The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Stallion bags outstanding rice value chain award

    Stallion integrated rice value chain approach has won the Feed Nigeria Summit “Agro Processor of the Year Award” at the  Nigeria Agriculture Awards.

    The award is in recognition of Stallion Popular Farms & Mills Limited concerted efforts at integrating rice value chain in the Nigerian agrarian economy as well as its dogged resolves to humanise farmed rice and self-sustainability in food production.

    ”We owe this accomplishment to President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership atitudes and his agrarian-business agenda,” Stallion Popular farms & Mills Group Director Hapreet Singh remarked. He said the farm was leveraging the policy impetus of the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda to bring sustainable and scalable growth to farmers.

    The farm’s effort to increase cultivated rice yield began in 2007 and has since been at the forefront of paddy agronomists in the country, working tirelessly to enhance rice production through scientific agricultural practices.

    Singh, while receiving the award,  at the event in Lagos, said it hoped to increase locally farmed rice to 1.5million tonnes yearly from 450, 000 metric tonnes.

    He said the farm has already deployed enhanced milling activities and set up more milling facilities through structured farming techniques.

    While thanking Feed Nigeria Summit for creating a platform to acknowledge real positive change makers in the agrarian sector, Mr. Singh said the creation of integrated agricultural operations such as world-class rice mills at strategic locations would promote milling and paddy cultivation in the captive areas and consequently make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production.

    Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Afam Mbanefo, who presented the award to the firm’s representative plauded Popular Farms and Mills commitment to the Federal Government’s exhaustive agenda in rice production.

    “You have not only supported the country’s agrarian objective for self-sufficiency in rice production, but have also worked assiduously with local and state governments in ensuring food security. Your efforts are indeed remarkable,” he added.

  • Kano to supply bags of fertilizer to farmers

    Kano to supply bags of fertilizer to farmers

    The Kano State Government says it will supply 400,000 bags of fertilizer to farmers to enable them to record bumper harvests in this year’s farming season.

    Alhaji Bala Muhammed, the Managing Director of Kano State Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO), said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Thursday.

    Muhammed said that the state government had provided the company with the needed equipment to blend the “NPK 10-10” fertilizer and meet the farmers’ needs.

    “KASCO will also supply improved maize, rice, sorghum, soya bean, tomato and cucumber seeds to enhance agricultural production this year,” he said.

    He said that the state government would invite prominent agricultural companies to collaborate with KASCO, with a view to expanding its fertilizer blending capacity.

    He said that the company was targeting the production of between 25 tones and 30 tones of fertilizer per hour.

    Muhammed urged the chairmen of the 44 local government councils in the state to assist farmers in their neighborhoods with extension services so as to boost their productivity and harvests.

    “The Kano State Government is very much interested in making KASCO stronger to be able to enhance the state’s agricultural productivity,” he added.

     

  • Plateau approves N3 billion to reacquire Barc farms

    Plateau approves N3 billion to reacquire Barc farms

    The Plateau government has approved N3 billion to reacquire Barc farms, a subsidiary of the state-owned Jos International Breweries, sold to a private farmer 24 years ago.

    According to Mr Dan Manjang, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Governor Simon Lalong, the figure was agreed upon after months of negotiations with the buyer of the facility.

    “The facility is very crucial to our agricultural revolution programme; that is why we approached the buyer, who agreed to re-sell it back to us.

    “The farm has more than 5,000 hectares for agricultural investments; the Plateau people were not happy when it was sold out, so we had to buy it back because it is a major asset,” he said.

    Manjang expressed government’s readiness to right the wrongs of preceding administrations, saying that government would always be guided by the interest of the Plateau people.

    On other achievements in the last two years, Manjang said that 2,889 persons had been trained in various skills as part of measures to turn Plateau youths into job creators, instead of perpetual job seekers.

    He said that the trainees had been empowered to start up their businesses toward building a robust economy, and listed the skills as carpentry, shoe making, hair dressing, catering, leather works, welding and soap making.

    Manjang said that the training was facilitated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, through the Plateau State Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency.

