The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • African swine fever imminent, expert warns

    African swine fever imminent, expert warns

    A former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has urged pig farmers to be at alert for signs of African Swine Fever (ASF) and tighten  biosecurity measures.

    ASF is a contagious viral infection that spreads rapidly among pigs. It is passed to animals through a vicious cycle between soft ticks and wild pigs and direct contact with infected pigs. ASF kills almost every pig it infects and is likened to Ebola and it is widespread in Africa. Early this year, ASF outbreak was reported in Kampala, Ugandan capital.

    According to Adeloye, the outbreaks appear to be frequent and widespread. This, he explained, can increase infection, pressure and the risk of outbreaks in other countries.

    Adeoye, who spoke in Lagos, said with climate change, there was the likelihood of occurrence and outbreak of ASF in Nigeria.

    According to him, an outbreak could have severe economic consequences, in addition to losses of infected animals.

    He warned pigs keepers to be on the alert for signs of the disease in their animals and to maintain tight biosecurity.

    Adeloye urged those in piggery to impose sanitary measures, scale up their prevention measures and be ready to respond in case of outbreaks.

  • Cooperative society, NAAT elect officers

    The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Cooperative and Multipurpose Society Limited and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), FUNAAB Branch, have elected new officers to steer the affairs of both organisations.

    The newly-electedPresident, UNAAB Cooperative and Multipurpose Society Limited, Alhaji Kama-rudeen Adedo, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association held recently, also promised to treat and attend to requests of all cooperators without fear or favour, ill-will or affection.

    Adedo, who polled 329 votes to defeat other contestants, pledged to run the society with the fear of God. He said he would consolidate on the past records by engaging in profitable investments that would enhance income of the group.

    He also promised holding of regular general meetings to disseminate necessary information, hoping that such avenue would be used to listen to advice, suggestion and criticism from stakeholders.

    Other members of the new executive are: Mr. Jonathan Fatokun, Vice-President; Mr. Ogini Odiato, Secretary; Mrs. Margaret Omisope, Treasurer; while the ex-officio members are Prof Adewale Dipeolu, Mrs. Titilayo Okuboye, Mr. Oluwatodimu Oladapo; Mrs. Abosede Adeoye and Mr. Olufemi Owoade.

    Earlier, President, Ogun State Cooperative Federation Limited, Alhaji Ola Balogun, acknowledged the contributions of the society to the development of the movement in the state, thanking the university for the conducive environment that made the society to thrive.

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof Catherine Eromosele, praised the resilience, hardwork and steadfastness of the cooperative society, adding that the body had grown to become a driving force in solving financial challenges facing staff members.

    In his report, the immediate past President of the Society, Prof Adewale Dipeolu, said the 2015/2016 financial had been a good year, expressing hope that subsequent years would be better.

    He appreciated everyone that has contributed to the successes his team achieved over the years, as he called for more support by the cooperators for the new executive.

  • FACAN elects new executive

    Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN) has elected officers to run its affairs for two years. They are Dr Victor Iyama, who was re-elected President; Alhaji Sheriff Balogun is the deputy president; General-Secretary, Bello Dogondaji; Treasurer, Hajia Rukkayat Ismaila; Financial Secretary, Hajia Jumai Abubakar; Public Relations Officer, Mr Henry Olatujoye; Auditor, Mr Musa Labaran and Assistant General Secretary, Bayo Ajibade.

    Inyama   called for policies that will support farmers to produce food to meet growing domestic and global demands.

    He  sought investment in food surplus storage and promised a market for food surplus produce.

    Nigeria, he said, has enjoyed surplus food production but the challenge is to increase storage.

    FACAN, he reiterated, would empower small-scale farmers and smallholders to ensure food security and use agriculture to drive economic growth.

  • Agric policy journal launched in Abuja

    An agricultural policy research journal has been launched in Abuja. It was launched by Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet), with support from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

    The launch of Nigerian Agricultural Policy Research Journal (NAPReJ) coincided with this year’s APRNet National Stakeholder’s Forum with the theme: “Making Agricultural Research Work for End Users.”

    The forum brought together members of the agricultural research community.

    APRNet President Dr. Anthony Onoja said: “There could be no better time to do this than now when the Federal Government is shifting emphasis to growing an agrarian-led economy to diversify the economy and shift it from heavy dependence on crude oil.”

    Onoja also noted that although there were national mechanisms and frameworks for linking agricultural research and various end users, research communication and user uptake of research was short of its potential. He highlighted the need for a reassessment of the current system to “identify missing elements and gap-filling interventions” that would ensure that agricultural research make more impact on decision-making process and enterprises.

