The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Kaduna farmers get rice seeds to boost production

    A kano-based company,  Popular Farms and Mills, in collaboration with Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has distributed certified rice seeds to 400 local farmers in the state to boost rice production . The rice seeds were distributed to the farmers at a subsidised price.

    The seeds were distributed in the presence of Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture Daniel Maigari Manzo. Popular Farms General Manager AmitRai, who distributed the seeds, said his company was ready to solve the rice farming problem in Nigeria by motivating the local farmers to plant more rice in the state.

    “We have the technical advancement and the chemical advisory method to address the rice farming problem in the state and in Nigeria. We are here to help your local farmers to plant more rice in the country,” said Manzo.

    He also added that the company has introduced farming schools where local farmers can acquire knowledge about modern techniques of rice production. Manzo noted that local farmers need to embrace commercial farming.

    Popular Farms and Mills has been working with the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) to integrate 20,000 rice farmers into sustainable and competitive business models that will lead to increased paddy production as well as improvements in quality.

  • ‘Food Africa’ project will enhance campaign against poverty – Tonye Cole

    ‘Food Africa’ project will enhance campaign against poverty – Tonye Cole

    Recently, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Fund (UN SDG-F), Sahara Group, Kaduna State Government and Roca Brothers, unveiled the Food Africa project in Kaduna to promote food security. In this interview with Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye, Mr. Tonye Cole, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Sahara Group speaks on the importance of the project which is ultimately expected to enhance inclusive growth in the African food industry. 

     

    How much of a threat would you say poverty represents to communities and nations across the globe?

    Poverty is a serious threat to communities and nations globally.  Apart from the fact that people die daily from starvation due to poverty, the constantly increasing gap between the rich and the poor has accounted for further strife, violence and conflicts in many regions of the world.  Some world bank reports have stated that nearly half of the world’s population – more than 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day, more than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty – less than $1.25 a day and 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. The statistics are very disheartening hence the need to develop sustainable solutions required to reduce the threat to humanity.

     

    How has Sahara’s corporate responsibility projects addressed the poverty menace?

    Through multiple partnerships with public and private sector organisations, Sahara has been involved in the implementation of several economic empowerment programmes within and beyond our locations across the globe.  Most of the projects involved provision of platforms for skill acquisition for indigent and disadvantaged beneficiaries to promote inclusion and socio-economic growth. The recently launched Food Africa project is another platform we believe will enhance the campaign against poverty on a massive scale given the involvement of local, regional and global partners.

     

    How did the Food Africa project emerge and what is the focus of the project?

    The Food Africa project, a very first of its kind is the product of a partnership between Sahara Group, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals- Fund (SDG-F) and the Kaduna State Government aimed at empowering the people of Kaduna State and alleviating poverty through food security. The project was birthed after the SDG-F looked to the private sector as a possible contributor to the success of sustainable goals particularly because they had observed in multiple countries across the world, many private companies had carried out very successful and thriving CSR projects with little or no involvement of the host governments. The agriculture initiative aims to integrate the entire food value chain – the farmer, wholesaler, retailer and consumer – using a forward/backward integration approach that would help improve the farmers, their farming techniques and reduction in farm produce wastages, thereby providing a sustainable source of food security, poverty eradication, skill acquisition and social inclusiveness. The target is to touch at least 500,000 beneficiaries (30% direct beneficiaries and 70% indirect beneficiaries) providing families with better nutrition and livelihood opportunities are estimated to benefit from the project over a five year period.

     

    Who are the partners involved in the project?

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Fund (SDG-F), Sahara Group, UN specialized agencies, Kaduna State Government and Roca Brothers of Spain who were recently given the award of the best restaurant in the world. The SDG Fund and Sahara Group will be responsible for project design and will together provide the bulk of the co-financing, mobilize matching fund contributions and oversee the preparation of the work plan in agreement with all partners. They will jointly chair the bi-annual trustees committee, assume overall oversight of the project implementation, provide guidance to the project management office and oversee the appointment and development of the capacities of the processing facility management.  UN specialized agencies will assume responsibility for technical assistance in their core areas of expertise and implementing those activities agreed upon in the work plan. The Roca Brothers will contribute to overall technical oversight to the project. They provide their technical expertise, including the sharing of best practices in resource efficiency, recycling and recovering of waste as secondary resources to help optimize the operations of the processing facility. Kaduna State Government will provide the land upon which the facility will be constructed and other arable land within the identified Local Government Areas in addition to access to utilities and all-year round armed security for the facility.

