The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • NAFDAC warns against consumption of imported poultry products

    The Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, has alerted Nigerians to the dangers in consuming imported and smuggled poultry products and frozen meat.

    He gave the warning while addressing reporters at the end of his Certification Visit to Amo Byng Nigeria Ltd, producers of Amo Byng Feeds & Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Nig Ltd, in Awe town, Oyo State.

    He said the poultry products, especially chicken and turkey, cause  non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and anti-biotic resistance.

    The NAFDAC chief explained that the NCDs are non-infectious, adding: “But they are as deadly” as cancer, kidney disease and hypertension, among others.

    Orhii said patronising smuggled poultry products is a sabotage in addition to the health hazards to the citizens.

    He added that studies by his agency shown that most of the smuggled chickens and other poultry products contain deadly chemicals, such as heavy metals. He attributed this to improper packaging and transportation.

    Although imported foreign chicken, turkey and others have been banned by the Federal Government, some Nigerians still smuggle the products into the country.

    Managing Director, Amo Byng Nigeria Ltd, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, said the consumption of imported frozen poultry products could damage the human system, unlike the locally produced poultry ones.

    He lamented that despite that imported frozen products contained high levels of dehyde, which is injurious to human health, some Nigerians still consume the products.

    The Amo Byng boss confirmed the presence of high level metals and other substances, which are lethal to human body, adding that these anti-bodies can cause toxicity-related mutagenesis (mutation), cardiovascular diseases, skin disorders, neurotoxicity and nasal cancer.

    Besides, the health hazard, Dr Oduntan said the government was losing about N400 billion in revenue to the smuggling of poultry products yearly, alleging that smuggling of frozen chicken is a threat to the people and the economy.

    According to him, the demand for local frozen chicken is low.  Oduntan urged the government to float an enlightment campaign to alert Nigerians on the danger of consuming imported/smuggled frozen poultry products.

     

  • Tractors: Beyond farmers’ reach

    Tractors: Beyond farmers’ reach

    Acute farm labour shortage caused by attractive wages in other sectors and the need for a shorter turnaround time on the farm have fuelled investments in mechanisation. But farmers are still facing challenges securing tractors. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Danladi Usman (not real name) grew up in the suburbs in the North. He never lived in the farm.  But he visited home and saw his relatives growing crops and was attracted to farming. He loved the rural setting because it was a great place to raise a family and make a living. He was determined to start a large farming operation – growing vegetables, crops and economic trees. He was encouraged by increasing market demand.  For him, massive production could only be achieved on a large farmland.

    Subsequently, he and other farmers individually secured many acres of land for planting. The area, however, would take more than 60 persons about a week to clear, working with hoes and machetes. Mechanical approach was the preferred option since it makes clearing faster.

    But they found it challenging to hire a tractor. Not only was it costly, it takes a long time before it could arrive from the local government council.

    Indeed, farmers are facing increasing difficulty making a living with traditional methods of growing crops on large expanse of land.

    Apart from non functional programmes to subsidise inputs, they are unable to afford fertilisers. Many farmers also are not able to secure tractors. They blame the shortage of tractors for hire on the government. In a particular farming community, only three government tractors serve hundreds of farmers.

    Chief Executive, Hastom Global Services Limited, Dapo Thomas Olushola, said this much.

    A big time farmer in Ogbomosho, Osun, Olushola said tractors are hard to come by. Some farmers believe the government’s financial limitation is the reason why there are many non-functioning government tractors.

    Farmers also see the government tractor hire service as merely a demonstration to encourage investors to venture into the industry. This is because while the system is working well in many communities that have a good supply of tractors, in others, there is still a shortage of supply.

    Olushola said it requires some element of luck to get a tractor to hire.  Since he manages large farmlands, he had to buy one for almost a million naira. Right now, there is an acute labour shortage caused by a variety of reasons, including better rising rural wages in other sectors. The need for a shorter turnaround time is also fuelling investment in mechanisation.

    In addition, owning a tractor has become something of a symbol of prosperity, among farmers pursuing large scale operations.

    But the fear is that tractorisation can led to indebtedness, when the farmer is not making it.

    Unlike Olushola who is involved in land clearing almost all year round, others don’t need tractors all the time because their farming is seasonal.

    As such they preferred lease instead of owning farm machinery. Average use of tractors is just 450 hours in a year, less than half of the 1,000 hours required for it to be economically viable. Under-utilisation of farm machinery is leading to higher costs of production and lower net income to farmers, making it economically unviable.

