The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Boost for rice output at UNDP forum

    Boost for rice output at UNDP forum

    How to improve rice production, among others, topped discussions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) rice value forum held in Minna, the Niger State capital. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    How to enhance rice production dominated discussions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)   forum held in Minna, the Niger State capital.

    Held under UNDP’s Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme’s (ASDP’s) Rice Supply Chain, the roundtable was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, UNDP and Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

    Rice farmers, processors, marketers and researchers, representatives of some stakeholders proffered solutions to problems.

    They listed weaknesses in the value chain as fragmented and small- scale production, poor application of advanced science and technology and low level of mechanisation of production stages, adding that post-harvest technology was not being given proper attention.

    They said rice seeds used by farmers were left overs from the previous season; and the ratio of farmers using certified rice seeds has remained low. These problems, the participants said, led to high cost of production, low quality and poor competitiveness.

    UNDP Inclusive Growth Unit Team Leader Dr Robert Asogwa said the forum aimed to provide solutions to the problems to ensure a secure future for the rice sector.

    Asogwa said UNDP would continue to contribute to rice farming with enhanced agronomic practices and technologies for smallholder farmers.

    He said UNDP was ready to work with the government and the private sector to boost rice production through crop improvement, disease and pest management, sustainable and profitable farming, and capacity building  for farmers.

    According to him, the organisation had made some headway in cassava and had started getting positive results from the projects farmers were undertaking.

    He expressed the hope that the joint effort would improve the productivity and practices of thousands of smallholder rice farmers.

    NIRSAL Executive Director Awoshafe Babatunde said the organisation facilitated the N65 billion loans to farmers.

    To address the problem of agricultural finance, he said NIRSAL was working with banks and microfinance institutions to make long-term commitments of capital for developing agricultural markets.

    For him, credit alone is not enough, but that an holistic approach is needed, including a range of financial and non-financial services.

    He added that NIRSAL supports  value chain finance (VCF) approach and that efforts have been  made through creative financing and partnerships to facilitate investments in agricultural finance.

    Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Chief Audu Ogbeh said implementation of government programmes would help reduce post-harvest losses.

    Represented by the Director of Planning in the Ministry, Musa Alhassan, Ogbeh said: “The Federal Government has banned the importation of rice and there is surplus across the country. This means there is result and it shows that the farmers and all government’s policies are aiding agriculture produce.

    “We are rice sufficient in the country by 2017. Nigeria will be self-sufficient in rice production. We are getting close as there is improvement on what we have been getting before. This will boost our economy,” he added.

    Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Nigeria Office Programme Officer Dr Umar Halilu said a significant increase in rice productivity and production could only be achieved through improvements in production systems, so,  the techniques farmers use must be enhanced.

    He urged farmers to adopt affordable processing technologies provided by the agency to  enhance the rice value chain, reiterating JICA ’s commitment to providing technical support and advice  to rice farmers.

    Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority  Acting Managing Director Abubuka Sadeeq said rice was the key crop grown by mostly smallholder farmers in Niger.

    He said the state was ready to collaborate with UNDP and other agencies  to enhance capacity building and efficiency in rice production, ensure farmers adopted technologies and innovations in rice farming.

    ASDP has three-fold objectives: first, to improve the quantity and quality supply of agricultural products by farmers and SMEs to markets; second, to provide smallholder farmers and SMEs with support in accessing the agricultural supply chains of lead firms; third, to contribute to national economies by developing agricultural products that meet market quality standards, ASDP Agribusiness Specialist, Dr Nelson Abila said.

    The approach for a rice multi-stakeholder platform recognises that  producers, processors and retailers should not compete as individual entities, rather, they should collaborate as strategic value-chains competing with others in the market place.

    Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics, Dr Opeyemi Ayinde, maintained that with increasing challenges in rice farming, including limited arable land, impact of climate change, labour shortage and limited resources, there was the need to harness innovative solutions and farming technologies.

     

    Milling

    The majority of successful mills are large scale located away from most rice farming areas.

