The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Entrepreneur donates greenhouse to UNILORIN

    THE Chairman, Origin Group of Companies, Lagos, Mr Samuel J. Samuel, has donated a tractor and 2,000 hectares greenhouse to the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

    Greenhouse is a glass building used for growing plants that need warmth, light and protection.

    Samuel, who handed over the items to Prof AbdulGaniyu Ambali, the Vice Chancellor of the university, said it was in recognition of the institution’s “transparent commitment and dedication to agriculture”.

    He said two other universities – the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, would also receive similar donation.

    The entrepreneur disclosed that graduates of the universities employed by his company were “brilliant” in their fields.

    Samuel said his company would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the universities to promote a five-year programme in agriculture.

    According to him, a greenhouse can yield 170 tonnes of tomatoes worth N6 to N8 million yearly, with 75 per cent profit.

    “I look forward to the time when agriculture would be the centre of attraction at the University of Ilorin and the symbol of the institution.

    “It is possible for its graduates to own a greenhouse each and earn about N4 million per annum from agricultural ventures,” he said.

    He believed that it was only agriculture that could directly teach the young ones the value of hard work.

    Samuel observed that no nation had ever developed without agriculture, and pledged to train one million youths in various agricultural practice, who would be employers of labour.

    In his response, Ambali appreciated the gesture and pledged that the institution would continue to train graduates that would compete in the global market.

    He expressed the hope that the partnership between the university and the company would benefit the students greatly. AFAN in Kwara laments destruction of crops by hersdsmen.

  • Lagos to promote seafoods production

    The Lagos State government said it will support private investors to invest in aquaculture to achieve its aspiration of food security and economic development, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, has said.

    Lawal, who spoke in Lagos, said the state government has developed guidelines and policies that would create favourable climate for more investment opportunities across the aquaculture value chain.

    He said the aquaculture sector has a significant growth potential and can help to spare over-exploited sea resources, adding that small and large scale entrepreneurs are being encouraged to invest in the sector.

    He said there are on-going efforts to promote fisheries value chain development for accelerated fish production, stating that government intends to increase the production of fishes and other sea foods in the state to one million metric tonnes.

    Lawal explained that the sea food consumption needs of the state stands at 650,000 metric tonnes but had been producing only 125,000 metric tonnes, adding that about 300,000 metric tonnes of seafoods were being imported into the state.

    The commissioner said the government planned to enhance the capacity of the state sea food farmers through the annual festival of sea food production.

    Lawal said: “The festival, which is to be held in partnership with international organisations, is designed to promote local fish production and enhance competitiveness of the local markets.

    “It will serve as catalyst for scaling up seafood production in Lagos and this is one of government’s strategies to achieve its food security objectives.

    “By putting seafood back on the culinary agenda of Lagosians, the government hopes to achieve the well-being of its citizens and ensure that the growing profile of Lagos in the international tourism map does not diminish. The festival will promote all about seafood that is farmed in Lagos waters and its broad uses.”

    Lawal said about 10,000 people participated in the just-concluded festival, which provided an opportunity for networking among stakeholders, sharing knowledge and technology used in the industry and exchanging information on products and services available in the global market.

    He said: “We also want to use the festival to stimulate investment potential of Lagos State in relation to aquaculture and artisanal fisheries; positively impact the economy of Lagos State in the short and long term and ultimately make the state as a major tourism attraction and destination for local and international tourists.”

    Lawal said it had received an expression of interest from a firm from Finland to set up a fish feeds plant in the state.

    He explained that the Finnish company had contacted him personally on its intention, noting that both parties were already working out modalities for the plant.

    The commissioner said when finally established, the fish feeds plant will boost fish production in the state, explaining that it would narrow the supply/demand gap of fish feeds.

    Lawal also hinted on another plan by the Chinese and American companies, which he said, had signified strong interest to establish fish processing plants in the state. He added that the expression of interests by the foreign firms indicated that the state government’s efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs)to the state’s fish industry was working.

    He therefore expressed the commitment of the government “to achieving self-sufficiency in fish production in the state and create more job opportunities through the industry.”

     

  • Expert urges support for pig farming

    The Federal Government has been urged to support pig production through use of modern technologies.

    The Publisher, Food Farm News, Mr Ayeni Oladehinde, said in a statement that because of the lack of innovative approaches to animal nutrition in the pig market, volumes have decreased in recent years.

