The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • 1,200 farmers trained on improved cassava yield

    No fewer than 1200 cassava farmers have been trained on new farming methods and given 4440 bundles of high yielding cassava cuttings by the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa Project, Nigeria (CAVA II).

    The programme, which started in April, was facilitated by service providers working for CAVA II-Nigeria in some states.

    Four geo-political zones – South-South, Northcentral, Southsouth and Southwest – were covered during the training.  Thereafter, the farmers were linked to markets close to them.

    The Country Manager, Cassava: Adding Value for Africa-Nigeria, Prof Lateef Sanni, said the programme was aimed at mentoring smallholder farmers to cultivate cassava, thereby increasing their incomes.

    He said: “Our aim is to mentor and coach the smallholder farmers to cultivate high-yielding cassava varieties, and expose them to good agronomic practices, which will increase their yield per hectare.

    ‘’In the next 12 months, when they harvest the varieties, if they are able to get about 25 per hectare, it can be said we have been able to improve their yield from the current 11 tons per hectare to 20- 25 tons per hectare.”

    Sanni said the training was in line with the objective of the CAVA II Project aimed at improving the incomes of smallholder farmers.

    He said: “If the project is able to double the yield of the farmers without expanding the area of their cultivation, the farmers will make more money. The improved varieties distributed to the farmers will also have a diffusion effect on other farmers, because after harvest, the farmers with high-yielding varieties can circulate their cuttings to other farmers in their vicinity; and gradually the low yielding varieties cultivated by most farmers will be replaced with high yielding varieties.”

    The Country’s  Technical Expert on Cassava Production for CAVA II-Nigeria, Mr Stephen Olonade, explained: “ The project distributed improved cassava stems which include: TME 419, TMS 96/1632, TMS 98/0581, TMS 30555, TMS 92/0326, and TMS 98/0505. These varieties where chosen because they have high starch content which is highly sought after by these large industries and SMEs.”

    He, however, added that having adopted the best agronomic practices and  improved cassava varieties, the farmers yields were expected to increase by at least 25 per cent in the next 12 months.

  • Agro exports need revamp to regain shine

    Amid increasing fears about food safety challenge affecting exports, the National Public Relations Officer of the National Cashew Association of Nigeria, Sotonye has called on the government to cut the contamination rate of agro export produce.

    This follows reports that international inspectors found samples in commodities which are high pesticide residues.

    According to him, the government needs to work with farmers’ organisations to find out where these products came from and take measures to tackle the situation.

    He said government agencies need to test samples of domestic and imported plant protection chemicals to ensure they meet safety standards.

    He urged the government to increase inspections and quarantines and test more samples of fruit and vegetables for the export market.

    Anga said improving the nation’s chances at the export markets will create an opportunity for a big revamp to the sector which is losing shine.

    He said exports of agro products are among the nation’s leading cash earners, but that the situation  could turn upside down bringing the sector’s export value if nothing is done to address the issue of contamination.

    Some agro produce exporters, he noted, would make more money, but added that many export products have failed to meet the quality and hygiene standards of their foreign markets.

    With European Union (EU) warning that many agricultural and food products  from the country violate food hygiene and safety standards, he urged operators to keep an eye on the contaminations in their exports.

    He said exporters would hurt themselves if they continued to do business in the old way, with old manners. He urged 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.

    He urged that surveillance be tightened during production. He also urged that food production businesses be encouraged to meet international standards on food safety and hygiene such as ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).

    He wants more to extend capacity on technical and phytosanitary barriers to international trade. He said some producers have encountered difficulties in accessing the European Union (EU) market.

    According to him, the government should redirect its strategies to boost international trade to include capacity building for producers, such as agronomists and farmers doing organic farming and addressing practices that hinder demand for indigeneous produce.

    Recently, stakeholders in the  industry called for the establishment of a Cashew Board, to boost foreign exchange earnings  and generate more jobs.

    They also appealed to the Federal Government to assist cashew farmers and processors through the provision of a special fund, to boost cashew production.  NCAN President, Mr Tola Fasheru, decried the high cost of processing a ton of cashew. He said it costs $500 to process one ton of cashew, while it costs about $250 in India and $217 in Vietnam.

    He said for the industry to compete favourably with others, the government should set up a special fund for the industry.

    According to him, the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector may be a mirage if the government did not assist cashew farmers and processors.

  • Millionaire investors buying up farm lands

    Some prominent Nigerians, including wealthy foreign investors, are purchasing huge tracts of land for farming with projects worth millions of naira. Many of these lands are being used for cassava, plantain, fish production and other food production.

