The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • ‘Establish cooperatives societies’

    The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Cross River has directed immediate establishment of 10 cooperative societies in each of the 18 local government areas of the state.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr James Aniyom, gave the directive at a stakeholders’meeting in Calabar.

    “The purpose of the cooperatives is to coordinate and monitor all projects within and those coming into the state for such cooperatives.

    “We need real farmers and not imaginary ones who benefit from farm produce and collect loans, yet have no farm to show for it,” he said.

    He said such cooperatives should cover rice, cassava, fishery, vegetables, livestock and aquaculture.

    He also directed the publication of all cooperatives in the state, including their location, saying that this would stimulate synergy among the cooperatives societies.

    According to him, the Cross River Government is keen on having a database of farmers in the state and what they produce.

    He promised to reach out to all ‘genuine’farmers and monitor their farms to provide them with logistics support when necessary.

     

  • ‘How to stop trans boundary animal diseases’

    A consultant to the World Bank, Prof  Abel Ogunwale has  urged the Federal  Government  to be vigilant in the face of  trans boundary  animal   diseases that  can  affect  livestock and human  beings.

    Ogunwale, a lecturer in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University, said the  best way to protect animals against these diseases is to improve border checks and strengthen biosecurity on farms.

    He stressed the need to provide  significant support to enhance capacities of animal  health  authorities to play a significant role in making the country better prepared against the threat of transboundary animal diseases.

    These include high impact infectious diseases, including foot and mouth disease and avian influenza, such as H5N1 and H7N9 that can spread easily across national boundaries.

    He said the mechanism and structure, the governance of animal health systems should   be improved to  provide  the most effective response to address livestock diseases.

    As the threat of animal diseases is evolving, driven by various factors, Ogunwale said the situation requires continued vigilance and more work to give the capability to prevent and respond appropriately to them.

    While urging vigorous control measures, temporary closure and disinfection of animals markets and other rapid response interventions, Ogunwale noted that it was imperative to carry out and maintain targeted surveillance in animal populations to understand where and how widespread out breaks are.

    He stressed that it was important to understand risk factors, identify the animal source of diseases, geographical extent and the characteristics of animal diseases.

    According to him, good biosecurity and hygiene measures implemented by farmers, livestock producers, transporters, market workers and consumers represent the first and most effective way to protect the food chain and human health as well as livelihoods.

    Underscoring  the importance of continuing surveillance and strong biosecurity to protect animal and human health, livelihoods and consumer confidence, Ogunwale called    for  surveillance infrastructure and capacities for the early detection and identification of diseases.

  • Poultry group warns against dumping

    The   poultry industry has expressed fears that cheaper products being imported or dumped into the market can lead to its collapse.

    Speaking  with The  Nation, the  Vice-President(Agriculture) Association of  Small  Business Owners Of  Nigeria(ASBON), Mr  Stephen Oladipupo, said smugglers were  dumping poultry products into the market can be sold at a much lower price than local products.

    As a result, he    said   the poultry industry was in need of support from the government to avoid a collapse of the industry, as the threat of cheaper products being opportunistically imported or dumped in the market adds more pressure to keep costs down.

    Oladipupo  said local producers are experiencing now with the influx of cheap smuggle   chicken that are undercutting them on price and capable of   putting them   out of business.

    Calling on the government  to address smuggling,he  indicated it had already caused a slowdown in the regular growth of the poultry sector.”

    According to him, poultry producers are losing money as  smuggled  poultry imports flood the market.

    He said  poultry farmers are struggling with high production costs, including increase in chicken feed and erratic electricity and fuel costs,. The numbers are leading to a drop in profits that is pushing some farmers out of business.

    For  this  reason,he   called  on the  government to come up with a poultry policy that will address subsidies, standardisation mechanisms, treatment and market structures to curb losses and exploitation.

    He explained  that It was  not sustainable for the poultry sector to keep absorb these costs on a long-term, and many small and medium operations might not be able to continue their business.

    He called upon the government to impose stricter regulations to protect the local producers.