    This year’s APRNet Forum Chairman, Prof. Yusuf Abubakar, and the Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), pointed out that in Nigeria, the government and donor partners featured as the most dominant players and end users of agricultural research.

  • Banks eye forex from agro exports

    Banks eye forex from agro exports

    Banks are encouraging their agribusiness customers to explore export opportunities in Asia and Europe to boost their revenue profiles, it has been gathered.

    They took the step because of the naira’s depreciation and drop in revenues following the withdrawal of government deposits. Foreign exchange earnings from agribusiness have grown substantially following the increase in export price and value of some products.

    Weaker naira exchange rate has  improved the competitiveness of agricultural commodity exporters.

    Chairman, Multimix Academy, Dr Obiora Madu, said exporters, especially agricultural producers,   were taking advantage of this. Since naira has weakened considerably against the currencies of some of the nation’s major trading partners, such as Europe, Asia  and  the United States (U.S), agricultural exports have become more competitive in these markets.

    Following this, finance service operators are offering what they claim are better deals in handling money transfers or providing currency brokering advice for a diverse new class of small to mid-sized farm products exporters.

    The situation is encouraged by the fact that government is insisting on agro exporters using banks for foreign currency transactions.

    With foreign exchange becoming  scarce, Madu said agro exports  were proving a to be a lifeline as  global trade volumes continue to rise, as well as earnings by farmers and  exporters.

    He noted that the growth of agric exports is one of the success stories  of the economic crisis. This has prompted banks to assemble teams focused on exporters, with small to medium exporters exploring global markets, Madu added.

    Addressing an agro export seminar in Lagos, Head, Structured Trade and Export Finance at Zenith Bank, Godwin Essien, said agricultural exports would continue to dominate the nation’s foreign trade given the structure of the economy.

    He said farm exports were growing in value as exporters rush to sell a wider choice of produce to growing economies.

    Essien emphasised the need for more efforts at increasing the value of exports as well as the volume.

    To facilitate this, he said the bank was providing agricultural businesses with one-stop banking services, including the issuance of letters of credit and loans denominated in foreign currencies.

    He said the bank had a good understanding of the needs of agro export businesses and would work with them to speed up funds flows to facilitate sales.

    He said the bank had made efforts to expand financing and designing products and services targeted at developing the sector.

    The National Publicity Secretary, National Cassava Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Mr Sotonye Anga, advised farmers and others in the agricultural sector, to position themselves to benefit from agro exports opportunities.

    He said exporters must be alert to take advantage of the growth in global demand for agro produce, stressing that Nigeria was struggling to be cost competitive, particularly against emerging produce exporting nations.

    He advised the government to collaborate with farmers or investors to promote crops that have strong export potential.

    The  exchange rate has had a volatile run in recent months with no signs of abetting.

  • Kaduna to boost food production

    Kaduna to boost food production

    Kaduna State Government is determined to  help farmers improve their incomes and enhance food security.

    The government is committed to addressing challenges of milk production and marketing, so that more farmers can benefit from the  growing dairy sector.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Manzo Maigan, said this during the Business of Agriculture Conference on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Maigan said the  government  would  promote good farming practices and train farmers on a variety of improved methods.

    As part of its strategy, the  commissioner said the government was seeking to promote agribusiness partnerships to tackle low farm productivity and limited market access  peding the development of the sector.

    Maigan said: “The most important thing is to create an enterprise in agriculture. Then, it must be profitable by making sure farmers produce at low cost and make profit. All the while, we have not been able to do that because we have not standardised farm practice. That explains why our produce falls short of global standards.”

    Maigan said the government was determined to support livestock keepers to increase productivity and counter escalating costs and marketing problems.

    He said: ”They have to be taught that it is not the number of animals that they keep but their productivity; if one has 100 cows that translate to 1.5 litres of milk per day, they can get a cow that gives them 30 litres or as much as 50 litres per day per cow. Even if the productivity is increased by 8.5 litres to 10 litres, management becomes easy even with as less as 10 cows. Lesser grass is grown. Like in Kaduna, we were able to bring in nutritious grass from Brazil, and within six weeks, milk output has increased from 1.5 to 3.5 litres per day.

    “We are also looking at artificial insemination, whereby we will bring the semen of improved cows and inseminate them with local cows to produce hybrid,” he added.

    He said the state was encouraging commercial pasture development to grow grass for sale, adding that grass was big business, as some countries export grass.

  • Ajimobi to restore Oyo’s agric glory

    Ajimobi to restore Oyo’s agric glory

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi has promised to restore Oyo State’s glory as the leader in agricultural production.