    For some farmers, sinking money into buying machines, from which returns are only possible in large farm holdings, have increased the debt of farmers

    As labourers migrate away from rural areas, the number of workers available for seasonal employment has declined.

    Thomas believes it makes economic sense to use a tractor to fill the gap.

    His use of tractor, allows him to open up large land-holding and cultivate unfarmed areas. His ability to access mechanised services can also allay his fears of missing crucial planting windows in the wait for labour.

    In all, the tractor helps him to carry out primary and secondary tillage operations better for optimal seedbed preparation and long-term conditioning of the soil.

    His concern, however, is that there are not enough functional tractors in the country to meet the high demand among smallholders.

    But over the years, the Executive Chairman, Vegefresh, Mr Samuel Johnson Samuel, has made heavy capital investments in tractors, reapers, threshers, seeders and a handful of bore wells to water his crops, in addition to warehouses. He embodies the very image of a commercial farmer. So despite doing well, he had challenges, especially insecurity in Bauchi State that affected his tomato operations. But this has not changed his view on farming.

    His concerns about a labour shortage are growing. He believes however that farmers can handle this with economic use of tractors.

    Samuel said it is logical to redirect efforts towards addressing the problems of farmers as agriculture will continue to be the most important sector in the economy.

    He stressed the need for long term mechanisation plan to boost food security, overall agricultural development and economic growth.

    The plan, he explained, should provide the incentives to farmers and rural agro-industries so that they can buy the equipment they need.

    Samuel said most farmers still rely on manual labour for farming activities. He said tractor users are limited.

    He reiterated that mechanisation is integral to agricultural transformation. Samuel said the company has a national tractor hiring scheme with the aim to serve all the local government councils in the country.

    The scheme, he noted is a groundbreaking change designed to help farmers secure tractors.

    According to him, where an individual farmer cannot invest in a tractor, the company works through cooperatives. He said the company is talking to governments, private institutions and small farmers as co-operatives to come together to buy one tractor.

    Samuel disclosed, however, that   supply of tractor is driven by price, including different horsepower and spare parts.

    To him, dealing with small farmers carries high risk where it’s more difficult to come up with a solution.

    The issue is that small farmers don’t have collateral. That means, they have to deal with them through cooperatives.

    He said cooperatives will play an invaluable role if farmers in the rural area would have access to tractors.

    According to him, the company’s focus is promoting subsistence farming.

    His goal is a prosperous rural community geared to local market requirements with access to sufficient tractors to maximise crop production.

    He reiterated that Nigeria has an unprecedented opportunities for agricultural growth, but making the most of them will require effective mechanisation of agriculture.

    According to an Agribusiness Indicators on  Nigeria  report prepared by the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank, farm power among small-scale farmers in most parts of Africa, including Nigeria,is largely human or animal driven, and relies largely on the use of the hoe and other hand tools.

    The report said the low level of mechanization greatly limits the amount of land that can be cultivated, and limits the productivity of individual farmers.

    The estimated 45,000 tractors in the country, it noted   translates to a density of 5.7 tractors per 100 square kilometers, far short of the estimated 81,000 tractors that would be needed to satisfy demand for tractors.

    Given that about half are out of commission at any given point in time, the  report  said  the average 1,000 tractors that the country imports annually is less than adequate to mechanise agriculture.

    And although tractor imports are themselves duty free, high tariffs are charged on imported spare parts, leaving tractors with a short average life span of about six years – compared to other countries in which tractor life spans can be as long as 15 years.

    The report said tractors in Nigeria operate an estimated 507 to 682 hours per year, again very few compared to the 1,500 to 2,000 engine hours recorded in other countries.

  • FIIRO’s land research raises farmers’ income

    FIIRO’s land research raises farmers’ income

    The Director -General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO, Dr. Gloria Elemo, said the institute is focusing on increasing farmers and processors’ income by asking scientists to take scientific technology and results to the field to raise productivity.

    Speaking while receiving members of the management team of West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) in the institute in Lagos, Elemo said there is need to take scientific technologies to agriculture and industries to boost farm production and meet growing food demand.

    She said FIIRO in its 58 years of existence has developed over 250 technologies and completely packaged 50 of them ready for immediate commercialisation.

    Besides,she  said  the institute  has  trained over 75,000 techno-entrepreneurs directly on its various developed technologies and over 500,000 in collaboration with other organisations such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)), National Directorate of Employment (NDE) among  others.