    Stressing  the  need  to  revamp poultry industry, he  said  there is  vital  to  enable   farmers   produce day-old chicks, high quality animal feeds and other poultry products.

  • African leaders target 2025 to end hunger

    AFRICAN leaders have agreed to end hunger and cut poverty by half by 2025 through investments in agriculture, a statement by the African Press Organisation in Addis Ababa said.

    The statement signed by Mr Boaz Keizire, Head, Agriculture and Food Security, African Union and Ms Carol Jilombo, Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission (AUC), was received online by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    It said the commitment was part of the resolutions reached at the recently-concluded 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

    Tagged, the Malabo Declaration, African leaders declared their commitment to new priorities, strategies and targets around agriculture-led growth.

    These priorities, it said, were geared towards achieving food and nutrition security for shared prosperity of the African people.

    “African Heads of State have specifically agreed to end hunger in Africa by 2025, halve poverty by 2025 through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation.

    “They have also agreed to further increase both public and private investment finance in agriculture.

    “They agreed to boost intra-Africa trade in agricultural commodities and services, enhance resilience of livelihood, production systems to climate change variability and other related risks; while committing to mutual accountability to actions and results.

    “The leaders also renewed their commitment towards the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) process which pushes African leaders’ commitment towards a systematic regular review process, using the CAADP Results Framework.”

  • Expert warns against animal feeds contamination

    THE Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has urged the government to ensure that animal feeds are free from contamination.

    Increased animal health challenges, he said, has raised the awareness of animal food safety that spotlighted the risks to the food chain.

    Adeloye stressed the need to improve surveillance and monitoring for contaminated feed.

    Animal feeds, according to him, required multiple raw materials mostly from crops grown in the farms. Many of the ingredients used by the animal feed industry are materials not used for human consumption or are products remaining after processing materials for human food, known as co-products for animal feed.

    The livestock Industry, he said, is faced with a variety of potential contaminants within the animal feed, mostly the contaminants come from incoming materials.

    For this reason, he maintained that it was important to assess the severity and probability of the potential contaminations in order to determine the actions required, if any, to control the potential risk.

    He called on feed manufacturers to focus on controlling contamination hazards, adding that feed samples from across the supply chain should be sent to laboratories to check for contaminants.

    He suggested that testing is performed at feed mills or even points of entry where feed materials enter the country.

    He urged the government to enforce safety procedures for the supply, handling, manufacture, storage and distribution of commercially produced feed for animals.

    According to him, lack of regulations to guide animal feedmanufacturers could threaten the livestock sector.

  • ‘Why fish import limits is vital to the economy’

    The Federal Government’s policy of restricting fish imports will help to revive the sector, which accounts for four percent of the Gross Domestic Products, the Managing Director Vesa Fisheries, Mrs Vera Aighbe, has said.

    The focus of the new fish policy, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, is to promote fish self-sufficiency as total fish demand is 2.7 million metric tonnes with local production accounting for 800,000 metric tonnes. The large deficit of 1.9 million metric tonnes being met by imports.

    Mrs Aighbe praised the policy, noting that it has provided a level playing field for players as well as promoted increased entrant of local players into the industry.

    She said their previous challenges which had been unattended to by former administrations were being tackled under the fish policy.

    According to her, the new policy on import quota is directed at sanitising a terribly corrupt fish import licensing and import quota system.

    She said it has prevented the practice where some large corporate importers simply stockpile fish and distort the market at will, driving small Nigerian fish retailers out of business. Stock piling also leads to keeping fish way beyond acceptable sell-by dates, leading to the sale of rancid fish to consumers.

    On its sustainability, she recommended the dissection of the policy to be adopted as a national law and ended with saying: “I can’t sell bad fish to my brothers and sisters or to anyone as I do not know who will buy the fish.”

    She was optimistic of the initiative. Through the implementation of the policy, Mrs Aigbe noted that the “Fishy Business” which had riddled the industry mostly the issue of foreign players marginalising and oppressing the local players have become issues of the past as the policy promotes local market share which has risen to about 50 percent and they are  pushing for a 60-40 share.

