The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Wanted ! water to grow sugar cane

    For years, farmers in the North have been finding it difficult getting water for agricultural production. Succour may be on the way as technological strides in irrigation development are opening up new opportunities. Daniel Essiet reports on how irrigation is helping farmers in Niger State to grow sugar cane.

    FARMERs are finding ways to increase the production of sugar cane in the north.

    One such method they have adopted is centre –pivot irrigation. It is a new technology which delivers water to the roots of plants. It can double or triple water productivity.

    For big agro businesses,centre-pivot irrigation has become the wave of the future. Using sprinklers, the system apply irrigation water similar to rainfall. Water is pumped through pipes. It is then sprayed into the air and irrigated on the soil surface through spray heads so that it breaks up into small water drops which fall to the ground.

    Sprinkler heads are modified to adjust the water volume applied per pass and the force with which the water droplets hit the soil surface. Because of this, big agricultural companies, often foreign-owned, are investing in centre-pivots.

    Flour Mills of Nigeria has acquired a 15,000-hectare sugar farm to make Niger State one of the biggest producers of sugar cane in the country. Sunti Farm is located 30km west of Mokwa. The farm is the pride of the village. It is more than two hours drive from Minna.The farm cuts through the fringes of a desert-like area. The farm sits on hectares of sandy loam and clay soils. Over the last 20 years, the area has been under micro irrigation methods. Most farmers irrigated the way their predecessors did thousands of years ago. The other issue is that the area is suffering from extreme water shortage. There are major concerns the shortage will stand in the way of expansionary agriculture projects, threatening the notion of food self-sufficiency and contributing to the increase in food prices. The failure of irrigation water to reach the farm is among the foremost problems behind the water shortage crisis. It is cited by farmers as a major impediment to irrigating their crops.The water run dry, water tables drop, but the rationale for getting more crop per drop is mounting with more crop varieties. Because of this, the management of Sunti Farms cultivates sugar cane using centre pivot irrigation systems.The company owns a large centre pivot system capable of irrigating large hectares of sugar cane. It offers accurate water distribution at low pressure. It is also the most cost-effective way of irrigating on a large scale.

    The Estate Manager,Mr John Beverley said for a big sugar farm, irrigation is crucial to its success. At the farm, the company has reportedly got some promising early results: irrigated fields yielded more sugar per hectare. But it has cost the company about N2billion to install the system. Generally, centre-pivot irrigation systems roll smoothly around, spraying out water and fertiliser in electronically-controlled circles.

    Beverley explained that, depending on the specific catchment, sugar cane is generally the largest water user.

    According to him, irrigation technology has made huge advances, adding water management is essential in sugar farming. He said the irrigation scheme would allow for farming on 4500 hectares of dry land in the areas. The new irrigation scheme utilise water from River Niger and existing water sources and ensure that the communal farmers who have for long not been utilising their quota do so under the new irrigation scheme.

    He said there were many benefits in irrigation agriculture. “You get increased yields and afford employment opportunities to the rural people,” he said.

    Beverley said the company irrigate the sugar beet plots using lateral-move sprinkler equipped with sprinkler heads that were positioned 10 feet above the soil. The sprinkler heads are modified so that irrigations had either low or high droplet energies.

    The explosion of a sugar farm is in stark contrast to its desolate surroundings. There are dwindling water supplies and a large labour pool. The big advantage of pivot is that it requires much less labour. The company has to deploy the sprinkler irrigation system to obtain better returns.

    Many farmers still practise unplanned irrigation. Its efficiency is low. Around the farms, the water crisis is so acute that the sustainability of agriculture is being threatened. The demand for water is also growing at a very rapid pace, influencing the amount of water that can be supplied for agriculture. As a result,the estate manager said amending irrigation is the only way out if agriculture is to be sustained profitably. Beverley had a lot of success with centre-pivot irrigation. With irrigation, the company can practise agriculture 12 months.He had every reason to be excited about this.

    To little farmers, investment in an irrigation scheme might look big at the beginning, but commercial farming business. Beverley said it is necessary in a place such as Mokwa because it will help themproduce crops throughout the year, and the money is quickly recovered.

    Over the last decade, the large centre pivot systems have not been tailored to the needs of poor farmers. At least, 10,000 hectares of sugarcane will be grown by the year 2015 as the company avail more virgin land for the growing of the crop to boost the country’s sugar production. The company has crafted a “sugar industry expansion programme meant to increase production of the crop by indigenous farmers’’.

    Group Managing Director, Flour Mills, Paul Gbededo, said the firm is growing its food business, expanding into the agro-allied realm.

