The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Group aims for Group aims for self-sufficiency in poultry, eggs

    Tuns Group, a leader in the agricultural and agro-allied industry, has said it is working to reduce imports of poultry and eggs and achieve food self-sufficiency.

    It said its investment in the Osun State poultry  industry  would boost job creation and help the country achieve self-sufficiency in white meat.

    The group said it was expanding its chicken farm to boost the quantity of poultry produced in the country. The site has facilities, including a large unit dedicated to broiler breeding – fast-growing breeds of chicken raised for their meat.

    There are poultry farms, hatchery poultry farms, a slaughter house and a section for processing poultry products.The processing plant manager, Olawoye Olumide, said the new facility would increase the company’s capacity by over 100 per cent of its production.

    According to him, the exercise would lead to a reduction in the processing time, increase the number of chicken processed to 20,000 birds per day as well as reduce the blast freezing time from about eight hours to two hours.

    “We have an installed processing capacity of 15,000 birds per day. By the time we are through with our planned overhaul, this will increase to 20,000 per day,” he added.

  • DFID funds fishing projects, devt

    Market Development Programme (MADE), a four-and-a-half year programme sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID), is to raise the income of Niger Deltans by boosting the value chain of aquaculture and fisheries. The programme aims to stimulate private sector provision of services and promote innovative and inclusive business models that reach many low-income households. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Over the last two years, Market Development Programme (MADE), a  four-and-a-half year programme sponsored by Department for International Development (DFID),  has funded projects in the Niger Delta that empower rural people and associations.

    One of the programmes empowers  fish  farmers to know how to process andpreserve fish and other methods that make fishing profitable. It focuses on making farmers be innovative.

    MADE Team Leader Olatunde Oderinde said the programme was designed to ensure the region got  the  support it needs to boost vital services, kick-start economic growth, create jobs and give millions the opportunity to escape poverty. An integral part of the interventions of the market for development project, according to Oderinde, had been to enlighten and assist in fish farming and processing, and the impact on residents of Niger Delta riverine communities has continued to increase in the concluding quarter.

    Underpinning MADE’s intervention  is the goal to achieve improved  inclusiveness and developmental impact through better market linkages and trade linkages leading to increased productivity and incomes for rural poor and women, he added.

    He said the programme conducted training on pond management and enterprise development in Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. In the process, more than 1,000 pond fish farmers were trained. Thirteen fish farmers were also assisted to secure  loans from the Cosmopolitan Bank to start up their fish farming businesses. According to him, 29 per cent of them were women.

    A participant of the 12-week pond management training at Elelenwo, Rivers State, Lovelyn Osuagwu,  said she had been impacted by the exercise, and could easily set up a fish farm. She is partnering with four other participants to set one up.

    In these trainings, fish farmers are taught how to control disease, correct fish feeding regime by biomass and general proper management of the pond among several other things in practical true -to-life terms. Many past recipients have testimonies of how these trainings have changed their lives. Saviour Divine is an example.

    While he already knew the essentials of fish farming, having been born into a fish farming family in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, he did not have proper management skills and adequate knowledge of best practices to make his fish farm a profitable business until the training.

    Since the training, Saviour has recorded results from his farm that have multiplied his past earnings.

    As a deviation  from slow fish processing practices, improved mechanical smoking kilns have also been introduced in these regions, to not only reduce the time spent on fish processing, but also reduce the risk of accidents, respiratory-related illnesses caused from long inhalations of smoke and increase the capacity of fish that can be smoked at a time, which would ultimately lead to improve fish processing practices that raise profit to an all-time high.

    Smoking kiln demonstration trainings were carried out in communities in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River  and Akwa I bom states. At the end of the trainings, kilns were made available to buyers.

  • Youths seek bright future in agribusiness

    Youths seek bright future in agribusiness

    The challenges of succeeding in farming and agro business are immense for young people. To address these, Young Professionals  for Agricultural Development (YPARD), an international movement, met in Lagos to share the know-how needed to build agribusiness  during the organisation’s 10th anniversary, DANIEL ESSIET was there.

    Chief Executive Officer, AgriHub Nigeria, Aderonke Aderinoye, is on the fast track to building a successful career in the food industry. She was one of the speakers during the 10th anniversary forum of Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD), which was held in Lagos.