    She also validated the minister’s target to rid the market of bad fish, adding that with the policy they can purchase monthly quota which ensures that the fish in the market is fresh and healthy for consumption.

    She said the limits were being imposed “with the goal of guaranteeing the security of the local fisheries and indicate that the scope of the measures is reducing spoilage and wastage  caused by overstocking by foreign companies’’.

    On the allegations of bribery in the industry, she said: “The minister is a straight man, the allegation is not true; we do not have the money to even bribe the minister. The issue of bribery was in the past and was by the foreign players. The allocation and quota sharing was done without any financial inducement from Nigerian fish industry players.”

  • Don to govt: Invest in agric to reduce unemployment

    The Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora, Prof. Gbemiga Adewale,  has called on the government to invest in agriculture to reduce unemployment in the country.

    Adewale said more investment and concentration on agricultural development would reduce unemployment to a minimal level.

    According to him, unemployment can only be eradicated in Nigeria if the federal and state governments invest in agriculture.

    “They should provide conducive environment that will entice jobless youths to the sector,” he said.

    He urged the government to enhance the capacity of the youths through support for vocational studies to make them self-reliant, adding that the government should also provide soft loans for young farmers.

    “God has been so kind to this country because we are blessed with fertile land on which we can plant any crop across the nation and you can be sure of good harvest at the end.

    “But I sincerely believe that millions of our unemployed youth will go back to farm if the governments, I mean the federal, state and local governments, can make it a point of duty to provide enabling environment.

    “They should do that by making tractors and other equipment available, provide storage facilities, soft loans and buy the goods from them, possibly for export when necessary,” the provost said.

    He said the institution was ready to provide technical assistance, including consultancy to farmers.

  • How food manufacturing can boost growth, by PCCI

    The  food manufacturing  industry can drive economic growth and job creation to new heights if  supported, a fomer President, Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Hyde  Ochia,  has said.

    According to him, a robust  food manufacturing can contain inflation, support industry and services, and enhance employment opportunities.

    He said food processing has assumed greater significance in view of increasing activities promoted   through the Agricultural Transformation Agenga (ATA).

    The rise in food processing, he   said, ensured a lower pressure on  employment schemes.

    He said the food processing Industry will indirectly support development of agriculture growth and  farmers.

    He noted, however, that food processing industry is badly affected due to poor availability of power. Growth of industry, according to him, is not coming due to scarcity, hence power availability to improve, which will help over all to all round development of the industry.

    On the development of food processing industries, he said multi-pronged strategies should  be  taken to reduce wastage of produced goods.

    Ochia said food manufacturing, represent technologies and solutions to needs in food security, human health, economic development and environmental sustain-ability.

    With tremendous investment in  farming across the country, Ochia   said  there  was a need  to  improve  food processing to reduce wastage.

    Significant opportunities, he  noted, exist for companies in the food-processing sector.

    He called for more work to be done to meet the nation’s food demands as well as achieve the national policy driven to boost agriculture output.

    He called on the government to  provide an enabling environment through prudent policies and regulations for the private sector to thrive.

  • Towards building agro entrepreneurs

    Towards building agro entrepreneurs

    With an ever-increasing population in Nigeria, the challenge is how to produce enough food to meet demand. Some higher institutions are addressing the challenge through agricultural projects. DANIEL ESSIET reports that this initiative will enhance food security.

    Students of agricultural science in tertiary institutions  need practical skills to be employable or or self-employed. To this end, many higher institutions are undertaking agriculture projects to  build innovative entrepreneurs across the country. One of such schools is the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology (FCAH&PT), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State.

    While the school offers academic opportunities to prospective students in Animal Health and Production, it also provides a hands-on approach to course content and encourage  students to gain the practical experience required.

    To train agriculture professionals, research and community service, the school established farms of the major domestic livestock species such as beef, dairy, sheep and goats and poultry.

    The primary objective of establishing these farms, according to the institution is to support the practical teaching and service activities in the field of animal sciences. The college also  raises goats, pigs  and snails.