    Ajimobi spoke at the first convocation of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, and the presentation of fellowship awards to him, former President  Olusegun Obasanjo and Chief Executive of Bovas Petroleum Mrs. Victoria Samson and others.

    According to him, the government will  re-engineer agriculture to restore the state’s glory in the sector.

    Represented by Education,  Science and Technology Commissioner Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela, the governor said: “You would recall that in the 60s, Oyo State under the old Western Region was known for its leading role in agriculture which was then the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

    ”And in the view of the economic challenges facing the country, occasioned by the fall in the oil prices of crude oil in the world market, and several years of neglect of agriculture, the current reality as of today is that the economy could be revived through agriculture and technological advancement.”

    Ajimobi maintained that emphasis had shifted from white collar jobs  to self employment, adding that students must note that the quest for education was no longer geared towards white collar jobs but the current reality that education should make its recipients self reliant, productive, and gainfully employed after graduation.

    The Provost, Prof. Gbemiga Adewale, said the graduands had been found worthy in learning and character, saying the products were not trained to be job seekers but to be self-reliant to contribute to the nation’s economic development.

  • ‘Ban Ponmo to nurture leather industry’

    ‘Ban Ponmo to nurture leather industry’

    Failure to nurture the leather industry is costing Nigeria a lot in terms of loss of foreign exchange. To reverse this, experts see the closure of the Ponmo (hides) processing section of Oko-Oba Abbatoir, Lagos, as a positive step, as it is expected to boost supply of hides for export, reports, DANIEL ESSIET.

    Exportation of hide, skin and leather products is big business that sustains a lot of producers, processors, brokers and dealers. This is because it is one of the top raw materials needed globally in the leather manufacturing industry.

    China is the largest buyer of hides, same with Taiwan, the European Union (EU), Thailand and Vietnam.   But the Nigerian hides, skin and leather industry has not built a reputation as an agricultural export engine. This is linked to challenges related to cattle hide supplies, skin market access barriers and uncertain conditions in the leather manufacturing sectors.

    Despite the increasing export value, the hides and skins industry faces a shortage of supplies, even as   cattle slaughter rates have increased to 2,000 cows daily in places, such as Oko Oba Abattoir, Lagos.  There is a continued trend of increasing slaughter rates and cattle hide availability.

    But the challenge is that the hide (cow skin) is eaten largely as ponmo  than being used as leather for shoe lining.

    President, Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN), Pastor Taiwo Adeoye, noted that ponmo derived from hides, a material critical for tanneries, has been popularised mostly by the people of the Southwest.

    Combined with sheep and goat skins from an average of 15,000 slaughtered daily, leather potential in Lagos State alone can fetch more than $5 billion in value-added products. The more than 5,000 slaughtered cattle hides available daily nationwide, if used for leather products, will fetch about N624 billion locally, aside foreign exchange earnings and jobs created.

    The consumption of cow skin, he said, has been an age-long practice which no government has been able to stop, adding that the industry is creating jobs, but that it ought to provide more if repositioned and made a major agricultural exports.

    Nigeria, according to him, is losing out in the pack of countries competing for the $75 billion global leather industry because of ponmo consumption. He  blamed the situation on the country’s neglect of leather products in favour of oil production and consumption of its hides and skin as ponmo.

    He said before ponmo was brought to the market, a lot of various unhygienic substances, such as trash, wood, charcoal, rubber tyres and so on, are thrown into the furnace to sustain the blazing heat. To  prevent this, the Lagos State Government has shut and dislodged the cow skin processing section of the Oko-Oba abattoir and Lairage Complex in Agege.

    A statement by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Asst. Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, said the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Toyin Suarau, led a team from the ministry in the company of men of the state Task Force to shut down the cow skin section of the abattoir.

    Suarau said: “Closure of the ponmo section and dislodgment of the processors became necessary because of the health hazards inherent in the unhealthy processing of ponmo.

    “The ponmo processors use heaps of burning tyres, thereby, emitting thick toxic smoke into the air endangering residents of the adjoining neighbourhood. This bonfire emits a thick toxic smoke, which spreads from within the complex to adjoining neighbourhoods, endangering lives including those of the processors themselves.’’

    The commissioner stressed that the toxic smoke and unhygienic way of processing the cow skin was harmful to human health.

    “I wish to make it clear that the use of tyres for cow skin processing was reported to the state government sometime ago and was dealt with. The return to this unhygienic method of processing in the complex leaves much to be desired and this is why the state has closed the ponmo section of the complex,” he said.

    He noted that the health effects of burning tyres alone are enormous, let alone using them to process human food. He pointed out that burning tyres releases toxic soup with hundreds of the various toxic pollutants and small particles.