    She left her banking job to start farming business. Today, she has a thriving business, completed an entrepreneurial training programme, and led the launch of a private farm estate. The young farmer, Aderonke, is the founder of Keeko Food Hub and AgriHub Nigeria.

    “At Agrihub, the aim is to create shared values for youths, particularly in agriculture and mentor ship through partners,” she said.

    The advantage she has is her ability to adopt technology to boost her farming. These include tracking the growth of crops as well as ensuring that the farmers adopt better agricultural practices and make every crop traceable.

    She has more than 50 acres, growing different crops. With the support of technology, she got significant achievements in agriculture. Her farming is fascinating, but it requires continuous hard-work and devotion.

    With the acquired experience, she was able to study the profile of her farms, advise on the best production method, seed treatment, integrated pest management (IPM), use of raised bed and scientific cultivation.

    For her, agriculture is not merely a profitable business, it is her vision, passion and mission. This is revealed in her words, deeds and thoughts. With her success, Aderonke also motivates several farmers to adopt the scientific cultivation method.

    To further this, her organisation has established a private farm estate in Ogun State to facilitate knowledge transfer to aspiring young farmers through access to farmers with experience. This also aids in practical knowledge and will help to boost zeal in the youth to engage in agriculture.

    Aderinoye argued the case for developing youth-led agribusi-ness to shape a better future for the country. She is determined to reach out to youth food businesses with a triple bottom line vision, and is ready to contribute to the foundation of a broader community in addition to having a great food business. Agribusiness, she added, offers valuable opportunities to youths as a pathway to improving livelihoods, job creation and economic growth. “If planned properly,” she said, “it could lift thousands of youths out of poverty.”

    She added that youths could be empowered to launch small-scale agribusiness activities and a wide range of successful ventures.

    According to her, the future is certain to be bright for youths who venture into agribusiness. With her, the promise of the sector to turn around millions of lives for the better, continues to get believers and financiers.

    Another success story is that of Samuel Kalu, the young Chief  Executive Officer of Agritechnovate Solutions Enterprises. With the encouragement from government helping farmers to diversify into agriculture. He started by growing on large acres, but the profits were minimal due to labour cost. Vegetable cultivation was his main source of livelihood, however, the declining production and income were of great worries to him. He researched and learnt new production technologies for vegetable crops.

    He acquired all relevant information concerning the cultivation of his crops. Today, he is making money from farming cucumber on one plot. From one plot of land where he invested N50,000 to plant cucumber, Kalu made N150,000. The plant takes two and half months to mature and ripe after planting. His strategy is to plant crops with huge market and demand.

    The farm has an array of agronomic practices that guarantee a year-round supply of produce for commercial purposes and household consumption.Kalu is inspiring other farmers to grow vegetable crops.The challenge for him has been lack of offtakers, or the market for the quantity of cucumbers produced on his farm.

    Kalu said there was  need for capacity building, to put youths  in stronger position to run dynamic agribusinesses and help them grow.

    He said there were opportunities in agribusiness and the government needed to develop appropriate policies for it, engage and encourage the youth.

    Kalu noted, however, that unless deliberate interventions were taken to ensure that farmers, achieve higher yields and better prices for their output, the youth will not venture into the sector despite its viability.

    He noted that youths face challenges in seeking greater participation in the agricultural sector.  The main challenges, according to him, include access to knowledge, information and education. Poor and inadequate farming knowledge, he stressed, limits productivity and as well as hinder the development of entrepreneurial ventures.

    He added, however, that some diseases may affect plants on the farm; therefore, appropriate pesticides should be used.

    YPARD Nigeria Country Representative, Olawale Ojo said there were opportunities for young professionals throughout the food and supply chain.

    Creating a positive perspective for young people exploring opportunities in agriculture, Ojo said, was essential for sustainable food supply and job creation.

    Ojo said the establishment of YPARD began as young professionals to realised that they needed guidance to achieve their full potential and contribute towards innovative agricultural development.

    According to him, the group through its activities seeks to equip youths with necessary agricultural, business and social skills, which allow them to make critical and informed decisions about agriculture, to become business entrepreneurs, and decrease the inaugural challenges of building up a viable agribusiness.