    According to him, Plateau government paid N2 billion to access another N2 billion facility from the Federal Government to ease access to credit facilities by the trainees.

    The official disclosed that each of the 17 local governments had been directed to train 200 others as well, so that more youths would benefit from the skills acquisition scheme.

    “By the time the local governments are through with their training, there will be 3,400 youths ready to start their businesses and create more jobs toward a better Plateau,” he said.

    Manjang said that road projects, started by former administrations, had also been completed and put to use.

    He identified major ones to include the Jos Wild Life Park way, the Secretariat Junction flyover, as well as the Jos – Mararaba Jamaa and Zarmaganda – Rayfield roads.

    “We assessed some of the uncompleted projects and found that they had direct bearing on the lives of the people, so we opted to complete them; what matters is the welfare of the people, not who initiated any project,” he said.

    He said that special attention had also been paid to the growth of the young Plateau University in Bokkos, with more structures put in place while 68 lecturers were being sponsored to bag doctorate degrees.

    “We expect the lecturers back in 2018. Their presence will boost the quality of manpower and ensure speedier accreditation to programmes awaiting such endorsement,” he said.

    He said that government had also initiated steps to revive many industrial outfits like the Jos International Breweries, Fertilizer Blending Plant, Barkin Ladi, as well as the Plateau Bottling Company.

    “A German firm has just completed an audit of equipment at the Jos International Breweries preparatory to reviving the firm; we expect the machines there to roar back to life very soon”, he said.

    The official restated government’s commitment to cattle ranching, and described the policy as the best way of rearing cattle globally.
    “The bill for ranching has been knocked off at the federal level, but we still encourage people to embrace ranching because its benefits are numerous.

    “Aside healthier cattle, the milk production will be higher, while youths used as herders will be freed to go to school and be more productive.

    “Above all, ranching shall minimize the clashes between farmers and herdsmen because cows will be restricted to one space, which checks the possibility of straying into farms.”

  • Govt. to partner private investors to boost tomato production

    Govt. to partner private investors to boost tomato production

    The Kano State Government says it is ready to partner with private investors to boost tomato production in the state.

    The state Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday.

    Gawuna said the state government was ready to allocate farms to private investors to produce the commodity in large commercial quantity for sale to the Dangote Tomato Processing Company and individuals.

    He said under the plan, the state government would allocate the farms to interested private investors who would produce the commodity and sell it to people for local consumption.

    According to him, the initiative would go along way in boosting production of the commodity in addition to providing Tomato Processing Companies with adequate raw materials for their operation.

    “This is what the government did at Kadawa where it set aside many farms for tomato production as a trial,” Gawuna said.

    The Commissioner, who, attributed the decline in tomato production in the state in recent times to pest infection, said the state government had concluded arrangements to support farmers to boost the production of the commodity.

    He said the government had set up a committee called “Innovative Platform on Tomato” to ensure effective implementation of the government’s plans.

    He also disclosed that the state government had concluded arrangements to construct boreholes at all irrigation sites across the 44 local government areas of the state to enhance irrigation activities.

    Gawuna said the measure became necessary in order to ensure massive production of some selected commodities especially groundnut, maize and wheat, among others.

    “The initiative will not only provide job opportunities to the teeming number of unemployed persons but will also check rural-urban drift especially among youths,”he added.

    NAN reports that due to the decline in the production of the commodity in Kano and other neighbouring states, the Dangote Tomato Processing Company had yet to resume production since the outbreak of the tomato disease known as “Tuta Absoluta”, about two years ago.

  • Creating productive youths through agro enterprises

    Youths are the livewire of any country. A productive youth will create a productive economy. In collaboration with the Michigan State University, Master Card Foundation has launched a programme for the empowerment of 15,000 youths in Nigeria and Tanzania. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    With unemployment on the rise, the youth can find opportunities in the agricultural sector as entrepreneurs.

    The Master Card Foundation and Michigan State University (MSU) Ag youth lab is designed with this in mind to assist the youth in employment and entrepreneurship in the agrifood system in Nigeria and Tanzania.