    Across the school, there are  a variety of campus farms that  function as demonstration centres and laboratories where students can witness and participate in animal husbandry.  From one edge, farms can be seen stretching all the way to the horizon.

    Speaking on the development, the  school’s Acting Provost, Dr Friday Nworgu  said campus farms are vital because real practical farming would help  graduates start something on their own on completion of their studies, adding that it is hard to get  youths  involved in functional agriculture if they don’t have the know-how and  skills to carry out profitable farming.

    Since the school’s strenght is   animal  husbandry, Nworgu said  the  campus farms are used for hands-on instruction in a variety of courses offered through the Department of Animal Sciences, ranging from livestock management to horse nutrition and small ruminant.

    However, the school has started to build and restock its livestock farms to stimulate entrepreneurial agriculture.

    One area the college is taking seriously is horse breeding. This is because  few people  have knowledge  of horse  breeding. Polo racing is perhaps the most glamorous and money-spinning animal sport. However, behind every champion on the race tracks lies the masterly skill of its breeding. The  college is taking  advantage of it to  raise  horse breeding entrepreneurs.

    The market is there as lots of polo clubs are emerging that need exotic horses. He said the school will train Nigerians on how to raise  horses.

    To achieve  this, the  school is  banking on the strength and capacities  of its faculty, while Ibadan has climate and geographical advantages to become a major player in this form of agriculture.

    According to him, the infrastructure is there and there is a large farm house for horses. He added that the horse facility was designed to breed high quality purebred horses. There  is  a breeding shed, an indoor arena/classroom complex, and a storage shed. There are barns on the facility that are used to quarantine new horses. This gives students the opportunity to experience all aspects of horse preparation. The mission of the breeding programme is to produce exotic breeds, combining type, conformity, and athleticism with the trainability required for use in a programme   with extensive student involvement.

    At  the end, the Acting Provost   sees a new breed of young entrepreneurs combining their love of farming and agriculture with an acquired professional business approach.

    FCAH&PT stands out today as  one higher institution with horse breeding programme in the country.

    Nworgu said the primary mission of the college horse breeding  programme is to educate the next generation of horse persons and solve industry problems through applied scientific research.

    The  philosophy is to  maintain the highest quality of livestock possible on its   farms for those purposes.

    While the students benefit, the quality of life of the residents who use the place  as a hub for  acquiring  skills towards entrepreneurship is enhanced.

    According  to him,  the  unprecedented commitment of the present government to seriously address the need for employment generation is a propitious opportunity  for  higher institutions  to implement strategies for generating full employment in the country.

    For  him,  promoting  agro entrepreneurship   will lead to higher productivity  that will unleash multiplier effect on the value chain by increasing demand for farm and non-farm products and services.

    One of the instructors, Dr Oladipo Tunbosun said the endeavour involves meticulous planning and immaculate techniques.  To this end, the school has to pay attention to proper feeding and grooming of the horses.  On the whole, he sees  countless revenue possibilities in the horse industry. Graduates of the horse programme go on to have successful careers within the equine industry focusing on areas such as training, horse farm management, and equine-related businesses.

    Generally, experts believe if higher institutions are to salvage the economy, he said a lot of efforts have to be put into agricultural entrepreneurship activities.

    One of them  is  the Project Manager, Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, Dr  Kola  Adebayo.

    Stressing the importance of providing agro entrepreneurship training, Adebayo said a combination of good farming practices, and the integration of technology will make the difference in a successful farm that is able to help feed the nation. This ,he  said is  achievable  with  the  rising  trend  of  entrepreneurship  agriculture.

    A entrepreneurial  tour  of  the  Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta  will show farms and food-related businesses.

    Highlighted are   high quality sustainable  crop   production using  conventional farming systems, and more.

    FUNAAB  offers   facilities that are capable of   training   future agro entrepreneurs. This is obvious with a number of farming projects scattered across its campus. There are a variety of chicken breeds, developed for egg production, meat production, and/or good looks. While many breeds are adaptable to a backyard setting, certain breeds are better than others for backyard conditions.