    She said about 25 technologies are transferred on weekly basis to prospective investors and numerous entrepreneurs have established manufacturing businesses based on the technologies they acquired.

    According  to her, the  institute  has  recorded major breakthroughs in the development of process technologies/products that led to national policy formulations by the Federal Government, especially in the banning of importation of some raw materials and products.

    Some of these technologies,she  mentioned   include; sorghum malting and brewing of 100 per cent  sorghum beer, baking of bread and confectioneries from composite flours, cassava flour production, production of fruit juices from Nigerian fruits among  others.

    Mrs  Elemo  said the  institute   focused on industrial and  agricultural research in areas of national  interest, and   to help farmers  and  entrepreneurs  make better decisions and improve productivity.

    According  to her,  raising agriculture  and  industrial productivity to meet the increasing demand for quality and quantity of food, is one of the most important challenges facing the  country.

    She  reiterated  that  FIIRO  aims to actively look into problems  and develop sustainable solutions to help farmers and industrialists  to solve their challenges and improve food output to feed the growing population .

    The National Project Coordinator, WAAPP-Nigeria, Prof. Damian Chikwendu said the programme was set up to address  pressing  challenges affecting  food   production through research.

    According to him, WAAPP Nigeria partnership with universities, research organisation and  Federal Colleges of Agriculture to   find solutions  that  will   enhance crop yields and productivity,and improve delivery of quality food to Nigerians.

    Addressing these challenges,he  noted  requires innovation along the whole food chain that is why  the  programme is  establishing  collaborative partnerships to drive forward projects resulting from the workshop and make a tangible difference to the future of food.

    He praised FIIRO’s DG , Dr. Gloria Elemo, and the management for their feats and excellence entrenched in FIIRO ,especially with their rich human resource base and the area of human capital development.  He said WAAPP will be working with FIIRO to disseminate available technologies in her crop priority commodities such as   cassava, rice, yam and sorghum; by supporting increased production of extension publications and entrepreneurial trainings of the Project’s beneficiary’s with trainees drawn from her supported value chain innovation platform, adopted villages and schools, amongst others.

    The NPC was conducted round the institute’s engineering workshops, cassava processing plant, and the food &analytical laboratories among others.

    He further requested FIIRO to explore research on  converting egg yolk to powder form, and drying of onions.  The visit concluded with an agreement from both sides to collaborate and ensure that available technologies within FIIRO are commercialised. WAAPP-Nigeria ,before the close of last  year, had  opened discussions with FIIRO  on modalities for collaboration and consequently signed a memorandum of understanding. A couple of proposals were submitted to WAAPP by FIIRO for possible areas of collaboration. To further verify and make well informed decisions on the proposals and strengthen ties with FIIRO, the need for WAAPP visit to FIIRO in Lagos to hold further discussions with the Director-General became paramount. This is in line with WAAPP component three  of funding agricultural research and accelerating and promoting technology adoptions.

    While in Lagos, the NPC also visited the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority and the WAAPP-sponsored Fish Cage Culture site at Bayeku/Igbogbo in Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State; and the fabricator hosting one of WAAPP’s Mango (Fruit) Dryer machine, NOBEX Tech Company Limited.

  • Experts seek inclusion of renewable energy development in agric

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Akure Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina, has  said a robust national plan to encourage renewable energy projects in the agricultural  sector will open up the rural economies and reduce the cost of doing business.

    Odedina said  sustainable energy is needed for agricultural transformation. According to him, energy is needed in all aspects of agricultural and food production, processing, service provision and livelihoods improvement.

    Sustainable energy solutions, he said,  provides the key to improving energy poverty among the rural poor. These include sustainable interventions such as biomass for cooking, drying and heating and food processing.

    To this end, he said the college  is  ready to implement projects through collaboration with partners to provide sustainable energy solutions for the agricultural industry.

    He said the college has a blue print to help accelerate the rollout of renewable energy projects, adding  that  the  school  can  help  farmers  identify areas that may be suitable for energy development.

    For instance, Odedina said the  school has developed a successful  biogas project that can help farmers to run biomass power generation system.

    He explained that the biomass energy project, championed  by the college is produced from cow and poultry wastes and that the system  requires less maintenance and fewer inputs and is cheaper and more sustainable.

    The college promotes biogas digesters for cooking and lighting. He said the college envisages a transformed agricultural industry that meets the needs of the rural and urban poor, small holder farmers and provides transition to modernising agriculture.