     

    tonyeYou recently unveiled your extrapreneurship framework for corporate responsibility, how does the Food Africa project key into this?

    The extrapreneurship is a cross sectoral collaboration that identifies, creates and connects young people with business interests in emerging markets through skills training, mentoring and access to a network of committed stakeholders. In the same vein, the project provides a platform for partnership between the various stakeholders to offer trainings and mentoring services to rural farmers in Kaduna in order to help them develop and improve their farming techniques and methods to meet global standards, providing a platform to learn and understand the business and commercial aspect of agriculture value chain as well as also providing access to a network of committed product off takers.

     

    How will Sustainability be enshrined into the project?

    Considering the fact that Sahara has over the years nurtured businesses from incubation to maturity, we have along with our partners developed and designed an appropriate framework during the project conceptualization to ensure ownership of project by beneficiaries hence guarantying sustainability. The project beneficiaries will be empowered with the right skills, training, resources and network connections that will guaranty the sustainability of the project.

     

    How would you describe the formal launch of the project in Kaduna and what does this mean for Nigeria?

    Very symbolic! The enthusiasm expressed by the local farmers in Kaduna was palpable. They are eager to learn new ways of improving their work and collaborating to achieve the big picture of sustainable productivity for the benefit of all. I must commend the Kaduna State Government ably led by His Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for providing the foundation and support for the commencement of the project. In fact, prior to the formal launch we had been working closely with the relevant ministries, agencies and organisations in the state. Everyone is excited about the expected outcomes from Food Africa and I can tell you that Sahara and other partners remain committed to ensuring that we record a resounding success that can be replicated elsewhere.  In addition, considering Nigeria’s position on the African Continent, it will afford us the opportunity to equally lead efforts that would stimulate stronger commitment and enthusiasm in other parts of the continent towards the attainment of the critical development action.

     

    What other projects is Sahara currently implementing under its extrapreneurship platform?

    The concept is gradually unfolding and we are currently collaborating with Kunle Afolayan, an award winning film maker on a project tagged ‘Grooming film Extrapreneurs with Kunle Afolayan’.  The project was designed to provide a platform to task youths in Nigeria to channel their creativity and innovation in film making to celebrate entrepreneurship in Nigeria using the theme -My Nigeria, My Platform…Seeing Nigeria through an entrepreneur’s eyes. Interested budding film talents are expected to send in 15-minute documentaries that highlight the story of Nigerian entrepreneurs, with a focus on how their activities are providing sustainable solutions, creating employment and promoting socio-economic development in the nation. All submitted documentaries will be screened by one of Africa’s best film makers, Kunle Afolayan and the overall winner will undergo a mentorship programme with Kunle for six months. Sahara Foundation is also in partnership with ENACTUS Nigeria to create a platform that will identify and reward business ventures while also improving the efficiency of extrapreneurs to ensure growth and sustainability.  This will be achieved by granting young and innovative individuals with business interest access to a network of mentors and angel investors who will guide them to success.

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  • Sahel fund invests in poultry farm

    Sahel Capital is investing in the modernisation of Dayntee Farms Limited, a commercial poultry farm in Kwara State.

    This is to help the company increase the supply of more hygienic produce for consumers.

    Sahel Capital is the fund manager for Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria ( FAFIN), an agribusiness focused SME private equity fund.

    It manages a multimillion investment fund for agribusiness in Nigeria, with particular focus on SMEs.

    Sahel Capital Managing Partner, Mezuo Nwuneli  said the amount invested and stake is confidential.

    Founded in 2011, Dayntee Farms produces various poultry products, including table eggs, day old chicks and point of lay birds, which it supplies to customers across the country. Its Managing Director is Ayodele Alade, who has led the company’s steady growth from inception.

