The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Sad, sorry tale of Otukpo rice mill

    Sad, sorry tale of Otukpo rice mill

    AMOS ABBA writes on the dilapidating state of Benue’s Otukpo rice mill; a once burgeoning enterprise now cast in despair and under productivity.    

    In the hot and humid sun of the Benue region, building number 2, located within the premises of the popular Otukpo rice mill looks undignified.  Wearing a rusted corrugated roof which bears the insignia of old age, its deserted parking lot reflects the sorry state of a rice mill created over 50 years ago for commercial purposes.

    The scanty flow of customers in and out of the building does not typify the flurry of activities that usually welcomes the peak of the harvest season when paddy rice was milled and processed at the mill in the past.

    Valentine Egwa was working on a faulty rice huller, a machine that removes husk from paddy rice when the reporter met him.  A graduate of psychology from the University of Jos, Egwa’s failed attempt to clinch a white – collar job compelled him to get involved in the production process of rice at the mill since 1997.  Ever since acquiring rice hullers some years ago, he has become an employer of labour at the mill. However, Egwa is quick to renounce the traditional practices involved in the trade.

    He said: “The problem affecting Otukpo rice mill is the crude methods used to process rice locally. This makes the rice not to be stone free, making customers prefer imported rice to locally processed ones”.

    Records of observation at the mill confirmed Egwa’s assertion. Many of the hullers used in processing the rice are aged and archaic, with many having been in existence as far back as 80 years ago. The poor facilities make it impossible for the mill to compete with marketers of foreign rice.

    Otukpo rice mill with its sketchy history is arguably the first commercial rice milling plant in West Africa, set- up and managed by the defunct Idoma technical trading company (I.T.T.C). Located in Otukpo local government area of Benue state, the mill was created to provide gainful employment opportunities to the Idoma- speaking people of the middle belt and Benue state in particular.

    At the time the mill was established, projections were set that Otukpo would be a commercial nerve center in the middle belt region of the country. The hope of the projection was hinged on the fact that the mill would attract traders from different parts of the country to Otukpo for the purchase of its locally processed rice. The rice mill once boasted of a staff strength of 3,000 people involved in the different stages of rice processing, working day and night, equipped with over 200 milling engines spanning over 20 hectares of land.

    It was the largest employer of labour in its heyday in Otukpo and served as a veritable source of livelihood to many people. But those were the past glories; adversity weighed in on Otukpo rice mill in the late nineties.

    Undermined by decrepit infrastructure, under-utilized labour force and under-performance; major customers from different states across the country no longer patronized the mill. The long distance involved in transportation of the rice products also contributes in no small measure to the dwindling fortunes of the mill.

    Rice huller at Otukpo rice mill processing rice.
    Rice huller at Otukpo rice mill processing rice.

    There is evidence to suggest that the now decrepit mill used to be a booming enterprise providing jobs for young people and women.

    Samuel Ochigbo, a resident in the area reminisced about the mill when it was still booming.

    “The rice mill provided jobs for people in the area. They were those selling fire wood to the millers and those providing water for pay. Everyone, both young and old had something to do. The rice chaff usually gathered was very high from the ground. It was a sight to behold until things began to decline steadily.”

    With the federal government’s position on banning the importation of foreign rice; there appears to be prospects for local millers in the country as government’s expenditure would be channeled to utilizing the production capacity of the various rice millers across the country.

    However, some rice farmers are not optimistic as there appears to be virtually no plan to strengthen and boost local production.

    “You cannot ban importation of rice by legislation and expect everything to be fine. If certain steps are not taken to position the local millers to bridge the demand-supply gap of local production of rice, then consumers will face the horror of skyrocket prices of local rice if there is a total ban,” Valentine Egwa pointed out.

    Millers in Otukpo rice mill face serious hurdles in meeting the basic requirements of local rice production because certain critical variables are not available. The mill does not generate its own power so when public power supply is interrupted, commercial activities in the mill grinds to a halt. Workers in the mill rely on water tankers sourced from neighbouring suburbs of Otukpo town like Otobi and Ochobo. The water does not come cheap; it is sold at exorbitant rates especially during the dry season.

    James Iduh, a trader at the mill also highlighted some of the problems faced by workers. He urged government to provide more transformers to ensure access to electricity at full voltage as well as provide pipe borne water to help reduce the cost of the production of rice.