    The potential of land-based renewable energy to support profitable farming, while contributing to energy security, he noted, cannot be emphasised.

    Odedina stressed the need to support renewable energy projects to help farmers not connected  to the  national  grid reduce the cost of electricity production and diversify  sources of power generation. He also encouraged the youth to take farming seriously and added that it is important for the youth to take training courses as ones offered at the college  in order to get the required technical skill to excell in the farming business.

    He  said FCA  is  good   because of its provision of quality human resource for the agricultural sector, integrated community development programmes.

    He said the college  efforts is contibuting immensely to improving food security, poverty reduction and environmental conservation.

    Vice-President(Agriculture), Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria(ASBON),Mr Stephen Oladipupo said the  government  needs  to   boost the private sector and support to tap new energy sources to ease power shortages.

    He  said  tackling  power supply   issue help companies unlock their potential and create the economic opportunities that Nigerians  are eager for.

    He  said  Nigeria  has an opportunity to improve the quality and quantity of agriculture growth by  developing renewable energy.

    He  said the  government  can  harness  the enormous potential of the nation  by investing in agricultural innovation.

    According to him,  improving  renewable energy,  will  support profitable farming and underpins traditional agricultural production.

    Renewable energy,  he   added,   makes  farm businesses more resilient and better able to manage volatility in both the weather and in farm prices.

    According to him, the  nation’s   economic prospects hinge on its ability to meet fast rising demand for energy and securing access to  millions of  people who currently lack it.

    He highlighted the importance of reforms to land use and agriculture, adding that the sector faces significant risks but it also has enormous potential to become part of the solution. Innovation in the sector, Oladipupo said has the potential to change the lives of millions of people.

  • Kano set to review agric policy to boost earnings

    Kano State Commissioner for Information, Internal Affairs Youth Culture and Sports, Malam Mohammed Garba, has restated the commitment of the state government to review agric policy with a view to getting money to fund developmental projects in the state.

    Speaking to reporters in Kano, Garba said Kano was at liberty to exploit its abundant agricultural potentials, so as to ensure food security, adding that the administration is determined to exploit all viable avenues for economic survival.

    According to him, the revenue base of the government can be enhanced through the exploitation of the vast solid mineral resources, stressing that Kano has a comparative advantage in that direction.

    He however, disclosed that the state government is poised to use the 27 major dams, strategically located in some parts of the state for the purpose of irrigation farming, including production of hydro- electric power, affirming that the  government is left with no option than to exploit all the available resources at the disposal of Kano State.

    Furthermore, he revealed that for the enhancement and consolidation of the revenue base of the state, the commissioner revealed that a special committee has been established under the  chairmanship of Professor Isah Dandago, the state Commissioner of Finance  to work out a blueprint on how to generate additional revenue for Kano.

    Also, Garba, who briefed reporters on the outcome of the first meeting of the Kano State Executive Council meeting, said that the state government has approved the sum of N2 billion for the procurement of 50,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser and would be distributed to farmers for the 2015 rainy season through gross enhancement support scheme (GES).

  • Farmers explore local agro processing

    Farmers explore local agro processing

    Local farmers are exploring the option of agro-processing of their produce to lessen waste, add value and increase earnings, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Chief Executive, Natural Nutrient Limited, Sola Adeniyi, a moringa farmer, has established himself as a successful agro entrepreneur. He focuses on moringa and plantain. His company produces moringa fruits from improved cultivars.

    Over the past five years, he has worked with other farmers to make moringa a tropical, multi-purpose tree grow from being practically unknown, even unheard of, to being a new and promising nutritional and economic resource. The seeds and leaves are rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. They are widely used in fighting malnutrition.

    But harvesting could be a challenge because a high level of hygiene is required. The leaves have to be harvested at the coolest time of the day: early morning or late in the evening.

    The other thing is that there should be no dew on it before harvesting, especially in the morning, to avoid rot during transport. The farmers strip the leaves off the branches before transporting them to the processing centre or tied together in bunches by their stem or better, thinly spread out on trays or mesh to reduce temperature build up. Once this is not achieved, they face the challenge of post harvest loss. It is estimated that 40 per cent of crops, fruits and vegetables produced goes to waste, with loss mainly occurring during posthar-vest handling. One major effort to reduce food wastage is processing.

    Adeniyi has taken it as another part of his business. He said he processes his produce to power and other forms to reduce postharvest losses and increase shelf life.