    He said: “We are growing our food business. We are also expanding into the agro-allied space and we think we will be able to add more value to the country. We are still restructuring. We are consolidating. We are looking for areas to create and add value, not only to our stakeholders, but also the Nigerian populace.”

    According to him, the firm is making substantial effort in the direction of food security in the country. “We have acquired over 15,000 hectares of land, growing basically sugarcane. And this is part of our backward integration programme in support of the Federal Government’s agricultural and industrial transformation agenda,” he said.

  • Malaysia to start rice farm in Ogun

    Malaysia to start rice farm in Ogun

    The Ogun State government partnership with the Malaysian government has started yielding dividend. The Malaysia Ministry of Agriculture and Agro based Industry is set to embark on Rice and Cassava cultivation in the state.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture Mrs Ronke Sokefun announced this at the Ministry’s strategic session aimed at achieving its targets for 2014.

    She said the Malaysians will acquire 500 hectres of farmland in different parts of the state for the project.

    The Commissioner also used the opportunity to reiterate the Minisry’s resolve to embark on rehabilitation of abbatoirs and slaugthers slabs throughtout the state to meet international standard while plans will also be intensified to establish a fish farm estate.

    Listing the Ministry’s projects like the Farmers Market in Asero,Rice Farm in Eggua,Green House in Kotopo, Cashew Plantation in Afon,Cocoa Plantation in Alagbagba, Mrs Sokefun said no effort will be spared to complete and get the best out of them this year.

    She, therefore, called on stakeholders to cooperate with the government in its efforts at achieving food security and youth empowernment through different agricultural programmes.

  • Combating challenges of erratic weather

    Combating challenges of erratic weather

    Worried by climate change, farmers are seeking ways to combat the challenges and protect their crops. This has highlighted the need for improved agro-meteorological service. Daniel Essiet writes.

    Mallam Usman is a farmer in the North. His farm is exposed to quick drying because of unseasonable heat. The bore hole is dry. Weather impacts result in increased soil erosion, more floods, and higher risks.

    For watchers, there is the need to change how irrigation and other water programmes are handled to tackle climate change in the coming years.

    Experts said irregular weather patterns are challenges in the country. Sometimes, the rain may not come till mid-May. It could also come as early as March or as late as June. When it comes in May, it is after drought-like conditions have left some parts of the North parched. This means farmers in such areas are projected to lose crop yields, having serious negative consequences for the livelihoods, health and food security of the local communities in these areas.

    On one hand, more variable weather, including drought, flooding, heavy rainfall and extreme temperatures, will change the range and prevalence of agricultural pests and diseases, increase stress on animals, change water availability and crop yields, and make it harder to provide sufficient resources for animals.

    The Director, Africa Region, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Dr Kola Adebayo said that there is need to build climate resilience through strategic research, technological intervention and capacity building throughout the climatically vulnerable areas of the country.

    Some farmers, he noted, still rely on village elders for weather forecasting, adding that such advice cannot meet the challenges of climate change.

    To most farmers, the growing seasons are not longer.

    For him, the changes are coming fast and changing at a pace that is startling. In some parts of the North, the warming climate is not even year-round.There is rather a dramatic shift.

    Warmer weather, according to him, means farmers need to change crop varieties, too. The weather allows more insects and other pests to invade the farms and soil temperatures are too high to apply nitrogen fertiliser during the normal fall time. His concern is that the weather service has not helped stressed out farmers in the country because advisories generated are generic and not address the peculiar seasonal variations of the different farming zones.

    Since weather conditions vary within a few kilometres, therefore, he said automated regional weather stations should be established to provide locally relevant meteorological information.

    Adebayo said there is a need for the government to empower the Meteorological service to provide weather information for crop and livestock management to farmers in agro climatic zones of the country and should be issued twice weekly.

    Since farming decisions relating to seed selection, sowing time, irrigation requirements, time of fertiliser application, crop management depend on the local weather and seasonal conditions, he stressed that local agro met advisories based on scientific seasonal and weather forecasting that can help farmers take more informed decisions relating to their agricultural activities.

    At present, information at the weather stations are spread through TV and newspapers. But information technology is at a very nascent stage in the villages. This results in the advisories not even reaching the villages.

    He said the government needs to scale up the advisories by building infrastructure.

    This is because the information obtained through distantly spaced weather stations is not specific to each farmer’s crop locality.

    For watchers, there is the need for a two-way communication between the scientist and the farmer. At present, the advisory is prepared very subjectively. First, the farmers may not get the information and even if they do, they may not have the understanding to adapt to it.