    Furthering, he said:  “We have been introduced to several co-operative societies to secure loans to improve our business but nothing is forthcoming. If government can assist us, it will go a long way in restoring the mill back to life.”

     

    Rice workers at risk  

    A worker at Otukpo rice mill washing paddy rice.
    A worker at Otukpo rice mill washing paddy rice.

    The physical demanding nature of the activities involved in the production of locally processed rice has affected workers productivity and exposed them to serious health risks.

     

    Emmanuel Obute, a final year student of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi whose palms have turned coarse as a result of exposure to the fire involved in the process of cooking rice in the mill called on the government to come to their aid, saying there should be an endowment fund to cater for those injured in the course of working on the mill plant.

     

    Also, other young people involved in the temporary casual works in the mill to aid their immediate financial needs see their job not only as underpaying but disdainful.

    David Baba, who had worked intermittently for six years at the mill on a part-time basis while as a student disclosed that it is difficult to return to  the  mill to work, considering its present state at a
    time when locally processed rice is no longer patronized.

     

    “Government should provide modern rice milling engines that separate the rice from stones at subsidized rates to Otukpo rice millers to keep them gainfully employed. This will make young people interested in the business”, he submitted.

  • ‘Cashew industry needs more funding to boost foreign exchange’

    ‘Cashew industry needs more funding to boost foreign exchange’

    The cashew industry requires N100 billion to fund production and boost foreign earning, the Natinal President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Pastor Babatola Faseru, ha said.

    He spoke at the just-concluded National Cashew Festival Awards in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.

    He said Nigeria needed to increase its cashew production, provide high-yielding seedlings to farmers and offer mechanisation support.

    Right now, he said, cashew provides livelihood for over 300,000 families with 175,00 tonnes as estimated production for the year.

    Referring to the export performance of the industry, he pointed out that the foreign exchange earned by the country through cashew kernels, cashew nut shell liquid and allied products last year was put at $253 million.

    According to him, Nigeria remains the sixth largest cashew producer after Cote d’Ivoire, India, Vietnam, Tanzania and Guinea Bissau.

    He said, however, that the cashew industry has many challenges, which are threatening its development. These include shrinking of cultivation area and unstable output.

    He said ageing trees and abnormal weather patterns have decreased yields, and many growers prefer other crops for higher profits, which has reduced the area under the nut.

    This requires a strategy to enable the industry to develop in a sustainable manner in the coming years.

    He urged the government to support farmers in planting cashew trees to replace old ones, adopt policies to encourage firms investing in deep processing, and strengthen inspection of exports. Modern technologies and equipment, he advocated, should be used.

    The industry, according to him, plans to increase the rate of fully processed nuts to satisfy the requirements of customers, add more value, and boost domestic consumption.

    He underscored the association’s cashew value programme that targets raising the value of exports, promoting consumption both in the domestic and foreign markets and build brands for the country’s cashew products.

    For the programme to be implemented from this year to 2020, to achieve the target of 500,000 tonnes, he urged the government to support cashew industry to boost its economic growth.

    He urged the government to create the enabling environment, to attract investments that will allow the sector to take advantage of  the opportunities created by rising global and domestic demand.

    He urged the government to allocate sufficient funds and put forward necessary schemes to increase production of cashew nut.

    Considering Nigeria’s stake in global cashew trade, he requested the government to do more in ensuring the country’s leadership in the world market.

    He called on domestic cashew businesses to ensure quality control and sticking to delivery dates, and for producers to use sound cultivation techniques to improve quality of nuts.

  • Tackling tomato waste challenge

    Tackling tomato waste challenge

    Tomato is produced in commercial quantities in the North. But post-harvest losses are becoming a concern for farmers. This is because of poor preservation and its attendant waste, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    For tomato farmers in the North, moving produce to urban markets could be a nightmare — and a race against time. They must navigate bad roads from their farms, which takes hours; at the end, the produce rot.

    On the average, tomato growers lose 40 percent of their produce to rot because of lack of refrigerated trucking, bad roads and inclement weather and corruption.

    In most tomato producing towns in the region, fetid odour of decaying tomatoes welcomes visitors while overripe tomatoes which can’t withstand further transportation hassles are tossed aside, crushed underfoot, or dumped in overflowing garbage sites.

    Heaps of rotten tomatoes are found in Kano and other states which grow the produce. These have translated into lower incomes for farmers.