    Where there are no adequate application of recommended post-harvest treatments, the solution is processing to minimise losses and maximise profits. After harvest, the produce is transported to processing points where it is treated, sorted and packed, and then transferred to facilities or sent to markets. Processing moringa leaves and the seeds into power and other products helps  Adeniyi to make more money. In all, the potential of agro processing is huge.

    Aside from reducing wastage and enhancing food security, many Nigerians have found employment in small scale food processing, majority of them women.

    This is because many farmers are establishing cottage food processing businesses to turn primary agricultural produce into other commodities for market.

    Indeed, the agro-processing sector is going to play a significant role in terms of job creation and sustainability in the economy.

    Consequently, members of  groups such as Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN) and Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) and other farmers organisation have taken to processing cashew, oilseeds, grains, fruits and vegetables, peanuts, cassava rice, maize, fruit canning and juice extraction and animal feed production.

    AMEN President, Prince Saviour Iche said there are promising options for Nigerians to invest in small scale agro processing enterprises.

    He identified agro-processing as a sector with high growth potential, despite the challenges of imports competition, loss of market, and the unstable currency and exchange rate.

    According to him, the agro-processing sector has the potential to become an industrial impetus that can create jobs and answer some of the country’s macro-economic questions.

    Thus, AMEN is encouraging young Nigerians and retirees to undertake ventures in agro food processing.

    Improvement in high-added value means that processors can earn a reasonable income as processed produce can fetch high retail prices than unprocessed produce.

    However, there are major constraints to the development and growth of such enterprises due to inadequate raw material supplies, limited access to appropriate technology, failure by locally processed products to compete against imports, and limited access to credit.

    The President, ASBON, Dr Femi Egbesola agrees with  him.

    According to him, the agro-processing sector is relatively underdeveloped, comprising mainly of small and medium sized enterprises involved in the processing of traditional agricultural products for domestic use and export. There are a number of competitive constraints that currently hinder the expansion of the agro- processing sector, one of which is food safety requirements.

    He added also that local processing industry is being truanted by multinational companies as they enjoy advantage over local players.

    He stressed that agro-processing is important because adding value to the crops produced brings real income and that is where the real job opportunities lie.

    The promotion of agro-processing, he noted, would add value to the nation’s agricultural products, which is an extremely important stream of industrialisation.

    President, Anjorin & Atanda Investment Limited, Sunday Anjorin said it is of paramount importance that food producers compete on the global space. This, he added, can only be achieved through meeting  stringent regulatory or certification needs for international food safety through processing.

    Though, it is expensive to add value to agricultural materials, he added that there are significant benefits to all parties within food processing, for example in jobs created or supply chain efficiencies.

    He said there is potential to enter the international markets for processed agro-produce, including cashew butter and cashew oil.

    To do this, he said small-scale processors must be able to demonstrate that they can produce kernels that can be accepted by international buyers.

    He wants the government to provide local producers with incentives to explore new technologies to increase food production.

    At the moment, experts believe that the cassava boom is largely depended on local processing into wet and dry starch, and higher value food and industrial products.

    As a result, so many local processing activities are taking place across the cassava sub sector.

    This is expected to fuel economic growth and economic development.

    One of them is the Project Director, Cassava Adding Value for Africa (CAVA) phase II, Prof Kola Adebayo.

    He said CAVA supports farmers with machines that allow for quicker processing of raw cassava, which is chipped and dried ready for sale within days.

    The main opportunity for technology to make a difference is in the drying process. A flash dryer dries cassava mash very quickly, preventing fermentation.

    A critical part of the technology transfer process was that CAVA mentored a Nigerian fabricator to produce a flash dryer that meets international standards. As a result, new engineering knowledge and skills are being developed and embedded locally.

    So far, experts from the University of Greenwich and the Natural Resource Institute, United Kingdom have rated made-in-Nigeria flash dryers as a good tool for cassava processing that can be exported. The assessment was made by Dr Andrew Graffham, a food safety and quality expert and Dr Andrew Marchant, a consulting engineer also from the institute, when they visited Nobex Technical Industries in Lagos.

    The experts were in the country to promote the utilisation of cassava in other non-traditional products under the CAVA, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. CAVA involves Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.

    The programme works in collaboration with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

    Graffham said: “In connection with what is going on here today, we’ve been working with a range of fabricators here in Nigeria, particularly with Nobex Industries to try and improve the processing equipment that the company produces, to make it more cost efficient and to get a better output, lower cost per tonne and generally improve the quality.