    Programme Coordinator, Farmers Development Union, Mr Victor Olowe, said farmers are going to be forced to deal with ever-increasing temperatures and humidity, adding that the pace of change is increasing very rapidly.

    According to him, farmers are not getting specific climate alerts to empower them to adapt to extreme climatic changes and accordingly plan their agricultural activities.

    For watchers, twice a week farmers should receive text messages or can read on wall displays, weather variance information that is specific to their crop and geographical location.

    Olowe emphasised that climate change is “happening” and climate-dependent rural communities feel the impact of extreme climate changes.

    With phenomena such as rainfall varying even within a kilometre, he maintained that accurate and locale-specific predictions are of utmost importance.

    And with the gradual loss of the traditional system of forecasting based on observing surrounding flora and fauna, advanced agro-met advisories need to reach out to farmers.

    Without addressing weather challenges, the problems, he noted, the country could face from a possibility of soaring prices to lack of crop insurance to keep farmers in business.

    He emphasised that the government must act to respond to climate change and to ensure our agriculture sector continues to thrive.

    The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) warned last year of an impending threat to food security in Nigeria and 10 other nations in the West African region. According to the institute, crisis would only be averted if deliberate efforts are made by both governments and the private sector to include climate change adaptation to food security investment in the region.

    The IFPRI survey that led to this caution used sophisticated modeling and available data to develop future scenarios exploring the range of climate change consequences for agriculture, food security, and resource management and offered recommendations to West African national governments and regional agencies.It offered, for the first time, country-by-country climate data and analysis for 11 of the countries that make up West Africa.

    According to the IFPRI, West African policy makers must prepare for future challenges from climate change as they address the pressing needs of broad-based economic growth.

    “Maize, millet, rice, and sorghum are the major cereal crops in the region, yet yields from these crops are very low compared to the world average and even other regions in Africa. Impacts from a changing climate will challenge production systems already under pressure to produce more to feed a growing population. Existing farming systems, including crops and livestock, are adapted to today’s agro-ecosystems in the region, but climate change will alter those systems in uncertain ways, affecting livelihoods, especially those of poor farmers,” the IFPRI survey noted.

    According to the international food agency, this survey is needed in the West Africa region to fill a major gap in the availability of up-to-date scientific information on the vulnerability of the agriculture sector to climate change in countries and in the region,

    The survey was carried out in collaboration with other international food agencies including the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF /WECARD), a regional agricultural research and development organisation, and scientists from each of the countries.

    “The study focused on both individual countries and the region providing a clear framework for developing informed and coherent national and regional policies to help the vulnerable farming community of West Africa become more resilient to the growing challenges of climate change.

    In addition to country-level analysis and recommendations, the study offers some suggestions, including“current data collection efforts on weather, land use, and water resources in the region are inadequate to make policy decisions. In particular, improved data on weather are crucial to help farmers make decisions now, and to inform long-term policies.

    “Policymakers should incorporate climate change considerations into food security policies – such as those related to crop research, infrastructure, and social services0 – to prepare for a changing climate while meeting the need for increased quantity and quality of food available to consumers.

    “Agricultural research and extension agencies should combine efforts at improving yields with those to develop climate-resilient crop varieties. Training farmers about new techniques and technologies to both adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change is needed. Also, governments should enable farmers to access vital inputs required for improved productivity and production.”

    IFPRI stressed that climate change considerations should be part of the national and regional planning and decision making.

  • How to use data for food security, by expert

    How to use data for food security, by expert

    Improving the quality, availability and relevance of data on food and agriculture is a priority as Nigeria strives to develop more effective policies to tackle its persistent food security problems,the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, (UNILORIN), Prof Abiodun Adeloye has said.

    Speaking with The Nation, he said the government and the private sector need timely, accurate, and reliable statistics to give a better picture of how agriculture and food security are affected by, and how they impact, economic, environmental and social factors.

    He said reliable statistics are vital in tracking the nation’s food needs and achievements.

    Adeloye maintained that it is difficult to get statistics on short notice. While there may be data on the sector, the don said they were outdated since 2010.

    Adeloye said the agricultural sector requires statistics to determine productivity, competitiveness and ensuring farmers have greater access to markets.

    He acknowledged that there was a challenge to the nation unlocking its food production potential, stressing the importance of adequate information to enable the government to strengthen farmers to play a critical role in the transformational agenda.

    He said the sector faces a range of increasing resource constraints, adding that agricultural industries need data to justify investments. While the level of business investment is significant, data is required to defend expenditure directed to meeting business needs relating to increasing output.

    He said conductors of surveys are not able to capture the full potential of the data collection in productivity analysis, which can be relied upon.