    With the ex-farm price of tomatoes as low as N200 per basket, loss-making farmers have no choice but to destroy the excess as it would cost them more to ferry it to markets than what they can get in return.

    Indeed, tomato farmers are producing at a loss but cannot stop because it is part of the staple food in the country.

    The Deputy Team Leader, Growth and Employment in States – Wholesale and Retail Sector (GEMS4), Mr Olatunde Oderinde, said lack of processing facilities for tomato in some parts of the North has caused a glut, resulting in some thousands tonnes of the produce wasting.

    The yearly loss, according to him, is as result of poor food supply chain management, price instability – no thanks to seasonal fluctuation in production, the supply and the absence of processors.

    He noted that the glut has made it  unprofitable for farmers to grow  the crop in some northern states, where prices dropped from N5,000 to N300 per big basket.

    He said that in developed economies, compared to Nigeria, the industry is characterised by efficient farming, adequate refrigeration, and top-notch transportation and communication which ensure that tomatoes make it to the market fresh.

    To him, finding a lasting solution to tomato wastage has become a major concern for the project.

    The major mandate of GEMS4, he added, is to create more business choices for farmers by facilitating linkages between small tomato farmers and processing plants to enable them serve each other on a commercial basis.

    It also involves linking the processing plants to markets through micro distribution and retailing initiatives.

    In line with this, GEMS4 has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Spring Field Agro Nigeria Limited. The pact encourages the company to accept produce from local farmers for processing to save them from spoilage.

    Also, the deal is to promote food safety practices among the farmers and their produce through the value.

    On the part of Spring Field Agro Nigeria Limited there is a massive arrangement to address the problem.

    The programme revolves around a processing plant at Ikara Area of Kaduna State to receive produce immediately the farmers bring them from the farm.

    The company took over Ikara Tomato Processing Company, from the Kaduna State government in 2014, on a lease arrangement for 10 years. The leasing would be reviewed after every five years.

    For over 21 years, the Ikara Tomatoes Processing Company was shut.

    The plant processes 100 metric tonnes of tomatoes daily. There is also  a commitment to work with surrounding small tomato  farmers through an “out grower” programme.

    The Group Deputy Managing Director, Kewalram Chanrai Group, owners of Springfield Agro Limited, Mr. Victor Eburajolo, maintained that though in the past tomato farmers in Ikara were recording losses as a result of glut, now that the processing company is back, tomatoes produced in the state would no longer waste.

    On the whole, no matter where waste occurs, Eburajolo noted that it represents a lost opportunity to feed people.

    Apart from operating a plant with an installed capacity for processing of 16,950 tonnes of tomato, Eburajolo said the company has 700 hectares of land purposely for tomato farming. So far, the company efforts and the farmers’ engagement have already paid off. The farmers are supplying the company with tomato  produce and this will not only ensure greater income to them s but will also increase their crops’ added value to meet growing agribusiness demand. The company also facilitates access to input, such as seed and advisory services.

    Given the enormous quantities of tomatoes Nigeria consumes, keeping on top of the work requires the company to operate a functional tomato processing plant. This informed the decision to  give out part of its farmland to farmers to cultivate tomatoes for the plant.

    The Managing Director, Springfield Agro Limited, Mr Tarun Das explained that tomato is a perishable item that loses its value the moment it is removed from the farm.

    Also, farmers lose baskets of tomatoes that get rotten daily because they are not sold on time.

    Das attributed this to lack of facilities for preserving tomatoes, adding that the factory will help them to process the produce.

    This would help to reduce wastage and encourage the industry to produce locally.

    To supply the facility, he said the  factory sources tomatoes from its farms and other small farmers.

    Besides, giving out some lands to  growers for planting, he added that the farmers would be given improved seeds to increase yields and income. The factory will then buy the produce at competitive rates.

    The company has 100 staff.  Das said the company produces 100 tonnes  of tomato paste dail – about 2000 metric tonnes monthly.

    Das said there is potential for growth in consumption of processed tomatoes, especially when the crop is out of season.

    Nigeria has an annual demand of 2.3 million metric tonnes of tomatoes.

    Production stands at 1.8 million metric tonnes, 40 per cent of which is lost to waste, leaving a short fall of 1.22 million metric tonnes.

    About half of the local tomato crop rots because of a lack of storage facilities, poor pricing and access to markets, which has prompted many farmers to stop cultivation.