    Dayntee Farms is strategically located between the large poultry market of the Southwest and the grain producing regions of the North, which enables it to source raw materials at relatively low cost and sell its products at competitive prices.

    According to Alade, “Sahel Capital has come in at a time Dayntee Farms is ready to move to the next stage of its growth. They are the right kind of partner for us because they share our vision for the company and have the expertise and resources to help us realise it.”

    A Partner at Sahel Capital, Mr. Olumide Lawson, noted: “We decided to invest in Dayntee Farms after a thorough analysis of the opportunities in the poultry sector. We are, particularly, excited that Dayntee Farms is the latest addition to our portfolio and have full confidence in its management team.

  • ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    ACAI, others to boost cassava yields

    Cassava Adding Value for Africa Phase II (CAVA II) and some  institutions of higher learning are to promote disease-resistant cassava stems to help farmers improve their yields.

    The institutions include Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, and the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.

    This was disclosed at the International Farmers Field Day at the institutions.

    The event organised by CAVA II drew participants from five African countries – Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria.

    Participants urged farmers to adopt best practices in cassava cultivation, which could make them to harvest between 30 and 50 tonnes of cassava per hectare.

    CAVA II Project Director Prof. Kolawole Adebayo said his organisation had made efforts to improve the growth of the cassava industry and livelihoods of small farmers.

    He hinted that the project has opened new markets for about 200,000 cassava farmers in the countries.

    According to him, CAVA II intervention has helped increase the number of small producers who supply cassava to processing industries.

    Some of the new markets created by this project, he said, included production of ethanol, cassava chips, flour for industrial use and starch.

    He said the success of the first phase of CAVA I project, which began in 2008 and ended in 2014, led to the emergence of the second phase – CAVA II Project in 2014.

    Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology Provost Prof. Gbemiga Adewale thanked CAVA Phase II for choosing the college for the project.

    He added that the institution was given the privilege to own plots for the cultivation of varieties of cassava for demonstration to local farmers.

    On the essence of the conference, he said the programme was organised to bring stakeholders from five African countries together to learn modern agronomic practices in cassava production.

    Adewale said with improved agronomic practices, farmers could double  their yields and control market prices.

    Meanwhile, the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project has stepped up efforts to bridge the cassava yield gap in Africa. To accomplish this, the project has engaged key actors in Nigeria and Tanzania ranging from farmers, researchers, extension services, development workers, processors as well as input dealers notably fertiliser manufacturing companies associated with successful  cassava production.

    ACAI Project Coordinator Dr Abdulai Jalloh stressed that to improve the production of cassava, it became necessary to  establish contacts among actors to learn and share information that would benefit ACAI partners.

    Jalloh noted that though the entry point of ACAI is to address yield gap, it is imperative for strategic considerations of the cassava value chain and inclusiveness of all.

    To this end, the Africa Soil Health Consortium in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), is leading the engagement of key stakeholders in target countries.

    According to him, ACAI is conscious of the mistakes of the past, where bottlenecks were considered in isolation irrespective of other ones and even those that could occur as a result of concentrating on only one aspect.

  • FAO seeks $10m for 385,000 farmers in Northeast

    FAO seeks $10m for 385,000 farmers in Northeast

    About $10 million is needed to provide emergency agricultural support to farmers who are internally displaced in the Northeast, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.

    It said urgent action was needed to provide farming and livelihood support to 385,000 farmers in parts of the Northeast where food insecurity is rampant.

    According to FAO, the resumption of agricultural activities in those areas is of utmost priority to ensure that people can produce enough food for themselves.

    “These populations need assistance to boost their livelihoods, which are mainly crop farming, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and livestock production. For the last four years, this has not been possible due to the conflict,  Bukar Tijani, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa, said..

    Over three million people are affected by acute food insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

    FAO has launched a full-scale corporate response to the crisis. In the meantime, the organisation is preparing its response for the main agricultural season, for which even more resources are required.

    “This year, significant territory previously controlled by Boko Haram has been rendered accessible to humanitarian assistance, so we have a critical opportunity to tackle the alarming levels of food insecurity in northeast Nigeria,” said Tim Vaessen, FAO’s Emergency and Response Manager in Nigeria.