    Adeloye said the industry needs timely and accurate data that caan be used by decision-makers to develop policies, programmes and investments that improve people’s lives.

    He called on the Nigeria Bureau for Statistics (NBS) to collaborate with the relevant agencies in the agricultural sector to provide data and information that can be used to gather food security statistics in areas such as agricultural investments, livestock, and land ownership.

    The don called on government agencies to build data collection infrastructure and to put a system in place to process and analyse such information.

  • Industrialist makes case for animal husbandry

    An industrialist, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, has advised the Federal and state governments to show interest in animal husbandry to boost agriculture in the country.

    Ezeemo made the call in Umuchu in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The industrialist regretted that endeavours, such as piggery and rearing of cattle, sheep and goat had not received adequate attention from government.

    According to him, if farming like piggery is made attractive with adequate incentives, it will create employment for the teeming youths and also generate income for people.

    “Youths feel ashamed to embark on such farming, due to lack of adequate incentives like good roads in rural areas, power supply and soft loans.

    “If it is well positioned, they will take it up and enjoy the benefit.

    “Animal husbandry is a good aspect of farming that yields good money when channelled aright,” he said.

    He said Anambra is blessed with abundant human and land resources to promote animal husbandry.

    Ezeemo, who was a former gubernatorial candidate of the Progressives People Alliance, urged youths to embark on agriculture to be self-reliant.

    The industrialist appealed to the government and wealthy individuals to rehabilitate rural roads in Anambra to evacuate farm produce to the cities.

  • Govt urged to establish cold stores at airports

    Govt urged to establish cold stores at airports

    An industry expert, Dr Ademola Adeyemo has called on the government to set up cold storage facilities across airports in the country.

    Adeyemo, Head, General Management Division, Agricultural and Rural Management and Training Institute (ARMTI), said perishable goods storage facilities are necessary for developing a highly profitable export industry.

    Apart from providing an essential requisite to the development and promotion of the export industry,he noted that this would encourage exporters, growers, and processors to increase exports of fresh produce, Stressing that preservation of perishable food is a matter of vital importance ,he urged the government to set up cargo-handling facilities for perishable products at different airports of the country.

    Adeyemo said there was massive shortfall in the country’s cold storage is resulting in agricultural produce being lost post-harvesting.

    To this end, he urged the government to take urgent steps to establish cold storage facilities at the i airports.

    According to him, establishing such a facility would be of great help to farmers, who wish to export produce to other countries. He emphasised the need for setting up of operating cold chain facilities for other specified products and warehousing facilities for storage of agriculture produce through public private participation initiatives.

    He said development of cold storages was important where fruits and vegetables go waste every year due to inadequate storage infrastructure.

    He said export-related infrastructure for agri produce is described in the report as grossly inadequate, especially at seaports and airports.

    To pursue the objectives, experts said the government need to l provide infrastructure for air cargo villages, which will include multi-modal transport, cargo terminals, cold storage centers, automatic storage and retrieval systems, mechanised transport of cargo, dedicated express cargo terminals with airside and city side openings, computerisation and automation, establish cargo villages on a public-private partnership at major international airports and promote Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano as transshipment hubs.

  • N1.5 billion loan for Anambra farmers

    N1.5 billion loan for Anambra farmers

    The Anambra State Government said it would start disbursing an additional N1.5 billion loan to farmers in the state within the next two weeks.

    The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Ndubuisi Menakaya, told newsmen in Onitsha that the government obtained part of the money from the Bank of Agriculture (BoA).

    He said the government was encouraged to obtain the loan after evaluating the “huge’’ success of the N1 billion allocated to the state under the N20 billion Commercial Agriculture loan fund provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last year.

    He noted that Governor Peter Obi had concluded arrangements for the loan, adding that it would be disbursed through the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Anambra chapter, with same conditions as the former loan.

    “Anambra State Government, after seeing how successful the past scheme was, we are now partnering with the Bank of Agriculture to raise an additional N1.5 billion that we will give out to Anambra State farmers.

    “And this N1.5 billion loan is also between N25,000 and N5 million (per farmer) with a 9.2 per cent interest rate and 12 months moratorium.

    “This will be a loan directly with the Bank of Agriculture, where Anambra State puts its own money (40 per cent) and the Bank of Agriculture matches it with 60 per cent.

    “This thing will take off within the next two weeks.”

    He continued: “And Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, will recommend Anambra State farmers.

    “Farmers, who are domiciled in Anambra State, it doesn’t have to be an Anambra State indigene. It is a farmer that is domiciled in Anambra State.

    “Down the value chain, that is, all aspects of farming to food processing, to all aspects of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishery, crop production.