  • Seed firms accused of neglecting women farmers

    Global seed companies are failing to meet the specific needs of women farmers and provide them with the seeds they need, according to a study.

    The Access to Seeds index report 2016 found that seed firms focus their research on major cash crops, such as maize and rice without developing better varieties of other seeds that are important to female farmers in developing countries, the report says.

    This means that female farmers benefit less from advances in seed breeding and agricultural science than male farmers, the report’s authors warn.

    The report found that only three of the 17 global seed companies it studied have programmes that explicitly seek to take into account “women farmers’ input”.

    Women look for specific characteristics in their seeds and plants that men might be less aware of, says Coosje Hoogendoorn, head of research at the Access to Seeds Foundation, which aims to bridge the gap between major seed firms and smallholder farmers, and which wrote the report.

    For example, women prefer vegetables that can be cooked fast and grains that take less time to pound into flour, Hoogendoorn says.

    “This might be something that men will not be thinking about so much,” she says. But if seeds are easier to grind, it frees up time for women to do other things. “If women have more time for their farm, it helps them move out of poverty and become entrepreneurs,” she says.

    Regional seed companies are better at including smallholder farmers in research than their global counterparts, and could help close the seed gap for women, the report says.

    While global companies focus on breeding and developing new seed varieties, regional companies interact with small-scale farmers and local markets, feeding client preferences back to their global partners, the report says.

    Therefore, local firms could help global companies understand what female farmers need, says Ian Barker, the head of agricultural partnerships at the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. Seed varieties that neatly match women’s needs already exist, but global companies are marketing these poorly because they lack awareness of women’s requirements, he says.

    “That could be one of the big values of this index: it shines a light on these areas that need attention,” he says.

  • ARMTI partners communities to boost local food enterprises

    The Acting Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, Anthony  Njoku has reiterated the institute’s determination to help communities increase economic opportunities for local farmers and related businesses.

    Njoku, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the institute’s Training Workshop on Cassava Commodity Value Chain Development for participating communities in its Village Alive Development Initiative (VADI), said: “The Village Alive Development Initiative (VADI) is an action-research project of ARMTI to selected rural communities in our area of operation.

    “The initiative is aimed at creating a sustainable and self-reliant community-based organisation for rural dwellers to initiate and implement programmes, which will improve their standard of living and social status, by reducing their level of poverty. It also provides field practicum complement for ARMTI courses while also serving as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the institute.”

    He disclosed that ARMTI has just acquired and installed two sets of cassava processing equipment in two of the participating communities. “Now we are conducting this four-day training workshop on cassava commodity value chain development for all our participating communities. Having identified our area of comparative advantage as a state, we are committed to provide all the support needed to achieve maximum leverage and dividends from it,” he said.

    The institute, he explained, has embarked on a different, locally-driven approach to help people access healthy local food and supports new businesses in the villages that need investment. With technical assistance through the scheme; he said participants are taking innovative approaches to common challenges, like launching business incubators to support food entrepreneurs.

    So far, more than N10 million has being spent on eight rural communities in Kwara State under VALDI. The money was distributed by a commercial bank to villagers, forming contributory groups under a revolving loan arrangement.

    During the during the kick-off of seed fund disbursement to seven participating communities under VADI in Ilorin, in  2014, the  Kwara State Governor,  Abdulfatah Ahmed canvassed that modern and affordable technologies be made available for the nation’s teeming farmers, while more robust policies should be formulated to sustain the interest of the overwhelming population in both agricultural and other business practices.

    He noted: “This project is timely and would complement the new initiatives of the Kwara State Government as well as the Federal Government to shift the focus of citizens as beneficiaries of an oil-based economy to proponents of an agro-driven economy.

    “Ironically, our strengths happen to lie in the vast agricultural resource potential of the state and the nation, and with the adoption of modern agro technology and agronomic practices that will be sustained for devoted farmers and coherent and stable development policies, we are certain that agricultural growth is a realisable objective in the not too distant future.”

  • New sorghum variety unveiled

    The release of two new nutritionally high sorghum varieties, will be a boost for farmers and the malnourished population, especially children,  Scientist, Sorghum Breeding International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)-Nigeria, Dr Ignatius Angarawai, has said. One of them is three times higher in iron content

    Both varieties have yields that double local ones and have short duration, allowing farmers to adapt better to climate change.

    One of the new varieties, according to Angarawai, has iron content three times higher at 128.99 part/million (ppm)compared to 40 ppm.