    He said the nation’s pig industry has slaughtered fewer animals, due largely in part to higher, more unstable feed costs.

    The decrease, he maintainned, could be partially explained by unexpectedly large increases on soyabean and grain prices, while pork prices only enjoyed a slight boost during the same period.

    According to him, the government can boost productivity in the industry by increasing investment in finishing facilities – farms where young pigs are kept until they reach market weight.

    He called on the government to improve fortunes in the industry through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) programme, adding that there is greater potential for wealth-creation and employment-generation, if Nigerians are made to explore the opportunities across the value chain.

    He said the nation needed to harness its potential, scrap old production systems that had an adverse impact on the environment and develop faster and more flexible processing of environmental and building applications.

    He called for investment to improve the social and economic well-being of approximately farmers across the country, adding that the level of pork production, could led to increase significantly as a result of the investment.

  • Chamber seeks more FTAs to boost agro exports

    THE Federal Government has been urged to explore Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to boost agricultural exports.

    Speaking with The Nation,the Chairman, Southsouth Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Hyke Ochia, urged the government to continue to pursue an ambitious pro-trade plan, saying that good free trade agreements will open opportunities for farmers.

    He explained that Free Trade Agreement would create jobs; open new markets and unlock growth opportunities for producers across every region of the country.

    Ochia urged the government to work with other countries to ensure mutual prosperity within the region, stressing that free trade agreement should include provisions for market access for goods, cross-border trade and services, investment and government procurement.

    He said the government must be ready to work with industry to support market growth and enhance competitiveness for grains, pulses and oilseeds.

    In addition, Ochia said the government should continue to improve the performance of the supply chain for crops, with a focus on innovation, capacity, and stakeholders collaboration.

    He said Nigeria’s participation in major international agro trade shows is a key component of market development.

    Ochia said Nigerian farmers have bright future in open markets where they will be able to respond to demands by being innovative with their farming and processing practices, and where they will be rewarded with premium returns.

    He said there are markets with enormous growth opportunities and where significant barriers to trade in agriculture still exist but whch have strong outcomes for the agricultural sector.

    Ochia stressed the need for the government to revisit its strategy of FTAs, bring greater transparency and involve more effective administrative processes in their design and implementation to make FTAs more beneficial for the nation.

    Considering the negative impact, the expert suggested that trade agreements should be ‘self-regulatory’ and provide ‘safeguard measures’ so local producers will not be exploited.

  • Agriculture: Transformation via foreign investments

    In the past year, Nigeria’s agricultural potentials were tested, with food production rising significantly. Although there is a new economic growth momentum, there are regional disparities. To optimise the potentials, better coordination is needed among government agencies, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    In the past one year, Nigeria recorded reasonable economic growth. The agricultural sector contributed to the growth through boosting food production, encouraging the private sector participation and improving the investment climate.

    While growth patterns were pronounced and outlook of commodity prices remained favourable for food and agricultural raw materials, there were low rural wages and insufficient government spending on rural development and obsolete infrastructure which are key determinants of rural poverty. Over the year, however, the World Bank supported the government to improve involvement in rural economic activities.

    $300 million credit for agric

    The World Bank announced a $300 million credit for Nigeria, to boost the Federal Government’s efforts to expand its agriculture sector, enhance food security as well as improve nutrition for the rural poor.

    The bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved two International Development Association (IDA) credit facilities to support the transformation of the sector.

    The IDA credit of $100 million is expected to fund the Nigeria Agriculture Sector Development Policy Operation, the first of two projects that would support government’s agricultural transformation agenda. The operation includes efforts to strengthen policies and capacity to raise yields, promote market access among farmers, and improve overall management of the country’s rapidly expanding agriculture industry.

    World Bank unfolds fresh N32b facility for agric scheme

    To further boost its objective of assisting in reducing poverty at the grassroots and also sustain its investment in agriculture through the Third National Fadama Development Project (NFDP), the World Bank plans to give additional $200 million (N32 billion) to some benefiting states in the country.

    The bank’s Country Director, Mrs. Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly who spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said the additional fund was approved because the bank was impressed about progress of the project in Ogun State and the other benefitting states.

    $8 billion into agricultural projects

    Private sector investments in agriculture increased appreciably, with the private sector investing about $8 billion into various projects in the past two years.

    Observers attributed the renewed interest to invest in the agricultural sector to the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), designed to promote “ agrobusiness’’, while boosting food security and wealth creation in the country.