    Launched in Lagos, the Ag youth lab is intended to support 15,000 youths aged 18 and 24, by improving their abilities to find quality farming and agro-processing jobs, access finance, start and grow agro businesses, and expand opportunities.

    At the launch of the  lab in Lagos, the Special Assistant on Innovation & Entrepreneurship to the Acting President, Ife Adebayo, said job creation through agriculture remained a priority of the Buhari-led administration.

    He reiterated that the government was determined to invest in empowering the youth to build their entrepreneurial  and technical skills and spirit, so that they could help boost agricultural productivity.

    Adebayo said  youth participation along the value chain was vital to the growth of the  economy, from food production, storage and handling, to agro processing.

    He urged the youth to avail themselves of the opportunities in the sector.

    The Ag youth lab, he said, will  provide a vibrant space for youths development – supporting young people to play an active role in food production.

    John Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy, MSU, Adesoji Adelaja, said it is a five-year $13 million collaboration.

    The partnership, he explained, will  support the youth in major food sheds in Lagos and Dar es Salaam to access employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

    Nigeria, according to him, will have the lion’s share in the deal to help young people access employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the fast-growing horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava and oilseed sectors.

    He said the project is targeting 10,000 youths in Nigeria, adding that 75  per cent of the fund will be used to support them.

    He said the project could provide new jobs in agrifood systems, by identifying constraints affecting the capacity of youth to take up these economic opportunities.

    Adelaja explained that the project would pursue a mixed programme strategy to increase youth economic opportunities on and off-farm. The programmes will increase the knowledge, productivity and market engagement of youth who have the desire and ability to be good farmers.

    He noted that agriculture is increasingly seen as offering a bright future for young people and a way to stimulate growth in the rural economy.

    Senior  Adviser to the Associate Provost and Dean, International Studies and Programmes at MSU, Dr Julie Howard, said the project will seek increased investment and policy change to support the scaling up of activities to boost  youth participation in agric employment and entrepreneurship.

    She said efforts would concentrate on green revolution technologies and supportive government policies that kick-started rural economic growth processes and pulling more youths into more productive jobs.

    She talked about unexploited opportunities: increasing youth employment and entrepreneurship in agriculture. These opportunities, according to her, relate to modernising traditional agriculture, and range from on-farm service provision (e.g. tractors for hire, input dealers) to food processing, marketing, and the expansion of food away from home products and services. Not creating more and better economic opportunities for young people, she warned, could threaten to stability.

    Managing Director/CEO, Venture Garden Group Nigeria,Bunmi Akinyemiju, said Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools would help modernise agriculture, make value chains more efficient, provide new employment opportunities, and attract more young people to the sector.

    Specifically, he said young farmers who apply ICT tools and skills to their farming businesses have higher yields, incomes and social status.

    According to him, facilitating access to ICTs and improving rural broadband connectivity are key to attracting young entrepreneurs to agriculture.

    He stressed that efforts in this field must go hand in hand with increased capacity building in ICT use, tailored towards agribusiness development.

    The Ag Youth Lab would emphasise policy research, data and analytics to develop a cost-effective, scalable model for youth training and facilitation, she added.

    “Our e-learning and monitoring and evaluation platforms will support the program by providing trainees and other stakeholders with the information needed to succeed,” Akinyemiju,  the lead partner responsible for data and information technology activities, said.

    Senior Programme Manager, Youth Livelihoods, The Master  Card Foundation, Alemayehu Koira, said the  youth programme would provide skills training for economically disadvantaged young people so they could find employment.

    The skills training will focuse on developing foundational skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and technical skills.

    He said agricultural production is central to young people’s livelihood. Youth participating in the programme, he noted, is given to enable them to venture into farming  and  food processing, value addition and sales.

    The vision of MasterCard Foundation, he reiterated, is to see youths transform agriculture into agri-businesses.

    One of the major goals of the project, Koira said, is a radical change in the way youths are taught agriculture and entrepreneurship. The skills required for a modern agriculture and food system, he explained, are of a higher order and need to be upgraded significantly.

    Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCA-TECH), Prof Gbemiga Adewale, said the project delivers a comprehensive package of services, including skills training, business development and mentoring to young people aimed to equip youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to capitalise on economic opportunities and increase their incomes, with the ripple effects benefiting thousands out there.

    Using a “train the trainers”approach, local colleges and their graduates would train community facilitators to expose youth to new opportunities and pass on skills using an experiential learning approach.

    “We will work together to establish an atmosphere where youth will be able to create jobs and become agents of food sufficiency as well as ambassadors of character,” Adewale said.

    Deputy Director-General, Partnerships for Delivery, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Kenton Dashiell, said IITA would bring the lessons from its experience to help Ag Youth Lab tap the dynamism of Africa’s youth.

  • Communities get compensation as Lagos acquires 500 hectares for farm estate

    The Lagos State Government has paid five communities in Eluju-Mowo on Itoikin-Epe Road compensation for acquiring 500 hectares of their land for the Farm Estate Initiative.

    The Special Adviser on Food Security to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Ganiyu Sanni, made this known at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ikeja, while presenting cheques to representatives of the affected communities.

    He said the payment was in fulfilment of the promise of the government’s promise to the residents.

    According to him, the action was subsequent to the effort of the government to address various challenges facing agriculture in the state and promote the use of agricultural land for its intended purposes

    Sanni added that the effort was geared towards boosting food security, explaining that land in these communities would be allocated to farmers after the payment of crop compensation.

    He revealed that the government was interested in commercialising agriculture, adding that a drastic move from subsistent farming to a high mechanised farming was underway.

    Urging members of the compensated communities to continue to cooperate and carry their people along, he said their cooperation was key to the development of their communities.

    Sanni noted that farming on the acquired land would be done with modern implements to boost output, adding that the government recently inaugurated its Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre to complement the state-owned functional agricultural implement unit.

    He said: “The Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre is targeted towards providing mechanised tools at a reduced rate to farmers, the initiative has been set to reduce drudgery in agriculture; increase farm land under cultivation; promote competition and enhance the value of money for farmers.”

    Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry Agriculture, Dr.Olayiwole Onasanya said the administration would remain committed to ensuring the state becomes food secured.

    He added that government has demonstrated its all-inclusive system by involving members of the various communities, appreciating them for the support they have shown so far.

  • Expert seeks improved livestock production

    A Professor of Forage Agronomy and Utilisation  Olufemi Onifade, has explained what the country should do to increase local production of meat, milk, mutton, veal, hides, skin and other exports.

    According to Onifade, the animals producing these products should be adequately fed and well taken care of, to increase the quantity and quality of the citizens’ animal protein intake and generate income for youths.

    Onifade made the disclosure while delivering the 53rd Inaugural Lecture of the University titled, “Grasses: Production and Management for Sustainable Livestock Industry”, where he enumerated the importance of forage in the stabilisation of soil, serving as cover crop for erosion control, usage as pesticide, feed for ruminants and non-ruminants, medical and recreational activities, among others. Onifade, who is of the Department of Pasture and Range Management, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM), observed that forage evaluation started long time ago in Nigeria, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where forage species were first evaluated in 1935, which led to the need to focus on pasture, grassland management and to establish more cooperation between livestock and traditional farmers.

    He noted that between 1956 and 1961, about 271 pasture species were evaluated at various centers in sub-humid zone and at the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI).

    He added that the livestock industry had contributed tremendously to national economy as the population of ruminant livestock in Nigeria, as at 2013, was estimated at 40,834,000 goats, 19,590,000 sheep and 16,286,000 cattle, adding that agricultural contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 22 per cent, out of which livestock was 30 per cent. He said that many established pastures were not doing well and failed to last long, while calling for proper planning, identifying fertilizer needs, using of quality seed, land preparation, proper sowing method and proper management of weeds.

  • ‘How to boost food production’

    ‘How to boost food production’

    What can the government do in times of weak growth and limited fiscal resources? It should come out with policies to revamp the economy and reduce poverty, participants at the just-concluded Feed Nigeria Summit have said.