    The Nation learnt that the investors, which spread across the Southwest, are investing in the area because of lower costs for land, taxes and human resources. They are using agents to acquire large agricultural properties  in Ogun State.

    Many of the investors get arable land very cheap and are  required to create jobs for the locals in exchange for the acquisitions.

    According to an expert, Debo Thomas, investment in agriculture is important, adding that this is responsible for the pace of land buying that has been phenomenal. In Oyo and Kwara states, Thomas said individuals and consortium have bought 5,000 to 10,000 hectares for cashew and arable farmers.

    He said the rush to buy farmland is being encouraged by investors who are desperate to modernise farming methods and increase crop yields to feed rising populations.

    In the last few years, The Nation learnt that the pressure had been on farmlands in Ogun State. In some areas, an acre goes for between N300,000 and N900,000. The state provides investors access to land as well as the ability to move profits out of the country.

    The state also provides attractive incentives, including income tax holidays, for foreign buyers who can buy large plots of land for agriculture and food processing businesses.

    Consequently, the state is benefitting from investments directed at ethanol production while there are large-scale commercial farming and beef and poultry production in some areas.

    Last month, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) said Nigeria would partner a Chinese firm Sang-Liang Technology Development Centre (STDC) to grow sweet sorghum.

    The statement was issued in Abuja,  by Chuks Ngaha, RMRDC’s deputy director of public affairs unit, said  the development was part of its efforts to add value to local raw materials to stimulate employment opportunities and create wealth for the nation.

    “The council is established to develop raw materials and facilitate the adoption of machinery and processes for raw materials utilisation.

    “The agreement with STDC is for the processing and development of sweet sorghum into food and industrial and energy products to add value to local raw materials and create wealth,’’it added.

    The statement explained that the council would receive the franchise for the distribution of the improved sweet sorghum seedlings, planting materials and its technology in West Africa.

  • How to boost cassava yields

    How to boost cassava yields

    The Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State (FECA) and Cassava Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA ) are set to lift farmers through a formula for producing about 50 tonnes of cassava  per hectare. Experts see the intervention taking cassava from a humble root crop to a prized industrial input that will put money in the pockets of many farmers, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Many farming families depend on cassava production, but low and unstable yields are becoming increasingly common. Experts attributed this to farmers using rudimentary agricultural techniques, planting haphasardly and paying little attention to the quality of stem and the use of fertilisers. As a result, productivity has been extremely low and cannot achieve more than 10 tonnes per hectare. This worsens the farmers’ situation and keeps them in a cycle of extreme poverty.

    The situation, however, is going to change. Thanks to the grant funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA)  and years of research and development undertaken by the International Institute of  Tropical  Agriculture (IITA). As a result, more than 60 new cassava varieties that have been tested and released and are now being disseminated with successful results. Interestingly, Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Ondo

    State, that has adopted some of the varieties for field trials and demonstration is warming to harvest 40-50 tonnes per hectare, one of the highest field production records in Africa. Already, experts say the college’s achievement is an example of how agriculture best practice can enhance current food security. Speaking with The Nation, Project Director, C:AVA 11, Prof  Kola  Adebayo, while  inspecting a demonstration farm at the college, said achieving 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare is the result of focused, relevant research and committed, energetic development . This, according to him, proves that significant yield improvements are possible for agriculture.

    With the outstanding feat  the college is going to achieve, Adebayo said farmers will be  introduced  to a new way of tripling cassava yields, and this will translate to them seeing more money enter their pockets after harvest. Addressing the International Farmers’ Field Day on Cassava Production Enterprise held at the college, Adebayo lamented that returns coming to traditional cassava farmers were not enough for them to achieve a better standard of living.

    Besides, increases in production are mainly achieved through expansion of the area cultivated, rather than through productivity gains. He said CAVA is supporting FECA to set up on-farm research trials, adding that the cassava varieties were tested along with improved production, better agronomical practices – specifically better use of fertiliser.

    He said cassava production is capable of fuelling economic growth and economic development. Prominent in its industrial applications is the use of cassava for glue, biscuits, pharmaceutical products, confectionery, noodles, magi cubes, paper-cartons, animal feed, pastries, mosquito coils, confectionaries, ethanol, textile industrial products, dry cell batteries, toothpaste, biodegradable products and, most recently, the brewery industry is using it as alternative or complementary to sorghum, maize starch and barley. This implies a huge market where farmers can earn revenue.