    “With funds received to date, FAO has reached over 123,000 people to improve their food security by enabling them to grow their own food during the ongoing rain-fed season. While this assistance is crucial, it reaches just a fraction of those in need of support, and now FAO is seeking funds to support irrigated crop production, livestock restocking and animal health treatment, including disease control and supplementary feed, in the newly liberated areas,” he added.

    Three consecutive planting seasons have been lost due to the fighting in Northeast. Moreover, large influxes of people escaping repeated Boko Haram attacks have put extreme pressure on already poor and vulnerable host communities and their fragile agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, exacerbating the already precarious food and nutrition security situation.

    Failure to rebuild the rural economy will translate into lack of employment opportunities with possible harmful consequences including youth radicalisation and enrolment into armed groups, resulting in continued civil unrest, FAO warned. In contrast, restarting food production in the newly accessible areas will have the additional benefits of encouraging displaced populations to return to their homes, while contributing to their improved health and nutrition.

    FAO has provided agricultural kits to vulnerable internally-displaced people with access to land and host families. The kits included improved varieties of millet or sorghum and cowpea seeds – a locally adapted and highly nutritious pulse – and fertilisers, enabling beneficiaries to grow their own food during the ongoing rain-fed season. The harvest is expected to start by the end of September and will allow beneficiaries to cover their food needs for up to 10 months.

    It is targeting additional 85,000 people to prepare them for the next irrigated season.

    “Growing their own healthy and nutritious food reduces the need for future external food assistance. Families who have access to land and are ready to farm can harvest in six to eight weeks,” Vaessen said.

    FAO’s activities in Nigeria are constrained by lack of funding. To-date, FAO has received just $4.9 million, of which almost 20 per cent  came from FAO’s own Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities.

    FAO’s programme in the northeast is  funded by Japan, Belgium, the European Commission (ECHO) and the United Nations Central Emergency Fund (CERF).

  • HarvestPlus gets CEO

    HarvestPlus gets CEO

    HarvestPlus has appointed Beverley Postma as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

    In this role, Postma will lead HarvestPlus in strategy development and implementation, partner outreach and engagement, resource mobilisation, and thought leadership. She succeeds Dr. Howarth Bouis, the founder of HarvestPlus and a 2016 World Food Prize laureate.

    HarvestPlus, a joint venture created by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in 2003, improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting biofor-tified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, and provides global leadership on bioforti-fication evidence and technology. Twenty million people in low-income farming households in 30 countries are growing and eating these nutritious staple foods, including cassava, maize and sweet potato enriched with vitamin A; beans and pearl millet enriched with iron; and rice and wheat enriched with zinc. Testing of biofortified varieties is underway in  another 25 countries.

    “We are extremely fortunate to have recruited Beverley Postma as the new CEO of HarvestPlus,” said IFPRI Director-General, Dr. Shenggen Fan.

    “She is a highly qualified candidate with a strong and varied background and a passion for uniting nutrition and agriculture to benefit millions of vulnerable people around the world. We are excited to have her leadership as HarvestPlus progresses to its next phase.”

    CIAT Director-General, Dr. Ruben Echeverría, said: “Beverley’s international experience and her familiarity with food issues, innovation and multi-stakeholder partnerships are important assets for HarvestPlus and the global biofor-tification movement.”

  • ‘Agric data vital for sustainable development’

    Nigeria must improve the quality and quantity of its data on agriculture if it is to continue meeting the demands of a growing population, a consultant to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, has said.

    Ogunwale of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTHEC), Ogbomoso, stressed that strengthening agriculture statistics is crucial to long-term development of the sector.

    He said data was vital for effective planning and strategy as they determine the nature of agricultural and rural development policies in the region.

    According to him, the  government needs reliable baseline information on determining the implementation strategies while availability of accurate comparable agricultural data would enable farmers to make better production and marketing choices. This, in turn, will boost productivity and incomes.

    He said the industry could not provide  reliable information on crop and livestock production, trade, stock, and animal feed to estimate food availability and address food vulnerability issues.

    He stressed that  accurate  and quality statistics  would  help the  overall effort to improve the sector’s competitiveness through raising productivity, product quality and the value added to the products.