    The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr AkinwumiAdesina,said that an additional $4billion was being injected into the sector by companies like Dangote Group, Indorama Chemicals and Notore Chemicals, among others.

    Leading global institutions such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had been investing in the country.

    Adesina said the World Bank invested $500 million, Bill and Melinda Gates $5 million, IFAD $80 million, while the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invested $1.5 million, among others.

    A report released by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also said that the United States -based multinational food security company, Blumberg Grains, planned to invest $250 million in large scale food storage facilities in the country.

    Indonesian fertiliser company ,Indorama will invest $2.5 billion in new plants,Adesina said durng a visit to South Africa for the World Economic Forum on Africa. Dangote Group is investing $3.5 billion in what Adesina said would be Africa’s biggest fertiliser plant. Major multinational agri-businesses are also moving in.

    Govt partners Brazil on rice, poultry and soya bean production

    The Federal Government has also entered into partnership with Brazil on rice, poultry and soya bean production.

    The former Minister of State for Agriculture, BukarTijani, said that the partnership would encourage the transfer of agricultural technology to Nigeria.

    Tijani, who spoke when Luiz Fernando Mainarde, the Secretary of Agriculture of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, led a delegation to the ministry earlier in the year, said: “The total demand of rice in Nigeria is about five million tonnes per annum and our farmers produce just over two million tonnes per annum.”

    Agric export hits 822,000 tonnes

    Agricultural produce export hit 822,000 tonnes last year, against the government’s target of 364,000 tonnes.

    Adesina hinted that the export figure for this year might rise, as the nation is expecting more bountiful harvest, following the provision of improved farm input to farmers, saying that the land area cultivated with improved seed varieties has increased from 400,000 hectares in two years to four million hectares.

    The minister attributed the low inflation rate in the country to higher domestic food production,which led to significant drop in food price.

    Farmers and bankers

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) appealed to the Federal Government to give the Bank of Agriculture the same level of attention currently being given to Bank of Industry.

    Immediate past President, LCCI, Mr Goodie Ibru, said the agricultural sector presented a striking paradox in the economy and accounted for 38 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and less than five per cent of revenue.

    “This underscores the low level of productivity and efficiency in the sector. The return on investment is very low and the income per head is also very low, which is why there is ravaging poverty in the agricultural communities, which are basically in the rural areas.

    “It is therefore important to enhance productivity in the sector through improvement in market access, linkages with other sectors of the economy, investment in all year round farming and acceleration of mechanisation, Land reforms and access to funding.”

    Southwest states mainstream mega million agriculture investment blueprint

    States in the Southwest are working on a multi-million agricultural development plan to revamp the sector to secure food supply, protect the environment and ensure rural areas are developed sustainably.

    Speaking before the meeting of Commissioners of Agriculture in the South west in Abeokuta, the Director-General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, Mr Dipo Famakinwa, said states were working a common agricultural policy and plan that will help farmers adapt to the market’s changing needs and secure a sustainable food supply.

    Famakinwa said states in the Southwest were pleased to resume engagement in agriculture as part of a broader engagement to support private sector investment across the region.

    He said common agricultural policy (CAP) would support the diversification of economic activity in Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Oyo and Osun states and contribute to improved processing of agricultural products.

    He said strategic alliances in agricultural supply chain would play a crucial factor supporting the success of agro industrial development.

    Famakinwa said the regional agricultural plan would forge greater collaboration across the sector to maximise opportunities around the five states.

    As part of the action plan, the state governments are looking to work with companies in evaluating and opportunities.

    He said agriculture is the backbone of the region’s economy and new investment in the sector is essential for creating new jobs and economic growth.

    He said there were opportunities available for food businesses in the Southwest states to encourage consumers to eat healthier and more nutritious diets, to invest in more sustainable manufacturing and distribution systems and to develop procurement systems based on more sustainable forms of agriculture.

    Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, said the meeting of agriculture commissioners in the Southwest was established as a part of the regional development plan to stimulate a broad range of investments in agric infrastructure.

    Economic Summit canvasses investment in agric

    Participants at the 19th edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja said “to successfully diversify the economy for enhanced growth and development,” the agricultural sector had to be developed to create jobs, secure food supply, lower inflation and expand foreign exchange earnings.