    The College Provost, Dr Samson Odedina, said the poor yield recorded by farmers is giving him and the management of the college concern, adding that they have found the formula to help the farmers move away from extreme poverty, having set up a demonstration farm that is capable of producing between 40 to 50 tonnes per hectare. Farmers in the south west, he said are going to be earning higher profits by planting cassava on the same field over a 12-month period provided the follow better practices which will be taught by the college.

    Most farms have been yielding about nine tonnes of cassava per hectare, according to him. He said that higher incomes would help many farmers as the college working with CAVA and IITA will offer high-yield varieties to farmers so they could increase productivity and earn higher incomes. He said the college is ready to work with farmers to identify the areas where they need the most support.

    Through short courses, he said the college trains farmers in basic agricultural techniques, such as preparing ridges, making manure and compost, planting systematically with adequate space between plants and applying fertiliser at the right time. He expressed optimistic that the project would help farmers increase their income and could serve as a model for others.  According to him,the demand for cassava is likely to increase strongly in both local and international markets, auguring a bright future for the domestic cassava industry.

    The Programme Manager, Ondo State Agricultural Development Project, Mr  Adeniyan Babasola reiterated the commitment of the state to support the college to help boost cassava cultivation, improve farmers’ productivity and ensure food security. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to achieving food security as cassava is a major staple in the diet of Nigerians. Babasola reiterated the readiness of the government to work with the college to prevent its farm land from being encroached upon by local inhabitants.

    The Project Manager, Cassava Seeds System, IITA, Dr  Richardson Okechukwu  said  the institute  has developed improved varieties and promoted best management practices, creating opportunities for farmers to improve their food security and incomes. He said cassava is a major cash crop that can help drive industrial development while delivering higher incomes to smallholder farmers but many farmers have not learnt the technique.

    He noted that the national average yield was approximately 10 metric tonnes per hectare. He said the institute and its national partners jointly developed improved cassava varieties that have significantly higher productivity in terms of fresh root yields, starch content, and improved disease resistance and environmental adaptability. With the college training, he said Nigerians would benefit from better more diverse and added value products choices on offer contributing to improvements to health and nutrition needs.

    According to him, IITA scientists, in collaboration with national partner institutes and development partners  have  defined which agronomic practices could narrow the cassava yield gap and how these can be scaled up to many farmers.

    On the technical side, Okechukwu IITA has a system of accelerated multiplication of cassava based on the use of ‘ministem’ cuttings. A ministem cutting consisted of only one or two internodes. Ten times more cuttings could be taken from a single plant, vastly increasing the potential multiplication rate.

    He said the project would boost the production of cassava with the availability of improved cassava stems, making food more secure and generating wealth. Okechukwu warned that intercropping of cassava generally affect yield, urging farmers to concentrate on mono cropping as cassava needs quality space and nutrients to increase yields

    He also explained that to make profit, a farmer needs improved seeds, appropriate agronomy information on cassava; necessary strategic information in relation to cassava growth and nutrient needs and market. The  Ghana  CAVA II Project Representative Mr Samuel Nyamekye  said the  country will replicate the experiment  demonstrated  by FECA  as  opportunities for commercial production of cassava will encourage some youth back into farming. CAVA II) Project representative from Uganda, Mr Anthony Ijala said cassava yields had more than doubled thanks to the planting of new high-yielding varieties and the adoption of more sustainable production practices.

    With the steps taken by FECA to improve yields, Ijala sees the cassava industry flourishing. Meanwhile, a two-day regional workshop to review the first phase of the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme’s (WAAPP) Diffusion of Approaches for the Control of Cassava Diseases (DALIMA) Project has opened in Kumasi.

    The project being spearheaded by the Crops Research Institute (CRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), aims at maximising cassava production, using disease-resistant planting materials. Research indicates that the sub-region produces about 31 per cent of the world’s cassava, but this is being threatened by viral diseases including the African Cassava Mosaic Virus.

    Funded jointly by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WAAPP, the DALIMA Project had since its inception in 2009 helped to cultivate about 40 hectares of disease-resistant cassava planting materials across the West African sub-region. Country Director of the project, Dr. Mariam Quain, and also Head of the Biotech Laboratory, CRI, said the new materials were being made available to farmers, citing Benin where farmers had already benefited.

    The workshop, which had in attendance WAAPP Coordinators drawn from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone, Benin, Liberia and Nigeria, and, among other things, was strategised to develop a new road map to sustain the project for the next phase. Quain indicated that the participants would discuss ways of setting up a regional mission on roots and tubers to help advance research and increasing cassava production to ensure food security.