    Ogunwale noted that agriculture is still the backbone of the economy, playing an important role in stabilising the macro-economy.

    However, he said there were some shortcomings, such as poor planning, unrealistic policies and lack of speed in applying technology in production.

    Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organisation Global Office (FAO GO) of the Global Strategy has  conducted a comprehensive exercise to capture all projects related to agricultural and rural statistics recorded last year .

    The results of the exercise would enable stakeholders to better understand the state of statistical capacity in agriculture, rural development and food security at global, regional, and country levels. It is envisaged that resource partners and implementers will be able to improve coordination, reduce duplication, align activities with institutional strategies and, ultimately, enhance country level activities.

    The GO compiled the list of global, regional and country-based projects from recognised sources of information on agriculture, food security, rural development, and statistical capacity-building. These sources include FAO’s Field Project Management Information System (FPMIS), the Partner Report on Support to Statistics (PRESS) produced by PARIS21, multilateral agencies, regional development banks, and bilateral government agencies. Projects encompass activities related to agriculture, food security, and rural statistics in the form of capacity development, data collection and information system projects.

    Last year , 106 active agricultural statistics projects were identified for a total amount of  $ 311,208,826. The amount reflects the entire lifecycle of a project, as long as it was active during any period last year. More than 40 per cent of the number of projects and total amount was allocated to the Africa region.

  • Govt urged to target lower farm produce contamination

    A former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has urged the government to cut the contamination rate of plant-origin products.           Adeloye said improved agro produce safety would  help to prevent large-scale outbreaks of food-borne illness and reduce rejection of exports to Europe and the United States (U.S).

    Calling for better oversight on the farms, the expert stressed that it was time farmers and food manufacturers followed good safety practices, and greater focus made on prevention in the production process.

    He urged the government to encourage food production businesses to meet international standards on food safety and hygiene such as International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

    Meeting these standards, which take into account criteria such as proper equipment and human resources, he said, would not only increase businesses’ prestige and competitiveness, but help protect consumers’ health.

    Currently, he noted that there was concern about antibiotic residues left behind in meat and consumed by people and pesticides found on agro  exports that were rejected on arrival at their destinations.

    He said the use of antibiotics and chemicals by farmers should be controlled to safeguard human health.

    He urged government agencies to increase inspections, quarantines and test more samples of produce both domestic and foreign.

    He asked relevant agencies to implement measures to ensure food safety and hygiene, tracing the origin of foods of all kinds and focusing on essential farm produce.

  • Food security: Integrated farming to the rescue

    Food security: Integrated farming to the rescue

    The University of Ibadan is running a model of integrated rice-fish–poultry–pig farm that will boost food production, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    At the rice-fish-poultry-piggery farm of the University of Ibadan, students master the act of growing rice and animal husbandry in the same place. It is an integrated farm. The fish eat weeds, bugs and molluscs that carry pests; their waste acts as fertiliser while they stir up sediments that release nutrients which help the rice grow.

    The model is unique, involving fish farming, poultry keeping, rice production and piggery.  The pond meets the needs of the fish as well as enables the rice to be grown on-site,  while complementing the rearing of poultry birds and pigs. There is a small  mill & mix plant housed in the feed store which produce feeds for the unit.  The university ensures that the pigs are fed with  meals to boost their iron sufficiency.

    Zinc oxide is added to the feed to reduce digestive upsets. The complex relies on natural ventilation for cooling. The finisher pens are not slatted, instead the floors are cemented with concrete, with manure swilled off twice daily into muck channels that run down both sides of the house.    A big  part of the business is the fish farm. The large fish pond is stocked with catfish. After harvesting, the catfish are smoked or sold fresh. The complementarity of the system is ensured with the use of rice grain and bran as feed for the poultry.

    On the project, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Bamidele Omitoyin, said the rice planted  in the fish  pond  benefits from nutrients, in fish excreta. In addition, he said the aquatic weeds of rice are reduced due to fish presence.  In turn, he said, the fish benefit from the favourable micro climate created by the rice plants. However, he said rice requires nutrients in the form of inorganic fertilisers, which the fish waste provides whereas fish needs nutrients in organic form. The essence of integrating them, he explained, is to allow the circulation of nutrients in various forms. He said poultry waste from the farm is recycled into the fish pond. The droppings of poultry birds, he added, are used to fertilise the pond.