    His campaign is zeroed on young farmers to ensure that they meet the quality standards, the quantity required and a constant supply is guaranteed. In return, farmers have a stable market for their produce and at a better price.

    He appealed to young people to approach farming as a business. With employment not readily available, Ojo believes that youths can create their own employment.

    The Head, Communications, YPARD Nigeria, John Agboola,  said the youth in farming are quite different from the old generation.

    He stressed the need to empower young people to find meaningful employment in modern, dynamic, productive and profitable agriculture.

    He said YPARD Nigeria was undertaking activities aimed at creating interest in and commitment to agricultural development among the youth, through information exchange, dialogue, networking and mentorship.

    Among other issues, participants agreed on the need for model farms to enhance the attractiveness of agriculture in the eyes of youth. They maintained that a strong and resilient food system can have a transformational effect on youths by creating jobs and spurring growth in rural and urbaneconomies.

    To achieve this, youths need to adopt climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices.

  • Stakeholders call for greater investment in cassava production

    Leading cassava stakeholders have called for increased investment in cassava production to guarantee long-term competitiveness of the agricultural sector.

    This was  one of the resolutions of the roundtable meeting of cassava value chain stakeholders on cassava supply chain development organised by Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP) initiative of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) ‘s Private Sector’s African Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM) Unit. It held in Lagos.

    UNDP’s African Facility for Inclusive Market (AFIM) is a regional programme that is working to accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by supporting the development of inclusive, pro-poor markets across Africa.

    Participants at the roundtable meeting  include staff of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), representatives of cassava farmers, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), off-takers, suppliers, processors, end-users, input providers, service providers, among others.According to the roundtable, policy makers cannot ignore the sector’s need to stay at the forefront of technological innovation, in order to provide solutions for the agricultural and food security challenges ahead.

    In a communique issued at the end of the roundtable, stakeholders argued that a functional cassava industry is best guarantee for growth, investment, and innovation in the agricultural sector, allowing the nation to have a productive, sustainable, and resilient agricultural base.

    The roundtable observed that for the development drive in the cassava value chain to increase local and foreign earnings as well as improve Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year, there should be increased focus on cassava processing to ethanol, starch, flour mills and livestock feed plants.

  • DAWN, Agro-Nigeria partner to boost agric in Southwest

    The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, a dedicated institution for the sustainable development of the Southwest, in collaboration with Agro Nigeria, is mounting an agric development campaign to boost the regional economy in the long term.

    DAWN Commission was set up by the governments of the Southwest states as the institutional and programme management body to midwife their regional integration agenda.

    Speaking in Lagos, the Chief Executive, Agro Nigeria, Mr Richard Mbaram, said DAWN and his organisation was working on a platform to complement the respective states government efforts to make the  Southwest the most developed industrial region. Agriculture, according to him, has been identified as one of the main directions of development.

    For the region to experience sustainable growth, he noted that an aggressive pursuit of agro industrialisation has become more compelling, insisting that the approach would help reduce the exposure of the regional economies to external shocks while providing decent jobs.

    With dwindling oil, he said all hands must be on deck to build an industrial structure that is competitive; environment-friendly and capable of significantly improving the living standards of the people. The vision of the Southwest region, according to him, was to transform the zone from being a producer of primary goods into a producer of processed value-added good.

    As a region, he reiterated that thearea seeks to promote industrialisation through the exploitation of its abundant natural resources for economic transformation and development.

    To end, he said the commission and his organisation are hosting a Southwest agric summit next month to enforce a regional collective plan to use agriculture to bolster innovation, create jobs and promote the competitiveness and export potential of the constituting states.

    The summit, according to him, billed for October 5, would discuss means of accelerating the agro industrialisation agenda and private sector development across the region.

    He underscored the need for cooperation among the states in their industrial development.

    With the state governors of the Southwest as key partners, he said the summit will look at ways of using agric competitive advantage of each state of the region to stimulate growth and employment, support to meet new economic challenges, enhance the efforts of  the governments to promote agro entrepreneurship.

  • Farmers deserve govt’s support, says Ogbeh

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh has praised rural farmers, saying they feed the population and play a prominent role in food security.

    He spoke at Otukpo in Benue State, during the distribution of improved  cassava stems to farmers.

