD and the state government are working topromote and make the state a leading destination in the national rice andcassava production.

    A long-term vision for  Ogun State agriculture, according to him,  is to move towards more value added, productive and competitive agriculture to ensure that farm incomes continue to grow .

  • Kebbi governor’s wife praises firm

    The wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, has lauded WACOT Limited, an agro  production  company, for its contributions to the development of the state.

    She gave the commendation when she visited the company’s rice factory in Argungu, Kebbi State.

    The rice mill was inaugurated by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in company of Governor Atiku Bagudu and other top government functionaries on August 1, this year.

    Commending the company for the development the factory has brought to Argungu community and Kebbi State,  Dr. Bagudu, whose delegation included the wives of the governors of Ondo and Zamfara states: Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and HajiaAsma’uAbdulAziz Yari among others, said: “I thank the management of WACOT for their support for the Kebbi State government and the impact and development they have brought to the state. I urge you to continue to operate in the cordial and peaceful manner with which you relate with the people, to create more job opportunities for our youths”

    Dr. Bagudu also flagged off a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of WACOT Limited tagged “Pick a Bag”, which was instituted with the aim of providing clothing for the underprivileged in their communities of operation.

    For this, she presented bags of clothes donated by members of staff of WACOT to the under-privileged in Argungu Local Government.

    Conducting the visitors round the rice processing mill, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, TGI Group, the parent company of WACOT Limited, Mr. Sadiq Kassim, said the factory was the first phase of WACOT’s rice milling plan, which targets an increased capacity of 500,000 metric tonnes in the next few years.

    He said N10 billion has been invested in the mill with the capacity to process over 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy per annum and create over 3,500 jobs.

    He further disclosed that the mill has empowered a lot of local farmers, saying “we do not farm rice, but we work with the farmers from seed to harvest to ensure high quality paddy, which we then buy off them. We purchase paddy from up to 50,000 farmers here in Kebbi State”.

    As part of the company’s social responsibility efforts, Sadiq said WACOT has focused on women, children, healthcare and nutrition – core pillars of the reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent, health and nutrition (RMNCAH+N) campaign championed by the  wife of the President Mrs. Aisha Buhari.

  • AfDB to invest $24bn in agriculture in 10 years – Adesina

    AfDB to invest $24bn in agriculture in 10 years – Adesina

    The African Development Bank ( AfDB ) says the bank will invest 24 billion dollars in agriculture over the next 10 years to help unlock its potential and assure food security in Africa.

    Akinwumi Adesina said this at a side event of the ongoing Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, USA on Wednesday.

    Adesina said there was need for supportive public policies and significant investments in infrastructure, especially for roads, irrigation, storage, warehousing and agro-processing.

    He said that AfDB would provide support to strengthen African agricultural research and development systems to play significant roles in the transformation processes.

    The former Agriculture Minister said the support was to ensure that valuable research no longer simplied gathered dust on the shelves of academia.

    The president said that AfDB’s Feed Africa strategy had launched the Transformation of the African Savannah Initiatives (TASI) to help unlock the potential of the Savannas of Africa.

    He said that the initiative would start by bringing approximately two million hectares of savannah in eight African countries – Ghana, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Mozambique.

    These countries come under the cultivation of maize, soybean and livestock production in optimum conditions.

    “Success in this endeavor requires that we wake up the savannas of Africa.

    “When we do so, African agriculture will indeed rise up from its slumber.

    “Let’s wake up Africa’s savannas and turn them into the new wealth zones of Africa and unleash Africa as a global powerhouse in food. Together let arise and feed Africa.

    “Valuable research must meet the needs of farmers and agri-businesses in ways that exponentially increase productivity and improve the quality of lives of our rural poor.

    “Africa must learn from the experiences that have worked elsewhere, while tailoring the interventions to the specific realities of Africa.

    “We must ensure that small, medium scale and large-scale commercial farmers co-exist in a way that allows opportunities for all.

    “Partnerships in research and development will be crucial,” Adesina said.

    According to him, the bank has engaged to work with the strongest possible organisations with proven track records in tropical agriculture from South America.

    He said that this included the Brazilian Research Corporation ( EMBRAPA ), the Agricultural Corporation of Brazil ( CAMPO ), and others with long experience in conservation agriculture.

    Adesina that the research institutions would work closely with the universities and the national agricultural research systems across the savannas of Africa to enhance agriculture.

    NAN

  • Agency raises alarm over 2 emerging cassava diseases

    Agency raises alarm over 2 emerging cassava diseases

    West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE), the body in charge of addressing diseases of root/tuber crops, on Monday raised alarm over two emerging cassava diseases in Nigeria.

    Dr Justin Pita, Executive Director of WAVE, at the second Annual General Meeting of stakeholders from the West African sub-region in Abuja, identified the two new diseases as begomovirus and brown streak viruses.

    He said that the diseases, which originated from East Africa, were moving toward Central Africa and West Africa, adding that Nigeria was not, therefore, immune to its effects.

    He said that these viruses had negatively affected cassava production in sub-Saharan Africa, adding that it would be disastrous if the Federal Government failed to initiate urgent measures to forestall their outbreak in Nigeria.

    “The diseases are not yet in West Africa or Nigeria, in particular, but we have to create tangible awareness on its existence and its possible impact on the nation’s cassava production if eventually it happens.

    “We don’t have it yet in Nigeria; that is a blessing but we have to prevent it from entering the country and that is the reason why we are working on this project.

    “One of the key roles which WAVE plays is to address the fact that effective fight against viruses requires a strong understanding of how the disease in question spreads, which allows us to plan ahead for its control.

    “WAVE also recognises that even if the viruses are existing in the region for decades, they can explode suddenly into large-scale threats if they are not well monitored and controlled,’’ he said.

    Pita, therefore, urged the Federal Government to be aware of existence of the diseases, while striving to train more food scientists to tackle them.

    He said that WAVE was working to monitor and predict the emergence, evolution and spread of these viruses by bringing together 10 research institutes, universities in seven countries in West and Central Africa.

    Also speaking, Prof. Joseph Ukpabi, Acting Executive Director, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, said that the institute was statutorily mandated to conduct research into the genetic improvement, production, processing and storage of root crops in the country.

    According to him, the marketing of root and tuber crops such as cassava, yam, sweet potato and cocoyam, among others, also constitute areas of priority for the institute.

    Ukpabi noted that the WAVE project was aimed at increasing productivity and yield stability of root and tuber crops in Nigeria, adding that the institute would partner with the body to achieve these aims.

    While declaring the forum open, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ugbeh, lauded the WAVE project team for its concern over Nigeria’s agricultural growth.

    Ugbeh, who was represented by Mr Segun Ageni, Director of Root Crops in the ministry, commended WAVE for its numerous achievements within the two years of its operations in the West African sub-region.

    He assured WAVE of the Federal Government’s commitment and collaboration in the nascent efforts to combat the newly discovered diseases and prevent them from coming into the country.

    The forum was attended by stakeholders from some African countries and food scientists from Europe. (NAN)