     

    Adding value

    According to the participants, adding value to rice would increase income and  encourage more farmers to add value to the produce.

     

    Credit

    Farmers often lack access to independent credit, both for farming as well as after harvesting. The forces them to sell immediately after harvesting, when supply is abundant and prices low.

     

    Production

    Women Rice Co-operative Union Co-ordinator, Kogi  State, Mrs Esther Audu, said farmers cultivated rice/cotton on plots ranging from an hectare to a few.

    To grow rice, she noted, many farmers relied on family or hired labour. Some farms are mechanised, using the latest technology to optimise fertiliser application and minimise superfluous irrigation.

    She emphasised the need for the  government to make tractors available for farmers and also distributed seedlings, fertiliser and other inputs to improve their productivity.

    Mrs. Audu identified lack of mechanisation, low quality inputs and poor funding as hindrances to rice production.

    According to her, peasant women play a key role: planting, weeding, transplanting and harvesting.

    With the deluge of cheap imported rice in the market, rice farming is slowly becoming non-viable, and with the loss of it various farm jobs women do.

    According to her, many farmers are not benefiting from the Central Bank  of Nigeria’s (CBN’s)  Anchor Borrowers programme.

    Other farmers of the scheme decried the late disbursement of input, which they said, affect their harvest during the rains.

    For agriculture to improve and for the nation to attain inclusive growth, participants noted that  banks should lend to agriculture.

    External Relations Director, Nigeria Markets11, Mr Godson Ononiwu, said the country has agricultural potential, though the price, quality, and supply of its rice were yet to meet international standards. The main problems facing the industry, he said, were a lack of adequate warehouses and seeds, as well as an inefficient market system.

  • Emefiele hails Kebbi rice farmers

    Emefiele hails Kebbi rice farmers

    Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele has inspected rice farms in Itane, Ketar Fulani and Gwadan Gwaji villages in Kebbi State.

    Emefiele, who expressed satisfaction with the farmers’ yield, said the major objectives of the Anchor Borrowers’Programme (ABP) had been largely achieved.

    The objectives of the ABP include assisting rural smallholder farmers to grow from subsistence to commercial level, increase capacity utilisation, create jobs, reduce poverty, and increase banks’ finance to the agricultural sector, among others.

    Emefiele, who was accompanied by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, and the representative of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said ABP was yielding result due to farmers’ access to good seedlings, pesticides and fertiliser as well as support from states.

    Emefiele urged farmers to always forward their challenges to the bank and other authorities for quick solution, even as he assured them of the continued support of the CBN. He enjoined the media to inspect rice farms and report objectively.

    Noting that the refusal of some farmers to register for the Bank Verification Number (BVN) had militated against their getting access to the ABP facility, he urged them to register accordingly. He also assured that the ABP facility would be spread to many people who registered for the BVN.

    Senator Bagudu, the Chairman, National Task Force on Rice and Wheat, said the objective of the tour was to see how farmers and processors were responding to the call  by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the impact of funds provided under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

  • ‘Organic farming can create more jobs’

    Head of Department of Crop Protection, College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Prof Jonathan Atungwu has said  Nigeria can leverage on the growing market interest in organic agriculture for economic development.

    According to him, organic agriculture involved raising plants and animals in a sustainable manner without the use of chemicals, which are man-made and poisonous.

    He noted that this production system sustained the health status of soils, ecosystems and people, based on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions.

    The professor of Plant Nematology and Deputy Editor, Journal on Organic Agriculture and Environment, said the difference between organic and conventional agriculture was use of synthetic chemical fertilisers to promote plant growth by farmers. Organic farmers, he said would apply natural fertilisers, such as manure or compost, to feed the soil and the plants, adding that where the conventional farmer would use insecticides for pest control, the organic farmer would make use of beneficial insects, birds or plants  such as  the Neem leaf (Dogoyaro), Scent leaf and Bitter leaf. The don added that where the conventional farmer would  use herbicides for weed control, the organic farmer rotates crops and use other farming methods to manage the weeds.