    At the event, held in the palace of the Ochi Idoma, Ogbeh noted that rural farmers had helped  to forestall food insecurity and crisis, and, therefore, deserved government’s support.

    The programme was implemented by the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Nigeria, a World Bank-funded programme, under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

    The distribution was one of the three WAAPP projects in Benue with the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM), said Acting National Coordinator of WAAPP Nigeria Mr. James Apochi.

    The projects, he said, included fish fingerlings multiplication, cassava stem multiplication and adopted village extension programmes in no  fewer than 12 villages.

    The project, Apochi noted, was to stimulate domestic production of cassava, provide employment, boost rural economy and reduce hunger and poverty.

    Prof John Adisa Ayodele, representing UAM vice chancellor, said the university was poised to  use its land resource to boost production.

    According to him, the university had land large enough for the expansion of the programme. He pleaded for the extension of the WAAPP programme to the second stage after the expiration of the phase.

    Ogbeh told the UAM representative that universities of agriculture should concentrate on their core areas of mandate.

    According to him, “60 per cent of your work should be on practicals, 20 per cent on theory and 20 per cent on research.”

    Ogbeh said it was  time to build the next generation of farmers who would take over the farms.

    He lamented the failure of the agricultural universities to produce graduates that would embark on farming.

    Mr. Oche Abor, who represented the beneficiaries, said by this intervention, the government and WAAPP Nigeria had restored the farmers’ hope.

    He called on the Federal Government to intensify mechanisation as the farmers were ready to feed the nation and Africa.

    Ochi Idoma, Chief Elias Ikoyi Obekpa, who was represented by Chief John Anteni, Adapa of Apa, described agriculture as a profession that was instituted by God and as the main source of livelihood of Idoma people.

    He urged Nigerians to embrace agriculture as it is a profession with dignity. He urged the government to ensure timely availability of essential agro-inputs because of the seasonality of agriculture.

  • Enhancing cassava output to boost economic growth

    Enhancing cassava output to boost economic growth

    A national drive to increase cassava production is gathering strength. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigerian Incentive Risk-based System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) are to roll out initiatives to support cassava farmers to boost production. This was the high point of African Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP)   cassava value chain roundtable in Lagos. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    HOW  to boost  national  economic growth through broad-based productivity measures topped discusssions at  the African Agribusiness  Supplier  Development Programme (ASDP) cassava value chain roundtable in Lagos.

    The forum was organised by the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) Nigeria, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(FMARD) and the Nigerian Incentive Risk-based System of Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).

    Resident Representative, UNDP, Mr Opia Kumah, noted that the fall in the price of commodities, especially crude oil, underscored the need to position agriculture as a major growth driver.

    Kumah said cassava was one of Nigeria’s most important crops and that there was a need to boost its yields.

    According to him. the efforts would not only support domestic demand but also strengthen productivity.

    He said: “The African Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme is one such initiative. The   ASDP aims to improve the productivity of small and medium agribusiness by facilitating support, including training, advice, access to inputs, organisations/ standardisation and linking them to off-takers. These benefit the industry by improving the reliability of supply and ensuring off-takers received high quality agricultural products for processing and marketing.”

    In Nigeria, he said, the ASDP was focused on cassava and rice—two crops with enormous comparative advantage across many states, and which can generate economic multiplier benefits.

    The project, according to him, is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL)  with support from UNDP.

    He said the roundtable  was a step in ASDP’s approach, and that it would bring together stakeholders in the value chain to discuss some constraints and network for the long-term supply chain.

    Minister of  Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh  said agriculture was a priority of the administration to diversify the economy, with the private sector taking the lead while government  provides support infrastructure, control processes and oversight.

    Represented by the Director, Planning & Policy Coordination, Mrs. Olubunmi Siyanbola, Ogbeh observed that Nigeria was one of the leading producers of cassava, with about 40 million metric tonnes yearly.

    He added, however, that cassava  contributed close to zero percent in value added trade in cassava-based products because of Nigeria’s inability to exploit the high value derivatives from processing into starch, flour, sweetener, and  ethanol, among others.

    According to him, this was due to the disconnect among stakeholders in the value chain.

    He said it was hampering the uptake of cassava roots produced by farmers, thereby limiting the efficiency of processors, among other supply concerns.