    “Nobex has exported one of its products to a commercial factory in Malawi and I believe that there will be a lot more export and I think this is very significant, because this is not Nigeria importing products now, but this is Nigerian made equipment being sold in another country and the people there are very happy with the product,” he said.

    He also praised the Bank of Industry (BoI) for partnering with the company under the Cassava Bread Fund Initiative which has procured about 20 flash dryers for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country for the production of high quality cassava flour (HQCF).

    “Under the programme, we are interested in working with the SMEs, of which there are many across the country, processing equipment and improving the efficiency of them is quite an important area for us. And that has been going on now for more than six years, what you see today and what has been done with the Bank of Industry has been a good collaborative effort,” he said.

    According to Marchant, the impact of cassava development in Nigeria was encouraging and has also been felt by the fabricators of the equipment as there are now factories with more machineries and 10 times the number of people that used to work in them.

    “Another good thing we see is that the scale and quality of machinery is increasing, it is bigger and better, it would be a nice thing to display imported machineries with what can be produced here and import only what cannot be made here in Nigeria,” he said.

  • Adopted villages: The journey so far

    Adopted villages: The journey so far

    Notwithstanding its potential, agriculture has been hampered by poor growing conditions, limited resources, rising temperatures and other impact of climate change, making sustainable farming difficult. The good news, however, is that many affordable solutions are emerging to help farmers increase their productivity. One of these methods is a scheme in which  scientists adopt villages and promote best farming practices. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Push climate and rich soil make states in Nigeria well suited for agriculture. This notwithstanding, farmers still grow crops at the subsistence level.  For rural dwellers, building a better life takes energy, hard work and commitment day after day.  Most rural families have little land to produce sufficient food and poor knowledge of modern farming practice to improve yields. In fact, it takes them a lot to grow and produce nutritious food. One of them is Olayiwola Lawal. He is a member of a cooperative group in Akure, Ondo State.

    Earlier, he was struggling to survive. Somehow, his community was selected as an adopted village by the Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Akure, under  the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) initiative.

    Today, he has been taught how to raise fish. Lawal now raises fish as a source of income and protein.

    He does other things. He is among a number of Nigerians benefitting from the adopted villages and schools programme implemented nationwide to improve the availability of food in communities and  trained future farmers from secondary schools.

    Thus far, he has learned a great deal about improved farming practices.

    Adopted village is a scheme where research institutes, universities and colleges of agriculture are encouraged to adopt one village each and promote best farming practices and government’s policies.

    The basic idea is to ensure farmers benefit from best farm practices.  It is one of WAAPP-Nigeria’s funded projects in the country.

    Since his community was selected as an adopted village, extension specialists from FCA visit farms, providing services to ensure that farmers make good use of input.

    On the other hand, cooperatives help to promote the conditions for adoption by motivating the farmers to improve productivity.

    By fostering or adopting a village, the institution help farmers within a locality develop modern farming skills to earn income through small-scale sustainable agricultural projects, cottage industries and small enterprises.

    The programme addresses many of the most fundamental problems faced by rural people seeking to improve their quality of life.

    Traditionally, small-scale farming has been presented as unprofitable and particularly unappealing to the youth. But the approach is painting a different picture.

    Lawal sees WAAPP investment through adopted village programme not only helping to reduce poverty but assisting rural communities and transforming them into places where a new generation of farmers, fishermen and small business owners want to live.

    As he looks to the future, he sees farmers from the area moving into adjacent markets within Ondo State.

    Generally, smallholder producers within the WAAPP-funded adopted village programme are proud of helping to transform the various value chains, making it inclusive and efficient.

    Thanks to interventions, today many villages offer cottage processing businesses.

    Speaking with The Nation, the  Programme Manager, Abia State  Agriculture Development Programme (ADP), Mr Enyinnaya Elekwachi, said adopted village  approach  is  paying off in the  state.

    Through it, farmers learn to process produce into higher-value forms and increase income.

    To him, rural development is about building vibrant, inclusive communities that are self-sustaining which the adopted village approach represents.

    Generally, the projects foster entrepreneurial capacity of small farmers to help them achieve food and nutrition security and build thriving rural economies.

    For instance at Ibulesowo Community, Akure, the project was also able to facilitate cottage cassava processing factories and procurement of processing equipment and tools for flour and garri.

    The impact of this  is  a source of inspiration for WAAPP Nigeria and FCA to up scale the technology in other areas of Ondo and the South-west.

    Since many communities appreciate the value of fish both as an important food and source of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats, WAAPP Nigeria is working through adopted villages to ensure fish farming through aquaculture is widely practiced.