    He revealed that producers of organic beef, pork, poultry and other meat products are using preventive measures such as rotational grazing, a wholesome diet and clean housing in contrast to the conventional producers, who give animal hormones to spur growth and antibiotics to prevent disease with its residual effect. Atungwu noted further that the health risks associated with exposure to some pesticides, fungicides and herbicides was another main consideration when looking at the differences between organic and conventional produce as some of them were linked to cancer and other diseases.

    He said the future of organic agriculture was bright, adding that it is  capable of giving Nigerians safe food.

    Atungwu noted that a scheme, known as the Community Organic Box Scheme (COBS), which started in the university on January 30, 2014, has been meeting the demand for organic products throughout the year in a sustainable manner, adding that  weekly, the organic produce was shared to members.

    Atungwu described FUNAAB as a training and capacity building ground for research and training of farmers and other interested producers. He noted that the aim of the project was not only to grow organic produce on commercial basis in the university, but to train people, who would produce many organic products on a commercial scale.

    Atungwu said organic agriculture operates on four basic principles, namely principle of health; where they look at the health of the soil to make sure that the soil was healthy and if so, the plants would be healthy, the animals would be healthy, the people would be healthy and the whole planet would also be healthy, adding that the principle of ecosy  stem should operate in a manner that would be healthy for humanity, as he charged all to think of a safer future for the nation’s generation that is safe.

     

  • FAO: declining food prices may affect farmers

    FAO: declining food prices may affect farmers

    Declining prices can thwart international efforts to eradicate hunger and  poverty unless steps are taken to guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods for small-scale producers, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da-Silva has  said.

    Globally, food prices are believed to be back to their long-term downward trend in real terms, as supply growth outpaces demand.

    This follows the price surges experienced during the 2008 to 20 12 and a prolonged period of volatility in food markets, Graziano da Silva told Agriculture and Trade Ministers and other government officials and experts, attending a high-level meeting on agricultural commodity prices at FAO’s headquarters in Rome.

    “As policy makers, you are confronted by the challenge of keeping nutritious food affordable for the poor, while ensuring good incentives for producers, including family farmers,” he added.

    “Low food prices reduce the incomes of farmers, especially poor family farmers who produce staple food in the developing countries. This cut in the flow of cash into rural communities also reduces the incentives for new investments in production, infrastructure and services,” the FAO Director-General said.

    He underscored the need to consider the current decline in agricultural commodity prices in the context of the international community’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

    In a video address to the meeting, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said that “under the right circumstances” trade provides people with opportunities to join global markets and helps to create incentives for producers to invest and innovate.

    The “historic decision” struck in Nairobi in December 2015 by WTO members to eliminate agricultural export subsidies, according to Azevêdo will “help level the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of farmers and exporters in developing and least-developed countries.”

    For his part, Graziano da Silva pointed to the potential of trade in contributing to global food security and better nutrition, specifically underlining its potential role as an “adaptation tool” to climate change.  Countries that are projected to experience decreasing yields and production due to climate change, will have to resort to the global markets to feed their populations.

  • Push to make Southwest regional food powerhouse

    Push to make Southwest regional food powerhouse

    Regional economic growth is needed to reduce poverty and improve food security in the Southwest, some experts have said.

    They spoke at the Southwest Agriculture Summit (SWAS) held at the Civic Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Its aim was to bring together states in the region to consolidate growth in the sector.

    The theme was Achieving an agro-powered regional economy.

    Stakeholders said harnessing regional strength in farming and food production would enhance sufficiency in the region.

    The event was co-hosted by governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun); Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos); Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo);  Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).

    Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission Director-General Dipo Famakinwa stressed the need for stakeholders to approach the agriculture revitalisation effort from a prism of ‘One Bloc” as advocated by the commission.

    According to him, it is only by working together that the states could maximally deploy and benefit from their vast agricultural potential.