    He said the government had put  some fiscal measures in place to encourage the cassava value chain.

    “These include zero duty on equipment and machinery, 15 per cent levy on imported wheat, establishment of cassava bread development fund and distribution of 24 million stems of improved cassava varieties to encourage production of high quality cassava flour (HQCF). With these measures, government was able to attract reputable starch production companies to the sector. Consequently, the following large starch factories were established: 100,000 metric tonnes (MT)/year Starch factory in Kwara State, by Green Tech in Agbarra, Ogun state; Iseyin in Oyo State and another 12,000 (MT)/year was built in Kogi State,” he added.

    He noted that the ministry was working with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to reposition the Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ) and that the cassava value chain was key in the arrangement to attract local and world-class firms to invest in the  chain.

    NIRSAL Managing Director Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed said the agency would  empower farmers to increase their wealth and food production.

    Represented by Executive Director, Technical, Mr Babjide Arowosafe, Abdulhameed said NIRSAL was  focusing on ensuring availability of agriculture finance, by promoting risk mitigation products.

    He said the organisation was ready  to work with the government and development partners to position  cassava as  a major transformational crop, which could be a game-changer in national development agenda.

    Programme Specialist, Regional  Private Sector, African Facility for Inclusive Markets (AFIM), Regional Service Centre for Africa,UNDP, Ms Pascale Bonzom, said 80 per cent of farms in sub-Saharan Africa were under small-holder production, supplying up to 90 per cent of the food in some countries.

    She said ASDP intended to improve the productivity of farmers and agribusiness suppliers by facilitating support in form of training, advice, access to input, organisation, standardisation and linking up with lead firms.

    She said six countries—Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Nigeria—have carried out a feasibility study for a national ASDP and prepared a project document or a concept note.

    Rural Institutions Development Specialist, Third National Fadama Development Project (FADAMA111),  Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Thomas Arokoyo, said cassava  farmers struggled with low agricultural productivity.

    He said public-private partnerships in the sector would make it more attractive for the private sector to venture into agro-processing and investments in the sector.

    Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) President Pastor  SegunAdewumi said cassava was an industrial crop, which could reduce imports, increase exports, create employment and increase small-holder farmers’ incomes.

    He called for a more-conducive policy environment to promote public-private-partnership (PPP) in the sector. This, he said, would make the sector more attractive as there were lots of opportunities in the industry as well as challenges.

    According to him, market prospects for cassava was bright if the supply challenges could be addressed through policy interventions.

    Niji Group Chief Executive Adeniji Kolawole said the cassava value chain, if structured properly, could be an economic transformational tool.

    He  urged farmers to  use machines produced by indigenous engineers to boost produce.

  • ‘Fruit exports facing challenges’

    Fruit and vegetable exporters are facing challenges shipping fresh produce abroad, a member of the Nigeria-Vietnam Business Association, Mr Sunday Anjorin, has said.

    He said lack of standard packaging materials and certification process were challenges hindering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from accessing international fruit markets.

    He said fruit and vegetable exports faced many challenges, including quality.

    He noted that it was a challenge as SMEs could not explore foreign orders for fresh fruits, with new standards  emerging  on  efficient packaging materials which local  exporters could not meet.

    Anjorin said Nigeria had great potential to produce fresh fruit, but the challenge was how to meet the orders.

    According to him, there were markets opening their doors to agricultural products from Nigeria in the European Union (EU), South Africa and the United States. He added that  export of agricultural products, considered fresh and competitively priced, to new markets were increasing.

    He said packaging needed to be adapted to stabilise fruit and vegetable export.

    Though the nation’s agro exports have reduced given  the rejections of consignments because of pests in the shipped produce,Anjorin said there were few cases bordering on  absence of phyto-sanitary or plant health certificates.

    He said there were limited cases of  use of fake phyto-sanitary certificates and doctoring of such documents by exporters as the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and relevant agencies were working to ensure  exporters grew pest- and disease-free fruits and vegetables.

    According to him, plant health certificates were issued based on physical inspections by officials of plant quarantine stations.

  • ‘Nigeria must return to agriculture’

    The Executive Director, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Dr. Shola Adepoju, has urged Nigerians to return to agriculture, describing it as the hope of the country.