    The improved varieties yield 2.4-2.8 tonnes per hectares, compared to yields of less than one tonne per hectare from local varieties. Initial screenings were encouraging as they showed that the new varieties were resistant to Striga compared to other varieties in the trial.

    “Sorghum has been recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers because of its high caloric and nutritional value. There are cases of ‘hidden hunger’ (deficit of iron and zinc) among low income farmers, who sell most of their produce. Sorghum is naturally high in iron and zinc,” said Angarawai.

    He said: “The newly released varieties can help overcome periods of drought, especially terminal drought problems prevalent in the Sahel and Sudan savannah agro-ecologies of Nigeria because they are early maturing, with 50 per cent  flowering in 67 days against the average 90 days for other varieties.”

    The improved open pollinated varieties were developed by a team of scientists in the Nigerian national agricultural research system and ICRISAT. The new varieties involved crossing local Nigerian germplasm with improved lines from ICRISAT’s collection in Mali.

  • Food security: Finance of rural agric to the rescue

    Food security: Finance of rural agric to the rescue

    Experts are seeking innovative ways of financing rural and subsistence agriculture to boost food production, develop agriculture and transform rural communities, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Farmers in the rural areas are responsible for up to 70 percent of food production in most states. In recognition of this, many programmes have been developed to enable them grow food and feed more people. While efforts have been made to enable farmers acquire skills and improve on farming skills to improve farm production, organisations involved in micro credit provision are supporting them to improve their livelihood through expansion of capital.

    Several farmers have borrowed money to expand their operations and the results are good returns to raise their families and had a good life.

    One of such organisations is  Farmers Development Union (FADU); an Ibadan-based agric micro credit cooperative. FADUis a pro-poor financial institution committed to the empowerment of farmers through access to  micro credit.

    Established in 1989, the organisation has been involved in projects aimed at building capacities for wealth creation among the enterprising poor and promoting sustainable livelihoods in marginal and vulnerable populations.

    The major thrust of the organisation’s activities involves financial assistance to farmers, technical training to boost their skills and improve their production.

    At the beginning, its major areas of concentration were Oyo, Ogun and Osun States, but it has now expanded to 29 states of the federation.

    With a loan portfolio put at N357 million, the union has recorded an encouraging repayment rate of 98 per cent.

    FADU has two groups of loans- one for individuals and the other for groups. But essentially the organisation accords more priority to group loans due to the ease of administration and repayment.

    The approach has been profitable, self-sustainable, and very successful. This has helped it in achieving its social mission by obtaining very good results in terms of the extent, depth and quality of reach. Its major growth in points of service has been in the rural areas.

    Its Programme Coordinator, Mr Victor Olowe said FADU has mobilised and financially assisted many rural groups. In addition, the organisation has built self-financed grassroots bodies. Indeed, FADU has shown that it is possible for an agric micro-credit cooperative union to provide credit services to a significant number of farmers and to mobilise a large amount of savings.

    The success of FADU  model has encouraged the growth of many more microfinance organisations and cooperative societies. Over the years, FADU and other cooperatives and micro-credit unions have demonstrated that farmers are viable financial-service customers.

    One of the early strategies was lending to individuals. This has gradually changed because the cost of monitoring loans and enforcing repayments was high and most loans are now made to groups because the costs are lower when they are spread among groups rather than individuals.

    Despite FADU’s achievements, its Programme Co-ordinator  noted that there was  still a long way to go to fill the demand-supply gap, especially in rural areas where delivering financial services presents particular challenges.

    At the grassroots level, microfi-nance institutions (MFIs) are not expanding their reach, while commercial banks and other formal financial institutions are not moving into rural areas to reach farmers.

    For experts, with the state of the economy, the need to improve investment in rural agriculture is increasing due to a rising population and changing dietary preferences of the growing middle class in the urban areas.

    According to estimates, demand for food will increase by 70 per cent by 2050. At least $80 billion annually in investments is needed to meet this demand, most of which is expected to come from the government.

    While groups, such as FADU have made efforts to improve the conditions of local farmers and groups, nationwide funding sources available to farmers are limited. Whereas financial institutions are making funds to other sectors of the economy, farmers still experience higher financial exclusion and are discriminated against when they apply for loans. Because of this, most farmers are trapped in a cycle of poverty and subsistence living.