    Such pollutants, according to him, settle deep in the lungs while airborne emissions from open tyre fires present serious impact to health and the environment.

    Suarau said the state would not condone any act of illegality and harmful health practices in any of its abattoirs, adding,  “to this end, the state government has deployed a number of veterinary officers, animal workers to abattoirs to ensure that set standard for animal slaughtering and processing are adhered to”.

    “The state government would continue to monitor abattoirs and slaughter slabs and would not hesitate to close down abattoirs and slaughter slabs that are unhygienic.

    “Also, slaughter slabs and abattoirs which are not compliant with the relevant laws governing meat slaughtering in the state, will be closed down.”

    He said animal slaughtering and processing have called for serious attention because the animals must be inspected before and after their slaughtering according to the meat inspection law.

    Meanwhile, Registrar, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science, Prof Emmanuel Iyayi, has commended Lagos State on the closure, hoping  it would discourage the consumption of the popular delicacy.

    He said his organisation will support any step taken by the government to promote healthy and profitable use of hides and skins for export growth.

    The former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, last year said  the Federal government, may have concluded plans to discourage the consumption of the popular delicacy.

    Adesina told stakeholders at a seminar that the primary consumption of livestock products may need to be reduced because of the need to promote the use of hides and skin for leather production.

    Generally, the love and demand for “ponmo’’ meat keep rising by the day.

  • Olam supports 10,000 cocoa farmers

    Olam Nigeria, one of the world’s largest buyer of agro commodities, has  trained 10,000  farmers  and  supported them with  seedlings to replace the current aging trees.

    Vice President & Head Corporate and Government Relations, Olam Nigeria, Ade Adefeko, explained that I0,000 farmers  were trained in good agricultural practices (GAP) across 200 cocoa growing communities in three states,while 185, 399 cocoa seedlings were distributed.

    He said his organisation’s  assistance is aimed at removing difficulties in cocoa planting. As part of  Olam Livelihood Charter (OLC) to invest in the rural communities of emerging countries across the world, he said, 10 borehole projects were provided last year to supply clean drinking water to rural communities previously relying on streams.

    On rice, he said, his organisation has created direct linkages between it and the farming community from seeding till purchase of paddy at collection centres, adding that the rice was bought at a competitive price from the farmers.

    Last year, he said 4077 farmers were mobilised during the wet season in Nasarawa State alone.

    On cashew, Adefeko said 5000 farmers received GAP training while it partnered Techno serve to trained 5000 farmers.

    To boost sesame production,  he said seeds were distributed to  10000 farmers, while 1800 sesame farmers participated  in GAP training. The farmers, he added,  benefitted from credit facilities for inputs such as fertilisers, sickles and sieves.

    He said his organisation  is  providing  high quality seeds (675 Hectares) to small holding rice farmers to discourage the use of grains as seeds year after year, which lead to yield and quality depression over successive generations.

  • Farmers decry high feed prices

    Record-high feed costs this year have not been kind to many farmers who raise poultry, livestock and those in the feed processing business.

    A significantly lower than anticipated supply of corn (maize) has continued to drive an increase in corn prices.

    As a result, domestic prices have increased per tonne. Consequently, poultry producers are struggling to maintain operations due to inflated feed prices.

    Speaking with The Nation, Vice–President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Mr. Stephen Oladipupo,  said higher maize costs and low quality products have forced livestock farmers to consider a multitude of various ingredients for animal feed. Some  farmers, he explained, now  use  a mixture of products, including oil seed products and house hold wastes.

    Corn and Soybean prices, he noted, have soared following the prospect of higher-than-expected demand. Farmers across the country, he added, would struggle to achieve profitability this year with high prices of corn and soybeans.

    He said the poultry industry is confronting great challenges as feed accounts for roughly 70 per cent of production costs. He expressed concern that what the industry is witnessing is not an occasional spike in corn and soybeans.

    As a result, Oladipupo said producers have continued to face persistent tighter profit margins. He said producers are seeking alternatives to corn feed with limited success. Some farmers, he maintained, are using low-quality feed as they cannot raise domestic prices for poultry to offset feed costs.

    With increased production of livestock products, farmers have expressed fears that the industry will be confronted with decreasing supply of animal feeds across the country. Minimum poultry production costs, which encompass primarily, feed and energy expenses, have increased.

    A prolonged rise in their prices has squeezed farm income, forcing some producers to cut spending or turn to their banks for help.

    Oil seed product is now prominent  as farmers are constantly seeking ways to boost poultry production at a cheaper cost. But they cannot drop prices because the most essential input in the quality and quantity of raising animals is animal feed.

    On average, poultry feed accounts for 70 per cent of total production costs.