    The event, with the theme: : “Feed Nigeria; To Feed Africa”, brought together business service providers, financial institutions, agribusinesses,farmers, development partners and top government officials.

    The participants said policies that could fast-track infrastructure investment, enhance flexibility in markets, and promote competition in the sector would ignite investment.

    Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Senior Business Analyst, Seyi Adedotun, stressed that policy priorities should include reforms to improve the quality of institutions, infrastructure, skills and adoption of new technology.

    He added, however, that states’ involvement in agricultural transformation was an important part of the economic future of Nigeria.

    According to him, states’ deliberate  ownership of national interventions such as Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and the Green Alternative: Agriculture Promotion Policy, 2016-2020, will boost productivity, raise farmer’s incomes, and promote broader economic growth.

    In Nigeria, he noted that land reform was a challenge and  incentives to encourage private sector investment were not there.

    Generally, he said states had roles to play in identifying challenges and proffering solutions to drive development in the zone.

    Much of the nation’s economic development, Adedotun added, would be hinged on industrialising agriculture and introducing land reform.

    On the role of regions, he explained that they have to play a major role in delivering food security, which involves offering incentives, among other forms of support.

    He said tht a vibrant, sustainable and resilient regional agriculture sector was vital for the nation’s economic future.

    Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna stressed that removing the hurdles preventing farmers from accessing finance was one step that would help the sector to achieve competitiveness, potential and sustained economic progress.

    He said the agricultural loans for small-scale farmers seeking to grow their businesses were still regarded as high risk by banks, noting that Kano is focusing on private sector development, scaling up investments, and creating access to funding and commercial infrastructure.

    Gawuna reiterated the determination of the state to strengthen production system and facilitate access to markets for rice and wheat production among small and medium scale commercial farmers.

    To complement the Federal Government’s policy on rice production, he said the state was providing support for wheat and rice producers.

    Part of the effort, according to him, is being the coordinator and facilitator of seed producers, farmers, warehousing facilities and marketers.

    On the anchor borrowers programme, GAwuna lamented that the state’s debt portfolio stood at over N1 billion from the demand notice issued to it by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on loan default by rice farmers from the state.

    He said the state was ready to persecute affected farmers to compel them to repay the loans.

    Expressing displeasure with defaulters, the commissioner said the level of response was not encouraging. He said the farmers would be prosecuted for defaulting, adding that the farmers have to pay up the loan or face legal action.

    Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanisation, Processing & Export Mr. Afam Mbanefo said the state was working towards  increasing agricultural productivity and reducing unemployment.

    He said Anambra State government was ready to boost rice production and equip farmers with modern facilities to ensure sufficiency.

    Earlier, Chairman, AgroNigeria,  Edem Ekwo, explained that the Feed Nigeria Summit was convened with no other intention than to critically assess the challenges of Nigerian agriculture and proffer workable solution to them.

    According to him, the summit could not have come at any better time than now when the economies of the world are slumping and agriculture has come to a critical force as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic diversification policy.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) AgroNigeria Richard Mark-Mbaram,  and stakeholders at the summit expressed conviction that the Home Grown School Feeding Programme can serve as catalyst for accelerated increase in agricultural productivity.

    He said the summit was a well thought out solution oriented convocation, which centrally sought to underscore that Nigeria, by the sheer size of her population and economy, is the fulcrum of the agenda to feed Africa and must immediately be galvanised to better feed itself.

    Director,Songhai Centre, Prof Godfrey Nzamujo,  emphasised that agriculture should be seen as a serious business in any nation.  He then called on Nigerians to get involved in agriculture as it remains the roadmap to viable and sustainable development in Africa.

    He stated that if sustainable and integrated agriculture is embraced in Nigeria, it can become a catalyst that can turn Nigeria into zone for mass construction.

    Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Adepeju Adebajo, said the summit was important because it had to do with agriculture, education, social intervention health and nutrition.

    Adebajo said the objective of the programme was to see how the HGSFP would be sustained, stressing that it was the reason why government functionaries, private sectors and agribusiness people gathered to ensure that the programme was sustainable.