    He noted that the political leadership of the region was developing a strategy to deliver sustainable agri-food resilience, encompassing the whole farming spectrum from arable, horticulture, livestock, value from waste and innovative end-user training.

    Declaring the event open,  Ajimobi stated it was essential for stakeholders to discuss the survival strategy for the region.  “Now is the time to go back and reconnect with our glorious heritage. Now is the time to let go of our terrible dependence on the unsustainable oil and gas resources – two commodities with expiry date”, he said.

    Aregbesola said the forum would allow for knowledge sharing on regional policies that could be adopted to foster synergy and further improve the agricultural value chain. “As a matter of fact, what is happening here today is that the states and other practitioners and stakeholders have opted to share lessons on what has worked and what has not with a view to seeing how some of these success stories can lend themselves to a region-wide adoption,” Aregbesola said.

    In his keynote address, Senior Lecturer, Lagos Business School, Dr Doyin Salami, gave an overview of the state of agriculture in Nigeria with emphasis on the Southwest.

    He noted that oil had failed the nation and it was high time the country developed agriculture to ensure economic diversification.

    He said Nigeria scored  39 per cent  in food security matters in the Global Food Security Index, while Mexico and Brazil scored 65 per cent  and 69 per cent.

    In the past, he said, 70 per cent  of Nigerians were involved in agriculture. But today, 97 per cent of foreign earnings are from oil.

    In 2013, he said Nigeria earned over $80 billion from oil. However, this year, the estimated income would not exceed $30 billion. Nevertheless, there’s hope in agriculture as one of the five sectors that will continue to grow despite the recession. He also stated that there were three requirements to ensure that the system was revitalised. These include: human capital, availability of technology and resources.

    He praised AgroNigeria and the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission for the epoch-making event.

    Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ms Cynthia Mosunmola Umoru noted that oil, which had beclouded Nigeria’s planning process, would soon dry up. She lamented that Nigeria as a country has forgotten her heritage. ‘’When that oil which is taking our attention dries up, then we will think and concentrate on the most important alternative,” said Umoru, who is also a farmer.

    The Chief Executive, AgroNigeria, Mr Richard-Mark Mbaram, expressed that it became necessary to hold such a summit in the spirit of agricultural renaissance in the country. ‘’We have gathered experts and stakeholders in agribusiness to brainstorm and discuss agriculture. The ultimate objective is to trigger a new development paradigm that will really have the sub-national governments and institutions have a major contribution in the con-ceptualisation, formation and implementation process of our country’s agricultural policies”.

    The AgroNigeria boss pointed out that the private sector is also being galvanised to “play a more involved role in auditing policy implementation in agriculture by identifying the stress areas and proffering realistic and practical solution to same”.

    Facilitator, Agric and Food Security Policy Commission of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Alhaji Fatai Afolabi, explained the different partnership models within which agribusiness can thrive.

    He noted that privatisation if properly done,  holds the key to turning erstwhile moribund agri-businesses in the southwest into viable entities – citing Okomu Oil Palm Company and the Okitipupa Oil Palm Companies as instances

  • Minister seeks increased vaccines production for animal diseases

    Minister seeks increased vaccines production for animal diseases

    The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has called on the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association to intensify vaccines production to curb Avian Influenza and other animal diseases in the country.

    He made the call when the association’s executives visited him in his office in Abuja.

    Lokpobiri said for the government to achieve a sustainable food security, more funding was required to support commercial vaccine production.

    He said: “For us to achieve the objective, we need more funding. If the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and your association intensify efforts in vaccines production, we will be able to control or combat the spread of Avian Influenza and other deadly diseases.”

    The minister commended the collaboration between the Veterinary Council and the Veterinary Medical Association, assuring that the ministry would complement their efforts by providing standard abattoirs,cattle grazing and other problems.

    He promised to direct the Director, Legal Department in the ministry to work with the association in reviewing relevant laws that would enhance their operations.

    Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association President, Dr. Edgar Amos Sunday, who led the delegation, noted that the group had contributed to the development of the agricultural sector, especially in the containment of livestock and zoonotic diseases, curbing of cattle rustling and herdsmen/farmers clashes.