    Making this declaration at the third Prof Peter Adebola Okuneye Intervarsity Debate (PAID 2016), organised by the Agricultural Economics’ Student Association (AECOSA) of the Federal University of Agriculture,Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Adepoju, who was the chairman on the occasion, said agriculture held the hope for the country.

    He said: “Agriculture is the hope for Nigeria now because that is what everybody has gone back to, but unfortunately, it is not the day we start up that we start to get the result from it.” He stressed the need for government to expedite action towards the approval and disbursement of the country’s agricultural budget.

    He lamented that any further delay in the disbursement might result in funds not reaching the appropriate quarters and achieving the set targets before the rain stops.

    The Vice-Chancellor and President, Association of African Universities (AAU), Prof Olusola Oyewole, described the theme of the debate: Transition in Government: What hope for agriculture? as apt, given the indispensable role of agriculture to the nation’s economy. He challenged students of the university and particularly, students of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management (AE&FM), to always set the pace in agricultural advancement and development in the country.

    “The theme is very apt for such a time as this, being that we are in a transition, and at a time where there are many challenges facing the country that can be solved through research. We are also at a time when the agricultural system of this country needs attention,” he stated.

    Oyewole praised the former Dean, College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development, Prof Adebola Okunneye, whom the debate was meant to honour, for ensuring its sustainability and improving on it with the presentation of awards to deserving agriculturists, who have distinguished themselves in the field of agriculture.

    Explaining the rationale behind the third PAID programme, Okuneye said it was to analyse how well agriculture had fared in the country and proffer solution on the way forward.

  • ‘Govt’s support to agric industrialisation vital’

    The Director-General, African Centre for Supply Chain (ACSC), Dr. Obiora Madu, has said the government is taking steps to improve trade finance avalability to address the gaps in  agro industrialisation, growth and job creation.

    Speaking with The Nation, Madu said the pool of funds established by the government was to serve players in the sector, hitherto underserved by financial institutions.

    The situation, according to him,  requires the government to promote and support bank-intermediated trade finance activities, vital for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) access to capital and credit insurance against global trade risks.

    The absence of export credit guarantees, he noted, was hindering  the  involvement of banks and agri entrepreneurs in export business.

    He said the economy needed trade and credit risk insurance products that encouraged foreign direct investment and trade.

    Madu noted that agribusiness held the key to meeting the demand for food, particularly processed food. The availability of credit for producers, he said, would smoothen the shift from primary production to modern integrated agribusiness, and provide opportunities to many farmers.

    According to him,  funds provided by the Bank of Industry (BoI)  and other  financial service players, can boost agro production and exports, help entrepreneurs hire more hands, and highlight the critical importance of trade credit to economic growth.

    Such facilities would  help to support the expansion of agro business operations as well as provide for critical inputs, such as chemicals, pesticides, farm machinery, spares and equipment, which the country is in dire need of to revive its agricultural sector, he said.

    He said the demand for trade finance could help Nigerians  explore new opportunities.

    Madu expressed satisfaction that the government had introduced reforms to develop the economic and financial system, including trade finance for SMEs.

    Meanwhile, President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has urged countries to institutionalise systems to support agric trade.

    Adesina, who spoke at the Sasakawa Symposium on “Contributing to social security and jobs through agriculture: 30 years of Sasakawa in Africa”, at the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya, maintained that creating markets, developing infrastructure and providing finance for farmers were key to transforming agriculture in Africa.

    Adesina noted that these factors were necessary to transform agriculture into a wealth-creating sector which generates income for farmers.

    “Governments can do this by developing agro-allied industrial zones and staple crop processing zones in rural areas. The zones, supported with consolidated infrastructure – roads, water, electricity – would drive down the cost of doing business for private food and agribusiness firms,” he said.

    Such zones will create markets for farmers, boost economic opportunities in rural areas, stimulate jobs and attract more domestic and foreign investments into rural areas, Adesina said.

    “They will turn the rural areas into zones of economic prosperity,” Adesina said.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh reiterated the significance of extension services, regretting the low number of extension workers in the country, which stand at a ratio of one extension worker to 8,000 farmers.

    “Farmers need support and education on new technology that will help them to reap maximum benefits from their farms,” Ogbeh said.