    It was the first time the summit would focus on the agricultural sector to discuss the on-going reforms. There was particular attention on the provision of infrastructure, staple crop processing zones, agricultural financing, right policy framework, among others, which are fundamental and foundational to the full exploitation of agricultural value chain and attainment of food security, employment generation and wealth creation.

    The summit said agriculture needed attractive economic incentives as well as supportive operating environment, besides the need to provide basic infrastructure such as roads, rails, ports, storage facilities and review of land reforms.

    Lagos boosts food production with N16 million

    The Lagos State government granted a credit facility of N16 million to five farmers’ cooperative societies just as it distributed farming tools to over 200 farming households in the state to boost food production.

    Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, made the presentation last year during the celebration of the Farmers Field Day in Ikorodu, with Senator Gbenga Ashafa representing Lagos East senatorial district.

    The lawmaker said 20 cooperative societies of about 200 farming households benefited from such farming tools as knapsack sprayer, compost plus, water pump, wheel barrows, cutlasses, JK file, rainboots, big hoes, drums, manual movable scale, digital movable scale and big plastic bowls that were distributed at the event.

    Govt earmarks N15 billion for farmers

    Vice President Namadi Sambo said the Federal Government approved N15 billion for disbursement to farmers during last year’s farming season through the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) at single digit interest rate.

    He also said the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) had been granted approval by President Goodluck Jonathan to privatise the BoA with the aim of unbundling it, so as to provide cheaper funds for agriculture and also to allow other investors to participate in the sector.

     

  • LBS to boost competitiveness of agri-food sector

    Academics from the Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University, are part of an international team working on a ground-breaking project to develop the competitiveness of agri-food product supply chains across the country.

    Speaking with The Nation, an agribusiness consultant with the school, Mr Seyi Ifelaja, said LBS is set to increase the capacities of managers of the nation’s agric business to improve on best practices and capitalise on the benefits of globalisation to grow the economy.

    Ifelaja said the agric sector needs support in terms of capacities in agricultural business management strategy to deliver sustainable, healthy and affordable food for future generations.

    In partnership with industry, Ifelaja said LBS wants to ensure everyone benefits from the exciting opportunities its agribusiness management programme brings.

    According to him, the Agribusiness Management Programme of the LBS nurtures agribusiness managers and leaders to apply practical skills and solutions to their roles in organisations.

    The Agribusiness Management Programme is offered by LBS , Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA), Ghana, and the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania. The Association of African Business Schools (AABS) and Agribusiness Consortium (AAC) launched the Agri Business Management Programme (AgMP) at the LBS, in May.

    During the launching of the programme, a senior faculty member at LBS, Prof Chantal Epie, advocated strengthening the capacities of managers of agri businesses to enhance the potential for wealth creation of the sector.

    She said the AgMP programme, sought to provide high quality business, management and leadership education to stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

    A faculty member at LBS, Dr Larry Osa-Afiana, said a crucial element in the development of the sector was access to finance, particularly bank loans.

    He said credit guarantee schemes and other forms of subsidised financing play a major role in agric financing and compensate for the low level of personal funding sources available to agric business operators. He further stated that banks still considered the lack of adequate information the most important deterrent to their involvement in agri businesses.

    The former President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN),Mr Emmanuel Ijewere, urged the financial sector to invest in the agric sector. He further said many farmers were still feeling the economic woes of past years.

  • Transforming agriculture via foreign investments

    Transforming agriculture via foreign investments

    Available statistics show that private sector investments in Nigeria’s agriculture have increased appreciably.

    In the past two years, the private sector invested about eight billion dollars into agricultural projects.

    Observers attribute the renewed interest to invest in the agricultural sector to the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), designed to promote “ agro-business”, while boosting food security and wealth creation in the country.

    Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that an additional four billion dollars was being injected into the sector by companies like Dangote Group, Indorama Chemicals and Notore Chemicals, among others.

    The minister, who spoke at a recent News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, also said that Syngenta, the world’s leading seeds production company, had established a company in Nigeria.

    He quoted Michel Demare, the Chairman of Syngenta, as saying that “the direction Nigeria is going makes me feel that the demand for seeds is going to rise in the country.”

    Adesina noted that the best performing stocks in the Nigerian market today were agriculture-related stocks, adding that they even performed better than the banks’ stocks.

    He also said that banks were currently adapting their profit-driven business to accommodate agricultural projects.

    The minister, while receiving officials of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) who came under the aegis of the U.S. Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) Infrastructure Trade Mission to Nigeria, restated the government’s determination to boost investment in agriculture.