    She stressed the need to deepen collaboration among agricultural scientists, researchers and technocrats to improve the productivity of the cassava value chain in the sub-region.

  • ‘Agric waste’ll address energy shortage’

    Nigeria has great potential to develop bio-gas from agricultural and animal waste, the Deputy Director, Directorate of General Management, Agricultural and Rural Management Institute (ARMTI), Dr. Ademola Adeyemo, has said.

    In an interview, he said though agricultural waste is a source of pollution, it can be converted to biogas to generate electricity, adding that it will countries that are seeking new sources to replace or supplement traditional fossil energy sources.

    He said millions of households in rural areas should be encouraged to acquire biogas digesters that convert waste into clean-burning fuel for cooking.

    According to him, bio-gas technology convert organic waste into bio-gas to reduce the greenhouse effect, wipe out diseases at breeding farms, and create a clean energy source for cooking, lighting, and generating electricity.

    He said bio-gas is an indispensable factor in agricultural production as it reduces pollution.

    In view of the ever-increasing cost of conventional energy source, and the worsening rural and urban ecological problem of pollution resulting from improper waste disposal and management.

    He urged the  government to  adopt biogas technology to generate  additional  power sources.

    He called on the government to support farmers to use bio-gas from animal waste to generate energy.

    He expressed concerns that the country lacks strategies and policies for bio-gas development, calling on the government to map out a strategy for bio-gas development.

    Recently, the  Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Moor Plantation, Ibadan  inaugurated its new biogas project at Apete Onidoko farming village in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, calling on the Federal Government and other tiers of government to replicate the project across the country.

    Director, IAR&T, Prof James Adediran, said the benefits of biogas are limitless, and that it could be used in the farms, in the homes, in institutions and also at abattoirs, among others.

  • NIFOR warns against palm oil adulteration

    NIFOR warns against palm oil adulteration

    The Director of Research, Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Dr Celestine Ikuenobe, has warned against adulteration of palm oil.

    Ikuenobe, who gave the warning in Calabar, the Cross River State capital at a workshop for palm oil farmers, said adulteration is risky to consumers

    The director decried the adulteration of palm oil with chemicals used in dyeing of clothes, saying it is unsafe for human consumption.

    He said that unless such unwholesome practices were checked, a major health disaster might occur in the country.

    According to him, the adulteration is not only in palm oil, but also in palm seedlings sold to farmers.

    “The palm oil supplied to the Nigerian markets and the diaspora is often adulterated with dye chemicals, which make such oil unsafe for human consumption.

    “This act is unacceptable and unless something drastic is done, a health disaster might result in the country.

    “Because of the low palm oil production in the country, we contribute nothing to the international global palm oil supply and all these factors are responsible for the low palm oil production in the country”, he said.

    Ikuenobe called on farmers not to patronise people who offered them seedlings at a cheaper price but should instead, buy from the ministry of agriculture in the states.

    He urged cooperative societies, farmers and growers, to interface with Solidaridad and states’ ministry of agriculture , to access loan and learn best production practices to enhance their oil production.

     

  • Don seeks relief package for livestock industry

    As the livestock industry faces a critical situation with many farms nearing bankruptcy, a former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has called for increased government’s financial support package to save the industry.

    While the cost of animal feed has risen relentlessly, farmers said demand for poultry products has slowed down. As a result, many farmers are virtually bankrupt.

    He said livestock producers were feeling the pinch as prices of corn, soybeans and other livestock feed go higher.

    Livestock feeders are looking at severe losses never before experienced in the livestock sector.

    Adeloye urged the government to help struggling farmers cope with disease outbreaks, falling prices, and lack of resources.

    According to him, there is a need for a tripartite links between livestock farmers, feed suppliers and banks to help the livestock sector solve long-lasting problems such as increased input costs, unstable prices and outlet for their products.

    The livestock sector, mostly consisting of small-scale household farming, outdated techniques and a shortage of investment for farming, has been experiencing a difficult time as farmers struggle to access loans and attempt to conform to environmental protection regulations.

    Adeloye said financial shortages were a major problem for farms.

    He asked the banks to offer farmers loans with preferential interest rates.

    According to him, the livestock industry is critical to the economy because it provides food to Nigerians.

    He said demand for food would increase over the next decade due to population growth and increased business activity.

    He said the need for livestock would rise in keeping with the trend.

  • Don seeks to curb use of antibiotics in chicken

    A former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has urged the government to stop the rampant use of antibiotics to grow livestock, especially chicken.