    Other facilities include the cassava production unit, the bakery, palmwine unit, palm oil unit, cashew nut unit, pineapple plantation, college of animal science and livestock production  cattle production venture farm and the institute of food security, environment resources and agricultural research farm.

    The university engages in the training of production-oriented agricultural graduates which equips them to be job creators rather than job seekers.  To achieve this, the university entrenched farm practical curriculum in the B. Agriculture programme between 300  and 400 level.  The peak of the training is the mandatory six months exclusive farm practical year programme (FPY) at the penultimate year of the B.Agric programme which objectives are to: expose  the students to work methods, tools, techniques and practices not taught in the theory class, bringing trainees in direct contact with farm staff and local farmers to obtain first hand information on farming conditions and problems.

    The Farm Practical Year (FPY) programme afford the trainees the opportunity to “learn by doing” by undertaking practical farming activities on both crop and livestock sections of the university.

    The Federal Government recently directed that FPY programme be extended to one year from the six months it previously was.

    Addressing Stakeholders’ Workshop, at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan, FUNAAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole said  graduates were expected to be practising farming as a business venture in an exemplary and successful manner that will in turn reduce unemployment level, enhance farm production, increase food production and food security. It will also reduce food importation and improve livelihoods of farm households by invariably leading to the overall national economic growth and development.

    The don observed that these aspirations remained unfulfilled despite the establishment of the specialised Universities of Agriculture for a number of reasons that had prevented the nation from attaining its desired rapid economic development through agriculture.

    These reasons include the difficulty in getting fresh graduates to take up farming as a means of livelihood after leaving school, increasing ageing farming population, over-dependence on food importation, food price instability and political crisis.

    He said: “Agriculture and farm-related occupations remain unpopular among young people because of its inherent association with poverty, drudgery and backwardness. The undergraduate agriculture training programmes in universities have not helped matters much as it only mimics the existing methods of farming by the local populace with its practical component depending on manual labour and minimal application of modern technology.

    “The result has been declining enrollment in undergraduate agriculture programmes and the growing lack of interest in farming among youths.”

    According to him, Universities of Agriculture, by their very foundation would appear to have a covenant with the society, arguing that the covenant is to develop a cadre of young, dynamic modern farmers that would develop innovative practices in agriculture, the economy, reduce poverty and bring about sustainable development of the sector. He lamented that this covenant with the society has largely remained unfulfilled.

    Despite of the challenges, he said the giant strides recorded by FUNAAB, in fostering innovation for inclusive development through its institute of food security, environmental resources and agricultural research; agricultural media resources and extension centre; students’ industrial work experience scheme/farm practical year; agro-industrial park unit; the graduate farming scheme, among others.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof.Biyi Daramola, said poor performance of the agriculture sector led to the inability to reach sustainable economic development in Nigeria.

  • FAO sees fisheries, aquaculture grow GDP

    The fisheries and aquaculture sector contribute significantly to Africa’s overall economy, a new study by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.

    In a report, the value added by the fisheries sector as a whole – which includes inland and marine capture fisheries, post-harvest, licensing of local fleets and aquaculture – was estimated at more than $24 billion in 2011, representing 1.26 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all African countries.

    A close look at the figures highlights the key role of marine artisanal fisheries and related processing, as well as inland fisheries which provide one third of the continent’s total catches.

    While aquaculture is still developing in Africa and is mostly concentrated in a few countries, it produces an estimated value of almost $3 billion yearly.

    As data on licence fees paid by foreign fleets were not easily available to the national experts participating in this study, an attempt was also made to estimate the value of fisheries agreements with Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) fishing in the exclusive economic zones of African states.

    Considering that 25 per cent of all marine catches around Africa are still by non-African countries, if also these catches were caught by African states in theory they could generate an additional value of $3.3 billion, which is eight times higher than the current $0.4 billion African countries earn from fisheries agreements

    All in all, the sector as a whole employs 12.3 million people as full-time fishers or full-time and part-time processors, representing over two per cent of 15-64 year olds in Africa.