    Adesina said that the “investment drive” was important for the agricultural sector to open up the potential of some crops in some states.

    “We hope to discuss mechanisation systems; how tractors can be leased to farmers, as against each one of them owning one.

    “The Federal Government would also ensure that basic amenities such as roads, water and power around staple crop zones are provided to enable processors to establish their processing plants in areas where food production is high,” he said.

    Besides, the minister said that leading global institutions such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had been investing in the country.

    He said that the World Bank invested 500 million dollars, Bill and Melinda Gates invested five million dollars, and IFAD invested 80 million dollars, while the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invested 1.5 million dollars, among others.

    Moreover, a report released by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the U.S-based multinational food security company, Blumberg Grains, planned to invest 250 million dollars in large-scale food storage facilities in the country.

    The minister and Mr Philip Blumberg, the Chairman of Blumberg Grains, reportedly signed the Letter of Intent (LoI) for the establishment of the facilities.

    The report quoted Adesina as saying that the food storage facilities, when completed, would create at least 1,000 jobs and aid efforts to boost food production in the country.

    “We are excited that a company with the reputation and resources of Blumberg Grains chose to establish its West African production operations and processing facilities in Nigeria.

    “This is a mark of confidence in the structural reforms of our agricultural sector.

    “By manufacturing storage warehouses in Nigeria, farmers, agro-processors and the financial services industry will be able to reduce post-harvest losses, while improving market access and incomes across agricultural value chains,” he said.

    Saying that the Federal Government’s goal was to make the country a global powerhouse in food production, Adesina stressed that the facilities would further enhance Nigeria’s regional standing in agriculture.

    He said that the investment would increase exports of “made-in-Nigeria” manufactured products and make the country an agro-business centre for food safety and security.

    The report also quoted Blumberg as saying that Nigeria had a huge potential agricultural market and that the country would provide a significant opportunity for the company to establish its presence in West Africa.

    “Our commitment is also a response to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN) programme of the Group of Eight Industrialised Nations (G-8).

    “The programme aligns members’ support to Nigeria’s agricultural objectives as well as to the country’s own commitment to promote a business-enabling environment for both domestic and international private sectors,” Blumberg said.

    Blumberg Grains is a leading U.S.-based food security company which provides integrated crop and food storage systems, technology and management.

    The company works with private companies and countries to modernise agricultural value chains and increase the quality and marketable output of harvests.

    The Federal Government has also entered into partnership with Brazil on rice, poultry and soya bean production.

    The former Minister of State for Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, said that the partnership would encourage the transfer of agricultural technology to Nigeria.

    Tijani spoke when Mr Luiz Fernando Mainarde, the Secretary of Agriculture of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, led a delegation to the ministry earlier in the year.

    “The total demand of rice in Nigeria is about five million tonnes per annum and our farmers produce just over two million tonnes per annum.

    “We want to borrow technology and expertise from Brazil to enable us to become a major producer and exporter of rice, poultry and soya bean,” Tijani said.

    At the meeting, Mainarde said that the Brazilian President, Mrs Dilma Rousseff, had instructed the delegation to strengthen the trade relationship existing between Nigeria and Brazil.

    He said that their visit was on the request of Mr Vincent Amerib-Okun, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Brazil, who visited the state four times to facilitate the visit and ensure cooperative agreement for the transfer of technology to Nigeria.

    All in all, stakeholders urge the Federal Government to continue with its drive for foreign direct investments in the agricultural sector.

    This would boost employment and grassroots development in the country, they add.

    Source: NAN

     

  • Animal protein confab for Abuja

    Agribusiness leaders, organisations and authorities have the unique opportunity in January to take part free of charge in a one-day international summit on further development of poultry, aquaculture and feed production.

    The meeting to be held on January 15,in Abuja will attract farmers processors, retailers, government officials and representatives of the feed business.

    The organisers said international experts in poultry and aquaculture will present the meeting with examples of technical best practices as the foundation for an efficient and effective expansion of animal protein supplies from the nation’s farms.

    There will also be a focus on investment opportunities and encouraging young people and women to explore the potential for employment in the agricultural sector nationally.

    Tagged: VIV International Nigeria Summit, the programme is arranged as part of a series of roadshow activities by VIV Europe 2014, a global expo for poultry and livestock husbandry and processing.