    The Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dr Samson Odedina said his college is helping WAAPP Nigeria to promote the programme.

    He said the specific objectives of adopted villages and schools, are to enhance food security and market competitiveness, empower resource-poor farmers, enhance job and self employment opportunities for youths and women, augment sustainable natural resource management efforts of the communities.

    Through adopted villages, he said FCA is working with WAAPP Nigeria to get better tools into the hands of farmers, reduce the barriers between farmers and markets, and help farming families become a part of a functioning private-sector agricultural and food system.

    He said the college works with farmers in each adopted village.

    The college officers collaborate with farmers, through cooperatives. Farmers are providing incentives based on the adoption of the techniques in their villages.

    He said the college’s vision remains a prosperous rural Nigeria and the goal is to reduce poverty by enabling marginal farmers to make sustainable improvements to their well being through more effective management of resources.

    He listed the college adopted villages to include Eleyowo Community and Ibulesowo Community, Akure and Owode Community in Akure North local government area.

    The college also has three adopted schools, which include Ogbe High School, Oda road, Akure,Eji-Oba High School, Oba-Ile Akure and Aquinas College, Akure.

    The major activities are cassava value addition. So far, the adopted Village intervention activities have increased yield of small cassava farmers. The college adopted village programme has trained groups with equipment support to participate profitably and benefit from cassava-based value chains.

    Nationwide, more than 30 villages have been adopted. Direct farmer beneficiaries have exceeded 20,000. There are more than 20 secondary schools across the country which are participating with over 20,000 students’ enrollments.

    Just  last month, farmers in three adopted communities in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) got  get improved seeds  from the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) in collaboration with the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) to enhance their farming activities.

    The three benefitting communities are Karshi in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Kawu in Bwari Area Council and Kiyi in Kuje Area Council.

    Speaking at the flag-off of the distribution in Karshi, ARCN’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Baba Yusuf Abubakar, said that WAAPP-Nigeria in 2013 mandated the council to establish agriculture research outreach centre in the three adopted villages and schools.

    Abubakar, who was represented by Prof Olusola Oni, said the programme is meant to facilitate the transfer and adoption of improved agricultural technologies to the farming communities in the territory.

    The Executive Secretary also noted that the overall goal of the programme is to improve the economic status of the farmers and better their standard of living.

    He said the improved seeds to be given to farmers in the three communities include about 5.7 metric tonnes of maize, rice and sorghum as well as 643 yam seeds.

    He called on the benefitting farmers to take advantage of the opportunity by following the recommended practice in using the seeds.

    Earlier, the programme coordinator, Mrs Catherine Alao, had assured that the council will monitor the benefiting farmers by visiting their farmlands on weekly basis to offer solution to any problems they might encounter.

    The ARCN’s Desk Officer in Karshi, Aminu R. Abdullahi, said the seeds would get to the serious minded farmers through their leaders in the community.

    The traditional ruler of Karshi, Alhaji Sama’ila Muhammed, who was represented by the Hakimi of the community, lauded the programme and assured the council of his community’s interest in its activities.

    Some of the farmers, expressed joy over the programme but pleaded with the council to continue to guide them on how to make proper use of the seeds for better results during the harvesting period.

    The development objective of WAAPP Nigeria,  is to strengthen the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) to contribute to technological  development, dissemination and adoption to boost  productivity . Over the years, the uptake of technologies emanating from NARIs by the farmers has been a major problem. Consequently, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) use innovation platforms in resuscitation of the adopted villages innovation platforms of the NARIs.  ARCN  has  increased  its facilitation to the Agricultural Research Outreach Centres (AROC) in NARIs adopted villages and schools.

    With adopted villages, many projects and cooperatives are being  funded  to provide inputs and other services to their members. WAAPP is implementing the concept of adopted Schools to disseminate improved agricultural technologies and farm practices in the secondary schools through the NARS. The main objective of this concept is to ensure that impact of agricultural research and training is felt in secondary schools.With   adopted villages spinning up everywhere, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are now beginning to reopen and commence activities within the sector and the possibility of diversifying their product line is forthcoming.

  • Invest in livestock, African countries urged

    • ‘Sector’s global value hits $1.4 tr

    A Livestock expert and Executive Director of Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, has challenged African countries to invest in livestock.

    He spoke as a guest lecturer at the  yearly lecture of  the Department of Animal Science with the Directorate of International Programmes, University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State.