    Calling for policy for sustainable growth and continuity of the various programmes in place by successive administrations, Adebajo said the energy around agriculture was the great need for sufficient funding.

    Added to this, she emphasisied: “It is very important that we have policies embedded in that programme to ensure that the federal government will be able to sustain it, especially in the area of funding.”

    She said the Ogun State has embraced and launched the programme, adding that the programme guarantees demand and once that is assured, it goes a long way in boosting the economy.

    She said the role of the government was to ensure that all enabling policies are put in place to help the farmers do basic operations such as access to land, inputs and the likes.

    She added that there are so many intervention programmes, but it was discovered that farmers were unaware of them, stressing that one of the roles of the ministry is to ensure that there is continuing dialogue so that farmers will be able to know where they can get inputs, financing and most importantly, engage the off-takers.

    Adebajo also stated further that the role of the ministry and the state is to continue to bridge the gap between the producers and off-takers to ensure that the value chain is not broken and ensure that the private sector sees the opportunities in the programme.

    The two-day gathering focuses on policy options that the government should consider adopting to ensure that Nigerians can be fed.

    The event featured panel discussions on opportunities in the agriculture sector, the importance of forming strategic partnerships to enhance agricultural productivity, risk-sharing agricultural lending, and alternative sources of financing for agribusiness.

    The event also featured an award presentations. The awardees included, Pillar of Agriculture-Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Oba Adeyeye Eniìtàn Ògúnwùsì; All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) President, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim; Dr Kanayo Nwanze and Dr Victor Iyama.

    Achievers in Agriculture included: Mr. Kola Adeniji; Otunba Femi Oke; Managing Director, Erisco Foods Nigeria Limited, Chief Eric Umeofia; Dr. Mike Omotosho; Prof. Eustace Iyayi; Mr. Manir Umar;  S. D. Yakubu Atar; IAR, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the late Dipo Famakinwa

    Agric Governors of the Year  were Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State and  Kebbi State  governor, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, while Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture,  Mr. Afam Mbanefo  was named Agro-Commissioner of the Year. Ogun State was named  AgriBusiness Destination of the Year. Don Sola Adeniyi Bunmi was announced Agro-Ambassador of the Year while Managing Director, Fresh Direct Foods, Angel Adelaja was Nagropreneur of the Year, among other awards.

  • New method of multiplying plantain for farmers

    New method of multiplying plantain for farmers

    To farmers cultivating plantain on a large scale, getting suckers to buy is difficult because of their prohibitive cost. But farmers are now exploring a cheaper technique of multiplying suckers for planting, reports DANIEL ESSIET .

    Chief Executive, Sendulus Consulting, Clifford Eborgu, is a young agro-entrepreneur  in Oyo State.

    To him, agro-business is lucrative, especially plantain farming segment. With assured market, higher returns and low-risk factors, plantain farming holds the ace in agro-business.

    But despite this, getting good suckers can be a challenge for starters and young farmers because of their rising cost which, of course, depends on their grade. For a farmer cultivating plantain on a large scale, this could be pretty expensive, just as it has been a challenge accessing high-yielding and disease-resistant plantlets. Many a farmer still rely on old low-producing suckers.

    However, a method for rapid multiplication of plantain suckers, which promise to end the problems faced in getting sufficient planting material has emerged. Known as macro propagation, the innovative method   provides an affordable, simple and relatively rapid technique for multiplication of plantain  for  small and medium scale farmers.

    It  has the potential to overcome challenges faced by farmers,  such as increased unavailability of seedlings at farm level with the assurance of affordability, quality, true to type and choice of cultivable seedlings to farmers, which allow a single sucker to have up to 15 plantlets.

    The method, according to Eborgu, gives better yields in addition to quick maturity than the normal suckers.

    With the method, one can induce a sucker to sprout  to between 8-15 new ones. The size of the sucker determines the number of plantlets that will sprout.

    After propagation, it takes at most three weeks to see the plantlets shoot from the sucker and three months to have the suckers ready for planting.

    Eborgu said farmers, who want to make money producing suckers need propagators. According to him, propagators are used for sprouting of new seedlings and hardening of the subsequent sprouts.