    He said such practices could lead to health problems in humans upon consumption.

    Stopping the practice, he said, would be a big step towards securing food safety in meat products with regulation on overuse and misuse of antibiotics. According to him, government needs to implement a comprehensive set of regulations including banning of antibiotic use as growth promoters in the poultry industry. Not doing this will put lives of people at risk.

    He explained that people may be developing resistance to antibiotics, and falling prey to a host of otherwise curable ailments. Some of this resistance, he added, might be due to the large-scale unregulated use of antibiotics in the poultry industry.

    He said the poultry sector uses them as growth promoters for them to gain weight and grow faster.

    According to him, public health experts suspect that such rampant use of antibiotics in animals could be a reason for increasing antibiotic resistance.

    International experts said large-scale misuse and overuse of antibiotics in chicken could lead to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the chicken itself. These bacteria are then transmitted to humans through food or environment. Additionally, eating small doses of antibiotics through chicken could also lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.

    Studies are being undertaken to ascertain the linkage between overuse of antibiotics in poultry farms and antibiotic resistance in humans. They found that resistance was very high against ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and tetracycline. These are the same antibiotics that were detected in the chicken samples. The problem is compounded by the fact that many essential and important antibiotics for humans are being used by the poultry industry.

    In the United States (US), which is one of the largest users of antibiotics for animal food production, more than two million people suffer from antibiotic resistance-related illnesses every year; with 23,000 of them succumbing  to the diseases. Annual healthcare costs due to antibiotic resistance are estimated to be as high as $20 billion.

    Global industry operators fear ban on antibiotic in animal feed could hamper poultry and meat sectors.

  • Funds’ paucity, equipment hinder fish farming growth

    Lack of funds, fish drying machines and other equipment have been identified as factors affecting the SUTEX Fish Farm at Okongntekong Ete village in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    The President of Ukpum Ete Youth Association, Comrade Ubong Essien, highlighted the challenges on the farm and appealed for government’s assistance when the state governor visited and inspected some basic facilities for skill acquisition development in the area. The Youth President urged the state government to come to their aid through provision of more capital  to accelerate efforts in training more youths in the area, and promised to be law abiding.

    Represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Skills Development Project Centre, Dr. Majorie Abasiodiong George, the governor congratulated youths from Ukpum Ete clan for pro-actively initiating lofty programmes that would engage youths meaningfully in the area.

    The governor advises youths to engage themselves in raising fish of all sorts, and engage in other skill developmental activities in order to stem the tide of unemployment in the state.

    George, who commended the leadership of Ukpum Ete Youth Association, thanked them for giving youths in the area a pride of place in skill acquisition and other developmental activities, adding that, she was impressed with the fact that, youths in the community did not fold their arms to wait for white collar jobs from the government, but make good use of their resources to establish a fish farm.

    She, however, called on youths in the area to support government programmes and shun acts capable of giving the community a bad image.

    She lauded the pragmatic efforts of the Managing Director of SUTEX Farm in establishing such farm in the community, adding that, the administration of Mr. Udom Emmanuel is interested in developing skills in youth on all sectors of the state’s economy.

  • NGO urges govt to support women farmers

    A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), has called on governments at all levels to provide adequate support for women farmers to make them contribute their quota to the policy of national food security.

    The Executive Director of the WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, made the call at a capacity building workshop organised for women farmers in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    She disclosed that women farmers have just 14 per cent holding rights on the land where they farm and therefore, have limited access to land, credit facilities, farm inputs, training and advice, technology and crop insurance, which the government is in better position to provide, but has failed to oblige them.

    Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi lamented government’s neglect of women farmers despite their deep commitments to farming and enormous contributions to food production and security in Nigeria.

    She advised government to motivate women farmers in actualising their dreams in farming.

    According to her: “Nigerian women play important roles in food and agriculture. It has been reported that women small holder farmers constitute 70-80 per cent of agric labour force. They produce the bulk of food for domestic consumption and they are the drivers of food processing, marketing and preservation.

    “In spite of their strategic roles in food production, the government hardly focuses on supporting them. I am also calling on government to involve women in the policy-making processes in agriculture to improve their participation in government’s hunger and poverty eradication agenda.”

    She lamented that most of the organisations advocating for government support for farmers were made up of male advocates who exclude women’s contributions.

    Akiyode-Afolabi, said the workshop was organised to push for a parading shift from male domination and ensure that gender approaches are introduced to government’s agricultural policies and programmes.