    He highlighted the need to review laws hindering veterinary service delivery and livestock development.

    “This should aim to repeal obsolete sections and insert new ones to suit contemporary realities,” he added.

  • Osun School feeding scheme ‘boost to food security, jobs’

    The Osun State School Feeding scheme has been praised as an important strategy for food and nutrition security.

    Special Adviser, Zone A Affairs, Niger State, Alhaji Aliyu Takuma, stated this during a visit  to the state   andTUNS Farms Nigeria Limited, a poultry firm.

    He said the Osun Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme (O-MEALS), formerly Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP), had  brought  the much-needed change to youth/child empowerment.

    According to him, the programme offers guidance on how to design and implement large-scale sustainable school feeding that meets standards.

    Takuma said: “We thought that the programme is just the feeding of school children but today we have been exposed to the reality that the home-grown school feeding programme is a right step towards the change needed in youth empowerment which Osun State has been able to identify.”

    Takuma said if the programme was implemented across the country, it would transform the poultry industry and enable it to achieve its potential as a major source of revenue and employment creator.

    The Assistant General Manager, Admin, Research and Development, Mr. Taofeek Badmus, expressed gratitude to  Governor Rauf Aregbesola, for implementing the programme,  calling  on other governors to adopt it to enhance  their pupils’ nutrition  and  cognitive skills  while improving their academic performance.

    He reiterated the determination of TUNS Farm to make the programme a success and to assist other states interested in starting similar programmes.

    The Programme Officer, School Feeding Programme, Mrs. Ayoola Olubunmi, described the relationship with TUNS Farms as pleasant. She lauded the impact of the programme on the state, which include pupils’enrolment, job creation and women empowerment.

    “The programme, O-MEALS, was conceived with the major aim of feeding school children; however, it has helped increase school enrolment by a minimum of 25 per cent  since its commencement while also creating new jobs for the teeming youths in the state and boosting the local economy,” she said.

  • NEPAD stresses diversification through agric

    For Nigeria to effectively diversify its economy, emphasis must be placed on agriculture, the National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer, New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Mrs. Gloria Akobundu, has said.

    According to her, NEPAD under her leadership would adopt this strategy to ensure food security and reduce the restiveness in various parts of Nigeria.

    She stated this at her maiden briefing in Abuja, noting that the organisation had identified four major areas upon which it would launch a new approach to achieve its objectives.

    Mrs Akobundu said: “These areas include economic diversification with emphasis on agriculture and food security; rethinking and realigning our engagements with development partners and other parts of the world in line with the reality of dwindling oil revenue and receipts.”

    She also spoke about the plan to rebrand and relaunch NEPAD Nigeria “for greater meaning and efficacy in the lives of our people”.

    The NEPAD chief observed that the agency’s vision, as encompassing as it appears to be, might not have envisioned all the realities.

    These, she said, “have come as a result of our growing population, new habits, problems, such as Boko Haram insurgency and the Niger Delta armed struggle, all of which have left various fallout that have left us with an army of Internally Displaced Persons, the maimed, homeless and the likes.

    “All of these are what we seek to address in our new approach so that the vision of NEPAD will make meaning to the grassroots, to the trader or artisan in Monday Market of Maiduguri, Alaba Market of Lagos and even in Ochanja Market of Onitsha.”

    She explained that NEPAD’s vision  was to establish a veritable framework for the development of Nigerians in various sectors and areas of national life, ranging from trade and investment to the development of infrastructure across the country.

    “It is not part of my mandate here to question what we have achieved in the years gone by since this partnership was set up in the early 2000. What will occupy me in the months and years ahead will certainly be what we can do to leverage our common efforts to make NEPAD better,” Mrs Akobundu added.

  • Recession: Backyard farm to the rescue

    Recession: Backyard farm to the rescue

    More backyard farms are emerging to supplement household nutrition and income. Backyard farming topped discussions at the World Food Day by Gourmet Guide Communications at the University of Lagos at the weekend. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Farmers with small backyard spaces are using them to grow vegetables and other crops.