    Olowe said many local rural Nigerians, who engaged in farming, live in abject poverty and remain vulnerable. Since some 70 per cent of those in rural areas, engage in small-scale farming, he was of the opinion that the government needs to empower them to become drivers of economic growth and food security.

    To achieve this, he said farmers require improved financing to help them transform their farms, their lives and their communities as well as boost the future of food security.

    The Project Director of CAVA II, Prof. Kola Adebayo agrees with this position.

    Though credit unions and some non-governmental organisations help farmers to obtain small loans, Adebayo observed that the funding level was still poor to spearhead agricultural transformation.

    He urged the government to give enough allocation in the budget for agriculture that will boost farm growth and appeal to the rural farmers.

    Such budgets, according to him, should consider irrigation projects, increasing investments in rural roads to help farmers get produce to market and ensure all the country’s villages had electricity.

    Kola Adebayo referred to the commitment made by the African Heads of State to allocate at least 10 per cent of their respective national budgets to agriculture (Maputo Declaration). Unfortunately, he observed that Nigeria has not respected the pledge as there has been reduction in budgetary commitments to the agricultural sector.

    While provision of affordable financial services to the rural population was critical in the development strategy, Adebayo counselled that government and the financial institutions partner with farmers’ organisations when disbursing money to them to  reduce risks and defaults in repayment.

    He urged funding agencies to commit to a concrete, measurable target for increasing agricultural productivity and to support a system of public score cards to maximise transparency for farmers organisations they support.

    He called for the establishment of local banks and institutions to provide agricultural credit at grass root level and to encourage the cooperative societies’ structure in the country.

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, (FECA), Dr Samson Odedina urged the government, development agencies and other donors to develop a sound and sustainable agri/rural financial sector in the country.

    Odedina sought more investments in the rural areas to give farmers a sustainable means of livelihood and increase employment opportunities. The ultimate goal, he maintained, is to improve the farmers’ productivity, quality and security of their produce.

  • Organic produce for export

    Organic produce for export

    By using bio-fertiliser, farmers are reviving land and boosting the nation’s agro exports prospect, Daniel Essiet writes.

    While many farmers are battling to survive, because of the financial challenge of setting up a modern farm, organic farming method is helping Herny Adigun, chief executive, Yomex Organic Farm, to succeed.

    He uses organic fertiliser, mostly green manure. This helps to provide moisture and nutrients. When he began, his knowledge of farming was not much.  Yet his willingness to learn and hard work have paid off handsomely – and he is an example to emerging farmers everywhere.

    Yomex Organic Farm based in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State,  showcases Adigun’s efforts to make his 16-acre farmland a self-sufficient organic.

    The farm is one of the largest in the area, with tomatoes, cucumber and vegetables on three acres of land. Besides growing vegetables, Adigun has spacious sheds for poultry and goats. The peculiarity of the farm is its self sufficiency in every aspect, including manure production, and its solar power unit to generate its own electricity is nearing completion.

    At the pace he is going, he could begin the process of applying for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification or any international certification as an organic grower. Although his farm is not yet ‘official’, he regards his operation as 100 per cent organic.

    While exploring various business ventures, he hit upon organic farming as having a promising growth potential. He foresees a tremendous growth in the demand for organic food in the next few years.

    With activities of farmers, such as Adigun, organic production,  has taken off successfully. Companies involved in organic farming are mostly export oriented.

    In the last 20 years, a lucrative international market for organic cocoa, spices, vegetables and coffee has attracted more farmers into organic farming.

    This is because the demand for such produce in the United States, Europe and Asia far outstrips domestic supply.

    The major organic produce importing countries are the United Kingdom, the United States, China, India, Germany and the Netherlands.

    A member of the Nigeria Vietnam Business Council, Mr Sunday Anjorin, said European and Asian markets offer good business opportunities for Nigerian organic companies that want to export their products.

    According to Anjorin, supermarkets, food and pharmaceutical companies are channels for organic produce.

    Others include bakeries, health food shops, specialised organic shops, fast food restaurants and delivery services.

    He said organic spices and herbs were in demand in India.

    So far, Germany is Europe’s largest market for organic products, with a sales volume of €5.8 billion and an average growth of 15 per cent yearly.

    Indeed, food exports are vital to Nigeria’s economy, and increasing participation in organic farming by exporters is a welcome boost to the already strong and expanding sector.