    To achieve this, he said the chicken waste from the poultry unit, built near the pond, is washed down through the delivery channel as organic fertiliser for the growing of rice. This, he added, helps farmers to avoid spending money in buying chemical fertiliser.The ponds also receive pig dungs. This waste, he explained, acts as excellent pond fertiliser and raises the biological productivity of the pond and consequently increases fish production and boost rice growth. To help the process, the pigsties are constructed in such a way that the washings are drained to the pond through a delivery channel. Omitoyin said the project could be started on one acre of land. According to him, would-be fish farmers will be taught to integrate rice with fish, poultry or piggery to increase production of yields. This model would help farmers realise so much profit from their investment than running a simple fish farm.

    The integrated system, Omitoyin noted, provides benefits that each component by itself would not be able to achieve, creating more than the sum of its parts.

    He explained that under normal conditions the expected harvest is rice and fish.  With this system, he added that the farmer  is   not  provided with a single product, such as rice, but a range of integrated products including fish, poultry and pig. At present, the farm serves as a rice-based integrated farming system model that other farmers can replicate. The project occupies an expansive area.

    Farmers, students and researchers say it is a model integrated fish farm with rice grown inside a fish pond. It has been attracting local and international tourists, who come to see a demonstration farm where fish bred and integrated with some agricultural products such as rice, pigs and poultry to optimise yields.   He said rice-fish cultivation is a viable  business  and the university is determined  to promote the adoption of the system among  farmers to improve food security on small, subsistence family farms and encourage efficient and effective use of water.

    Because of the success of the project, the university has invited stakeholders and farmers to come and see the demonstration farm. The farm is used to train extension officers, farmers and students on aquaculture. Agriculture and fisheries students also go to the farm for school attachment.

    Omitoyin noted, however, that space, labour and capital must be integrated and properly utilised for optimum farm output. He stated that fisheries and aquaculture are a big source of income, adding that there are lots of business opportunities in fish farming.

    The project signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) on fingerlings multiplication and dissemination of the integrated fish farming across 12 states in Nigeria.

  • 300 to benefit from Niger empowerment scheme

    300 to benefit from Niger empowerment scheme

    To tackle unemployment in Niger, the state government plans to empower youths and women under its Agri-prenuer Empowerment Programme.

    Three hundred youths and women are to benefit from the scheme this year. The project is a joint effort between state and Federal Government, under the National FADAMA “Support for Youth and Women Programme”.

    Under the arrangement, the youth and women will be given intensive training in agricultural enterprise of their choice, with emphasis on crop farming, especially rice and sorghum.

    Kicking-off the scheme in Konta-gora, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello presented starter-pack seeds to 66 youths who were trained in agricultural enterprise.

    Presenting N100,000 cheque to each beneficiary under the first phase of the scheme, Sani urged them to ensure judicious use of the package as well as the skills acquired from the training for development of the agricultural sector and betterment of the society.

    “I am informed that this programme through FADAMA Project intervention intended to empower 300 youths to become Agri-prenuer, in addition to 10,000 direct beneficiary farmers under the Third National FADAMA Development Programme Additional Financing.

    “I am highly passionate about the issue of unemployment and our government is putting machinery on ground, particularly under the agricultural sector to address the subject matter in earnest,” the governor stated.

    He praised the initiative of the organisers for their concern for youth and women, calling on other non- governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations to partner the state in agricultural regeneration and community empowerment.

    National FADAMA Project Coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewumi,             commended the state FADAMA office for being a pacesetter in the implementation of the fifth component of the programme, ‘Support for Youth and Women’.

    Adewumi, who was represented by Dr. Gbenga Arokoyo, lauded the state for being the first to start the implementation of FADAMA III Additional Financing Programme and for establishing Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre.

    The state FADAMA Project Coordinator,Aliyu Usman Kutigi said the training, which is in phases, is being conducted with Bako Ranch Limited Kontagora.