    “So, through the value chain, we are going to support them.”

    The loan range between a minimum of N25,000 and a maximum of N5 million, depending on the size of the farmer’s farm and needs.

  • Kwankwaso decries tomato farmers’ inability to meet demand

    Kwankwaso decries tomato farmers’ inability to meet demand

    Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has regretted the inability of Nigeria to meet domestic demand for tomatoes, despite ranking 16th on the World’s Tomatoes production hierarchy. He spoke at the inauguration of the National Tomato Technical Working Group at the Government House in Kano.

    In a statement, signed by the Governor’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye, Kwankwaso lamented that the country’s tomato farmers have continued to lose millions of naira due to lack of capacity to process, preserve and market the commodity.

    “Nigeria accounts for about 10.8 per cent of Africa’s and 1.2 per cent of total global tomato production yet, we have not been able to meet domestic demand, and our farmers lose an estimated 45 per cent of their tomato income, amounting to millions of naira, mainly due to the bottleneck and other related issues,’’ Kwankwaso argued.

    According to Kwankwaso what is more painful is the fact that Kano farmers are often the greatest losers because the state remains the highest tomato producing state in the country, with dry season cultivation of over 30, 000 hectares, under the Kano River Irrigation project, covering three local government areas.

    He, therefore, stressed the need for government’s intervention to address the situation, pointing out that several attempts were made by investors, aimed at salvaging the huge losses but could not yield the desired results due to unfavourable conditions.

    As part of measures to improve the productivity of farmers and reduce to the minimum high post-harvest losses suffered by them, Kwankwaso disclosed that his administration will start the Kano Commercial Crops Development Initiative, as well as expand access to several agriculture development finances and establishment of the Kura export processing village.

    In his remarks, CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, expressed confidence that the tomato industry has great potential in contributing to the development of Nigeria’s economy, as the country is the second largest producer of tomato in Africa, pointing out that 50 per cent of tomato produced in the country is lost due to lack of storage, leading to a huge annual import bill on tomato paste to the tune of N16 billion.

  • Kano farmers, agro suppliers honour Adesina

    Kano farmers, agro suppliers honour Adesina

    The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State branch, has honoured the Minster of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

    Adesina, who was nominated alongside other Africa’s illustrious sons, had won the 2013 Forbes African Person of the Year in December, last year.

    The 2013 Forbes Africa Man of the Year recommended increased attention to training, research and access to market for the nation to realise its dream in the sector.

    The event, which was organised in collaboration with Kano State agro suppliers, was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.

    The minister said his aim was to rebuild agriculture and make it the driver of the economy.

    Adesina said his dream was “to see our children running on our farms across the country and shouting better at last, thank God our lives are better”.

    According to him, the award would spur him to work harder and develop agriculture in the country.

    The minister, however, acknowledged that the success recorded would not have been possible without the support of the farmers, agro dealers and the banks, urging them not to relent in their commitment to the sector.

    “The future of agriculture in this country is bright; this award is to make me do more and I commit myself to do more.

    “I need your support — farmers, bankers, dealers and ministry workers; without you, this award would not have been possible.

    “A green revolution is going on; we are going to unlock our potential and we shall turn our savanna to be like the ‘sorados’ of Brazil,” he said.

    Adesina thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for his encouragement and support, describing Nigeria as a great nation that would remain undivided.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, congratulated the minister on the award, saying the country needed people like Adesina to progress.

    “Hitherto to the coming of Adesina, it was crazy to think that fertiliser would reach farmers without middle men in this country as we have today,” he said.

  • ‘Fadama III empowers farmers in Plateau’

    ‘Fadama III empowers farmers in Plateau’

    The Co-ordinator, Fadama III Project Office in Plateau, Mr Gideon Dandam, said the World Bank-assisted programme has empowered in the state.

    Dandam, who spoke in Jos, said the programme has contributed to agricultural development in the state.

    According to him, with the formation of Fadama User Groups, (FUGs), Plateau farmers are working together as cooperatives, which was not the case before the introduction of the programme.

    “The World Bank came in to increase the income of the rural poor with small money that empowered them in terms of crop production, livestock, processing and rural infrastructure.’’

    Dandam said the project has been able to meet the needs of farmers through increased yields, adding that initially farmers were producing 1.5 tonnes per hectare, “but when we gave them improved seed like Faro 44, today, our farmers are harvesting four to five tonnes per hectare.

    “It is a big achievement which has increased the income of farmers and consequently increasing the revenue base of the state.’’

    The project coordinator further said Fadama III had inculcated into Plateau farmers the attitude of raising livestock within a short time.