    Gradually, the ranks of certified organic farmers is swelling with the Nigerian Organic Agriculture Network (NOAN), an association that unites farmers, processors, exporters and organisations promoting the practice.

    To experts and farmers, as organic farming drives growth in productivity, it  also allows farmers to get the most out of soil.

    While health-conscious consumers worldwide are providing valuable new organic export markets, most Nigerian farmers are finding it challenging meeting necessary certifications and other requirements to take advantage of the growing popularity of organic foods in industrialised countries.

    In most cases, new entrants incur higher costs applying new organic techniques without the higher prices associated with organic label.

    Most importantly, the European Union (EU) legislation requires that imported organic foods are produced to the same standards as that from the UK or EU.

    On the average, and to win certification, a farm must stop using most pesticides and make other changes, then maintain those practices for three years.

    Going organic is governed by strict government standards, which require that products bearing the organic label are made without the toxic and persistent pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering or other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Beyond this, producers and processors are expected to register with an EU-approved organic control body, and subject to the import controls for organic produce.

    While farmers are struggling to comply with the high-level standards needed to meet certification requirements, the EU in June banned some of the nation’s food items. They included beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, fried fish, meat and peanut chips, among others, from entering Europe till June this year.

    According to the European Food Safety Authority, the rejected beans were found to contain between 0.03mg per kg to 4.6mg/kg of dichlorvos pesticide. The acceptable maximum residue limit is 0.01mg/kg.

    Addressing a forum in Lagos, the Chairman, Agro-Commodity Export Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Obiora Madu, said it was imperative for the government to resolve the issue before the June deadline given by the EU to correct the anomaly.

    ”Yes, there are a lot of export markets beyond Europe but if we do nothing, it is likely to escalate at the same time as other nations join the EU to reject our produce again we are in trouble.

    “As a chamber, we are concerned about the trend and are actively at the forefront of sensitising farmers and exporters on compliance to international standard for our produce.”

    According to him, food safety implies the absence or acceptable and safe levels of contaminants, adulterants, naturally-occurring toxins or any hazard that may make food injurious to health.

    In an interview, Madu noted that the organic export market is growing because of awareness on the dangers of pesticide residues in food and growing disposable incomes of the urban middle classes.

    He said organically-grown products don’t have problems because producers don’t use pesticides.

    Madu observed that the EU market is one of the toughest to supply because the technical, ethical, quality and packaging standards are so high.

    This, notwithstanding, the successful exporters expect buyers to pay a premium for the extra certification and the quality and size standards; however, they are increasingly finding that the EU is still paying lower prices.

    For some exporters, there are still opportunities in the world, including the EU, which makes it attractive to new exporters.

    With Nigeria like South Africa in its ability to produce diverse agro product ranges, he sees a bright future for aspiring exporters.

    Madu stressed the need for collaborative efforts of regulatory authorities and stakeholders in formulating a framework to address the challenges of the agricultural produce in the international market

    There are programmes to help farmer groups and small exporters overcome the challenges and take advantage of the remunerative markets. The programmes are designed to increase their technical skills and improve product quality, which will enable them to obtain organic and fair-trade certification.

    Some of the programmes focus on stages of the supply chain from production, harvesting and packaging to certification and marketing. The vital part is to pay for the costly certification  and comply with high international quality standards.

    On the issue, NOAN President Prof Victor Idowu Olugbemiga Olowe said the group was at the forefront of helping farmers to meet standards for certification.

    To make them competitive, he said organic farmers, processors and traders must comply with strict requirements if they want to use organic logo or label their products as organic. He noted that farmers face a number of obstacles in exporting their products, including meeting buyers’ demands on quality, requirements and standards.

    According to him, importers require agro exports to have certification. The organic product labels  should bear the name of the producer. The advantage of certification, Olowe noted, is that the exporters are able to brand their goods as “certified organic, not just organic” which would increase value.

    NOAN, he argued, is striving to assist farmers to adopt organic agriculture as a model for sustainable food and farming.

    One way to achieve this is through a national system certification that demonstrates sustainable production practices and meets food safety practices.

    According to him, independent validation of sustainability and quality claims is crucial for organic growers to market their produce.

    Globally, the major problem in the organic market is a large number of logos and brands, which confuses many consumers and potential buyers of organic products; and probably has a limiting effect on growth over several years. The other challenge is that exporters are expected to prove with documentation that their produce have fair trade certification.