    He explained that propagators, or seedbeds, can be made from wood, plastic or concrete cement constructed at ground level or above ground. Their sizes, according to him, can vary and depend on the production objectives. He added that a greenhouse should be built around the propagator.

    An agribusiness consultant, John Bosco, also based in Oyo, was trained by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He has a large  plantain plantation   that  has stood out to be more productive,  giving him much money. He is growing tissue culture plantains  that  are earning more than what traditional varieties fetch.

    One acre approximately can hold between 450 and 540 plantlets, depending on the spacing. Key among the many benefits of the plantain being produced through this method is that plantlets go through a process, which results in starter material that is clean and free from pest and diseases.

    The suckers are obtained from a particular mother plant  to  enable traceability if resulting ‘sword suckers’ are diseased. According to him, macro propagation is the method of sucker multiplication in the field. It is one method of plantain sucker multiplication that produces relatively clean and healthy plantain suckers between two and four months.

    According to him, farmers need to build simple propagators that can be constructed using fairly cheap materials, such as bamboo and polythene sheets. They can also use iron rods and cast a concrete floor.  To operate the system, he  said  farmers are required to fill the propagators with steam-sterilized fine sawdust.

    Experts said steam sterilisation of sawdust can be performed, using an oil drum. After applying the sawdust into the drum,  Bosco advised  that the sawdust must be covered with old potato bags.

    “Heat is applied under the drum, using firewood and steam from the water to sterilise the sawdust. Steam is passed through this construction for one hour,” Bosco said.

    To him, production cost for a small scale macro-propagation facility, including a propagator, shade, initial suckers, substrates and plant care requirement, nursery bags and labour cost, should be around N300,000. One sucker should produce 10 plantlets, while 300 suckers will produce  3000 plantlets. According to Bosco, one sucker can produce between 10 and 50 plantlets, depending on the variety of plantain and the experience of the farmer.

    He explained that the productivity and lifespan of plantain can be affected by pest and disease pressures. According to him, macro-propagation, a simple technology, enhances plantain production through rapid multiplication and timely delivery of sufficient high quality seedlings. This technique, he added, can greatly boost food security and income generation among small scale farmers if properly adopted for ensuring sustainability.  He added that it can be carried out under the shed or in the open field.

  • Group roots for ‘green revolution’

    Group roots for ‘green revolution’

    As part of its centennial celebration, the Lions District  404B1 Nigeria has adopted the Tree planting project to save the environment from deforestation.

    Last week, Lagos Valiant Lions Club took the campaign for tree planting to Olorunfunmi Junior Grammar School, Idimu, a Lagos suburb, where it planted some trees.

    Its President, Mrs Jennifer Benson-Akinremi, said the club selects a project yearly, and that this year’s event specifically came up last month with the choice of saving the environment.

    ‘’What we are working on was based on a directive from our international office. It is not we only that are doing this, it is all over the world. But we chose this school as our project,’’ she said, adding that the funds for the projects were raised from her colleagues, who are committed to Lions’ three Ts – Talent, Treasure (money) and Time.

    She promised to check the plants regularly to ensure that they do not die.  “Our Tree Planting Chairman, Ibrahim Odunsi, would come here to see to that,’’ she added.

    Odunsi said they chose the school because they felt that the ‘green revolution’should be taken to the grassroots too. ‘’When you protect the environment, you protect lives,’’ he said.

    The state Ministry of Education District 1 Director Dr Olufolayimika Abiose Ayandele, the school’s Principal Mrs Olufunmilayo Adeseri and her deputy Mrs Odeyemi as well as the Head Boy took turns to plant trees, urging that the trees would provide oxygen, shelter and wade off evil winds.

    Mrs Ayandele said: “We pray the trees will germinate and give us fresh air in this environment.’’  Mrs Adeseri thanked Lions for the gesture. ‘’We appreciate Lions. May God bless you. We are planting trees. Tree is life,’’ adding: “We also need your assistance in our perimeter fencing. We have tried and tried, but no help came to  us.’’