    He decried the low level of investments and lack of interest by most African countries, including Nigeria, in the sector, saying the situation was pathetic.

    Akinbamijo said the major challenge that livestock investors face in Africa is  low capacity for innovation.

    On why African countries must take action, Akinbamijo said total asset value of the global livestock market stood at $1.4 trillion and the sector globally employs about 1.3 billion people with Africa gaining or contributing very little.

    He said of the five highest value global commodities, four are livestock.

    The FARA chief said by 2040, 70 percent of global beef and milk will be produced in developing countries by small holders.

    On global food production, Akinbamijo said by 2050, the meat and milk markets are projected to increase 145 percent and 155 percent, respectively, over 2005/07 levels.

    He said over this period, Africa’s increase in volume of meat consumed will be at par with that of the developed world and Latin America and gains in the size of Africa’s milk markets will be stronger than in any other region except South Asia.

    He said further that the yearly growth rates in both meat and milk consumption are projected to be higher in Africa than in any other region except in South Asia. In both volume and value, beef, milk and poultry will provide business opportunities for Africa’s livestock producers, sellers and investors, the FARA Boss submitted.

    He however regretted that since livestock do not get the attention it deserve in most part of Africa, its potential to contribute to economic well-being of the continent is under-exploited.

    According to him, three quarters of Africa’s rural households, who possess livestock, employ about 50 per cent of agricultural labour force. He added that the trend accounts for about one third of agricultural Gross Domestic Product GDP (contributes about 10 per cent of GDP).

    He said that livestock which is the fastest growing agriculture subsector, provides food; employment and income; soil fertility improvement; traction (ploughing and transport), including capital accumulation to cope with food crises and major life events.

    He, however, advised African governments and investors in livestock to add value to their stock for greater markets outreach.

    The lecture with the theme “Livestock and the economic wellbeing in Africa” was sponsored by by Dantata Foods and Allied Products.

  • Association chief flays state of slaughter houses

    The President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, has warned that poor slaughter houses across the country was putting public health at risk.

    Speaking with The Nation, Egbesola said there were no official controls to ensure meat safety and maintain consumer confidence.

    He warned of potential risks of  food borne diseases, adding that this can be minimised with stringent animal health control measures.

    Given the state of the abattoirs, he said consumers may eat meat containing contaminants.

    At some of the abattoirs, residents have complained  about bad odours from bloody fleeces loaded from the abattoirs. He said animals intended for human consumption and admitted to the slaughterhouses for slaughtering and dressing should be subject to inspections. Before animals are slaughtered, he said they should be inspected by qualified officials.

    He advised that animals arriving at the abattoir to be slaughtered should be inspected for signs of illness before they enter the premises.

    Throughout the slaughter process, Egbesola emphasised that meat inspection procedures should be carried out by trained personnel to identify signs of disease in the carcass.

    He stressed that a situation where quality control is compromised may lead to “dead and sick animals being slaughtered and sold.

    He called for proper audits of slaughterhouses to ensure that consumers are eating meat free from diseases and contaminants.

    He urged the government to involve more in the audit of meat production.

  • DFID, KACCIMA to promote local rice

    The retailsector project of Growth and Employment in States (GEMS), a Department for International Development (DFID) funded  project in Nigeria, in collaboration with Kano Chamber of Commerce Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA) , has organised the first Kano made- in- Nigeria Rice Fair.

    Rice fair, aimed at creating a link between rice producers and rice marketers, is to discourage the importation of foreign rice to the country the Federal Government.  It is to also encourage promoting locally produced rice, creating market for it and also raising the awareness of the public on Nigerian rice brand.

    Addressing participants at the fair, the Head, GEMS4 Wholesale Retail Sector Project, Mr. Tunde Oyerinde, said the project is a market development initiative and that the project has the mandate to stimulate market system changes that encourages growth and access to funds which  will in turn result into the creation of 10,000 new jobs as well as  increasing the income level of 500,000 people, especially the poor, rural  dwellers and women.

    According to him, it is disheartening to note that despite the increase in the consumption of rice, integrated commercial mills are not producing at full capacity. Oyerinde noted that it is also good to hear that the mills have started processing local rice rather than processing imported rice. “We would like to see new relationships developed and also wish to see supply chain deals signed between commercial rice mills, major distributors and the banks,” he said.

    Earlier in his welcome address KACCIMA president Farouk Rabi’u Dansulaika stated that the initiative will strengthen the chamber’s support to local rice market with the zeal of making it a center for export as against importation of rice.