  • ‘Stop slaughtering expectant animals’

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Audu Ogbeh has canvassed an end to the slaughtering of expectant sanimals.

    The minister spoke at the just-concluded National Council of Agriculture in Kano.

    Ogbeh stressed the need to transform the abattoirs, warning that the continued slaughter of pregnant animals would lead to losses of foetuses worth millions of naira.

    He said: “The tremendous annual losses incurred in the process of slaughtering pregnant cows are unacceptable and must stop. We will discourage such practices nationwide and save foetuses worth millions of naira in the next couple of years.

    “Our abattoirs all over Nigeria will be transformed structurally and functionally. The rules of abattoir operations will be strictly enforced. The animals will be slaughtered under the expertise of professionals such that the hides and skins, hoofs and horns could be recovered and processed appropriately. This is expected to revive the ailing leather industry, while providing business opportunities for renderers who convert the other wastes to wealth.”

    During the meeting, the Vice President of Dangote Group, Sani Dangote, said: “There has been some progress on Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPC) and Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).”

    He said the Nigerian Agribusiness Leadership Group (NABG) is a government and private sector partnership to ensure right policies that would boost agriculture. He noted that $500 billion investment has been attracted into agribusiness in the last four years.

    Dangote said there have been problems in agribusiness investment, such as land, finance, infrastructure and price stabilisation. “Until we decide that agriculture is no more subsistence, there will be no progress in agriculture. We must work with business people. There is need for priorities, ensuring stability of primary production and agro-processing. Until the producers can make money, agriculture will remain subsistence. From our own perspective, agriculture is greater than oil,” he said.

    His colleague in NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, explained: “We are very pleased with the minister’s candour.” He expressed particular delight in the disagreement of the minister with customs service over the tariff being charged on importation of greenhouse equipment, stating that it ought to attract zero duty, stressing that NABG is in support of the minister’s initiatives.

  • Council to revitalise wheat

    The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) is making efforts to improve local cultivation of wheat by making seeds available to farmers.

    At an enlightenment programme on the effect of fake seeds in Ibadan, Oyo State, its  Director-General, Dr Philip Olusegun Ojo, said  the council and the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) were working to ensure that improved seeds were made available to  farmers.

    The target states are Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Borno, Zamfara, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa and Katsina.

    To support the wheat action plan to enhance research and improve productivity, he said LCRI had produced wheat varieties that could garner more yields per hectare .

    In line with this, a national data base on seed production has been created.

    So far, he said the council had registered 156 seed companies. In addition, he said the council would ensure seed testing, quality control, and certification processes for classes of seeds. To this end, he said NASC was supporting research partnerships to develop new varieties of wheat, and other staples  required to feed the nation. In line with the seed sector development policy designed to handle seed needs across the country, Ojo said research institutions and the universities had mobilised to take responsibilities for crop breeding. According to him, there is effort to achieve food self-sufficiency and security with the production of adequate quality and quantity of improved certified seeds.

    On fake seeds, he said firms that are caught selling illegal seed will be sanctioned.

    A major seeds distributor, Mr Adenitan Solomon in Oyo State said seed dealers are supporting the NASC on the war to curtail the problem of seed adulteration.

    Farmers, he said, are encouraged to look out for  seeds with the tag of NASC. For every seed bag, according to him, there must be a tag from the Council. In addition to the tag, the seed company must put its own company tag.

    The President, Southwest Agro Inputs Dealers Association,Alhaji Akinmade Olayinka, attributed the use of poor quality seed by farmers to lack of awareness on availability of better performing crop varieties that are high yielding, disease and drought tolerant.

    Stakeholders say the steps taken so far by the government is capable of improving local production of the commodity this year, local farmers are capable of producing two million tonnes of wheat annually, amounting to about $2 billion.

    In 2014, wheat users across Nigeria imported only four million tonnes valued at nearly $4 billion. In 1987, Nigeria banned the importation of wheat and implemented an Accelerated Wheat Production Programme aimed at stimulating. The importation of wheat was banned. It was a bold move. Farmers were mobilised to produce wheat and were provided necessary inputs at subsidised rates.

    The production of wheat expanded from 50,000 metric tonnes in 1987 to 600,000 metric tons by 1990. Farmers had proved that they can produce wheat, if well supported. However, several challenges scuttled the burst of energy to produce wheat locally. The introduced varieties had very low yields, as average yield was less than one ton per hectare.