    To organise the international summit in Nigeria, the team behind VIV Europe are partnering with local agricultural corporation Nate Farms Enterprises Nigeria Limited.

    The programme will feature parallel walk-in sessions of 30 minutes each which cover the major poultry themes: Feed and Nutrition; Breeding and Hatching; Farm Management; Health; and Processing and Handling. These sessions include remarks by specialists from a number of VIV Europe exhibitors for the poultry sector as well as an insight into broiler chain production in Brazil, arranged for the summit by the World’s Poultry Science Association.

    Professor Mrs Daisy Eruvbetine of the animal nutrition department at the University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, is a featured speaker in discussions on the prospects and challenges facing feed and poultry industries in Nigeria. The health segments of the summit have been compiled with the assistance of the World Veterinary Poultry Association.

  • FIIRO explores products from agric waste

    The Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) has stepped up research on products that could be made from agric waste.

    Its Director-General, Dr Gloria Elemo said the institute was exploring the potential to create an economy from waste from agriculture, using new technologies.

    Mrs Elemo who spoke in Lagos said bio-renewables is a major research focus of the institute, encompassing areas such as plant oils and high value chemicals for a range of industrial applications, along with projects aimed at biomass development for use as biofuels.

    She said FIIRO would focus on food and non-food crop production systems in an holistic approach that will address the key issues of food security and environmental sustainability in a way it will ultimately benefit the rural economy.

    According to her, the agri-food supply chain faces unprecedented challenges in the coming years from the increasing complexity of food supply chains. One way these challenges could be overcome or mitigated is to build greater resilient crops and make the production systems more robust, adding that the institute is researching on solutions to reduce waste and turn waste to wealth.

    According to her ,the institute is making strides in the field of biological engineering and food technology including cassava product development.

    Technologies and systems developed as part of the effort, Mrs Elemo maintained particularly benefit small-holder households, support small and medium scale enterprises to increase profitability, create new jobs and develop links to large-scale industries. In the long term, she noted that the project s will help to improve the livelihoods of people on low incomes and enhance the role that these crops play in food and income security.

    For the cassava industry, Mrs Elemo said opportunities identified include improved and more convenient versions of traditional processed products, such as of cassava flour (low quality cassava flour) as import substitutes for plywood and paperboard adhesives.

    According to her, there are also potential markets for cassava products in the production of sweeteners, among others.

    As innovation develops, Mrs Elemo said opportunities for creating more value-adding products through research has the potential to benefit smallholder communities and, in the long term, improve food security.

    As part of efforts aimed at ensuring rapid industrialisation and food security, Gratitude Project Partners, from Thailand and Vietnam, have started collaboration with FIIRO, on the usage of cassava wastes to produce edible mushroom.

    The project, sponsored by the European Union on Reducing Losses from Roots and Tuber Crops, is partnering universities and research institutions in Nigeria, Ghana and other countries across the world to add value to waste. Elemo, who said the institute was commissioned by EU to do research and development on edible mushroom cultivation technology and domestication, said it has been working on the use of cassava peel, yam peel and cassava stalk as substrate to produce edible mushroom.

    Elemo noted that in order to reduce investment on mushroom production, a thatched roof mushroom house has been developed to grow mushrooms and train entrepreneurs. She claimed that the step implies that its cultivation can easily be set up in the rural areas at low cost and technology made simpler.

  • Expert urges support for pig production

    The Federal Government has been urged to support pig production through use of modern technologies.

    The publisher,Food Farm News, Mr Ayeni Oladehinde said in a statement that because of the lack of innovative approaches to animal nutrition in the pig market, volumes have decreased in recent years.

    He said the nation’s pig industry has slaughtered fewer animals, due largely in part to higher, more unstable feed costs.

    The decrease, he maintainned can be partially explained by unexpectedly large increases on soyabean and grain prices, while pork prices only enjoyed a slight boost during the same period.

    According to him, the government can boost productivity in the industry by increasing investment in finishing facilities – farms where young pigs are kept until they reach market weight.

    He called on the government to improve fortunes in the industry through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) programme, adding that there is greater potential for wealth-creation and employment-generation, if Nigerians are made to explore the opportunities across the value chain.

    He said the nation needed to harness its potential, scrap old production systems that had an adverse impact on the environment and develop faster and more flexible processing of environmental and building applications.

    He called for investment to improve the social and economic well-being of approximately farmers across the country, adding that the level of pork production, could led to increase significantly as a result of the investment.