    They cultivate veggies mainly for consumption. One of such farmers is  Kayode Bodunde, a logistics expert.

    He and his wife are operating a small farm within their compound. There’s also a poultry.

    The farm is a collaboration among family members.

    Having enjoyed the benefits of a backyard farm, Bodunde is campaigning to bring such back. The impetus behind this is not so much about reducing grocery costs but championing  a return  to  land and getting back to natural foods.

    At a forum on the World Food Day at the University of Lagos at the weekend,Bodunde said backyard farms would help Nigerians prepare for a future where the economy would make buying vegetables expensive.

    According to him, backyard farms encourage food sufficiency. Aside from the convenience of providing food at one’s doorstep, he said the farms encourage healthier lifestyles and diets. He urged landlords to embrace urban farming.

    Bodunde is involved in a project to instal greenhouse at home and on the farms for those who are interested. In addition, he  said,  there are small greenhouses for those who can’t grow produce outdoors.

    He is happy to see corn cropping  in neighbours’yards, or the small spaces between compound walls and gutters.

    But backyard farming is not new in Nigeria. Years ago, rural areas boasted of a vibrant community of home gardeners who put their terraces and  backyards to good use. It was common to have neighbours growing their own vegetables and collecting eggs from own chickens.

    Many of them translated their passion into business ventures. Egg and poultry meat production depend on backyard farming using indigenous chicken breed. Production is very poor, reflecting low body weight.  But these were life-changing events. However, rural-urban drift has halted this.

    The Chief Executive, Corporate Farmers, Mr Akin Alabi, an accountant and financial consultant, has  taken up farming to improve the  productivity level from backyard  farming. With his capability and enthusiasm, Alabi became one of the progressive farmers in a short time. He operates his farms in Ogun State and played an active role in promoting a food secured environment. He has also been able to employ youths in his farms.

    He is a source of inspiration for  youths in farming.

    Though profitability and labour remain challenges, he does not regret the career switch.

    He noted that though farming may be capital intensive, many people are growing food on small plots.

    According to him, farming appeal had been pretty broad-cutting across professionals in various sectors. The range of operations includes backyard plots, large acre farms and projects designed to provide training for agriculture enterprises.

    His organisation provides material support and expertise to gardeners as well as a programme that helps local farmers sell their produce.

    Alabi, also Chief Executive,  Hayzee Mind Concept, noted that as the average age of farmers continues to rise, there was a need for younger farmers to step in to fill the gaps.

    One of those championing backyard farming is the Chief Executive, farmingbizsetup.com, Mr Lamson Opeyemi.

    A computer graduate, Opeyemi had no background in farming. Today, he is raising mini-livestock. He  runs the business and wants Nigerians to see him as a model backyard farmer.  His campaign is for Nigerians to run mini-livestock farms on  where they live.

  • FFUAE votes N87.5m to support farmers

    A non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Foundation for Unemployed and Empowerment (FFUAE), has set aside N87.5 million to support 350 farmers in 12 states.

    The grant is to encourage farmers to introduce modern techniques, promote increased domestic production and opportunities for value-added agro-processing.

    The 12 states are Edo, Enugu, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Nassarawa, Kogi, Benue, Kaduna, Kebbi and Cross River.

    According to the organisation, farmers will be selected after officials from the foundation had conducted farm and factory site inspection.

    In furtherance of this, the organisation said it was carrying out capacity building on five value chain products in designated zones across the country. The value chains are cassava, rice, aquaculture, maize and poultry.

    FFUAE said the organisation was partnering with Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP), Enugu State and with AL – TAJ Fund for Development, (Dubai) to empower unemployed youths and women who wanted to go into agriculture.

    Through its Small-Scale Business Enterprise/Youth Employment Programme (SSBE & YEP), the foundation said it was giving financial grants and technical advice to support Nigerians to develop the agricultural industry through diversification and by creating added value.