The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • How to fight ‘hidden hunger’

    Food expert, Prof Tola Atinmo, has called for improved efforts to enable Nigerians access biofortified “super foods that will address hidden hunger.”

    Hidden hunger is lack of vitamins and minerals that affects one in three people across the world.

    Biofortification uses conventional plant breeding methods to enhance the concentration of micronutrients in food crops through a combination of laboratory and agricultural techniques.

    Atinmo, Chairman, Federation of African Nutrition Societies (FANUS) and Executive Council Member, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), said there was need to combat micronutrient deficiencies, which can cause severe health problems such as anaemia, blindness, impaired immune response and development delays.

    According to him, micronutrient malnutrition affects two billion people across the world.

    He stressed the need to fortify staple foods, adding that experts are working on increasing iron, zinc and provitamin A content as these nutrients,which are lacking are the cause of hidden hunger.

    According to him, biofortifi-cation attacks the root of the problem and is scientifically and economically viable.

    Though biofortification has been adopted as a matter of national policy,he noted that it was necessary to enforce regulations for the promotion of food security. A diet lacking in iron and zinc can cause anaemia, reduced work capacity, immune system impairments, development delays, and even death. He stressed the need to assess nutritional impact on the population.

    Calling for the inauguration of the National Nutrition Council,Atinmo said the Federal Executive Council had approved its constitution since February 2007.

    Without the inauguration of the council, the don said it will be difficult to coordinate nutrition development activities across the country.

    According to him, improving food and nutrition requires collaboration in creating and recreating ideas; seeking unity and totality of approach toward nutritional adequacy.

    The council will formulate national food and nutrition policies and strategies and serve as the policy, coordinating and advisory body of food, nutrition and health concerns.

  • Consumers to benefit from new UN food standards

    The United Nations (UN) food standards body, Codex Alimentarius, has agreed on new standards to protect the health of consumers worldwide. These include standards on fruits, vegetables, fish and fishery products and animal feed.

    Codex also adopted codes on the prevention and reduction of ochratoxin A, a carcinogenic contaminant, in cocoa, guidance on how to avoid microbiological contamination of berries.It also included use of claims for food that is labeled “non-addition of sodium salts” including “no added salt” on food packages, to assist consumers in choosing a healthy diet.

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), sets international food safety and quality standards to promote safer and more nutritious food for consumers worldwide. Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation, and provide the food safety benchmarks for international food trade.

    At its yearly meeting last week, Codex celebrated its 50th anniversary. The session was attended by 620 delegates from 128-member countries and one member organisation, one observer country and 41 international governmental and non-governmental organisations, including UN agencies.

    One of the important work areas for Codex is setting safe limits and giving guidance along the food chain on prevention or reduction of contamination. Food can become contaminated by heavy metals, fungal toxins or bacteria and viruses.

    The Commission adopted two important codes: prevention and reduction of ochratoxin A (a carcinogenic contaminant) in cocoa and of hydrocyanic acid in cassava, both important products for developing countries.

    Fresh berries can be a healthy part of the diet but are also prone to microbiological contamination and have been associated with several foodborne illness outbreaks caused by viruses (Hepatitis A, Norovirus), bacteria (E.coli) and protozoa. The new Codex text gives advice to producers and consumers on how to prevent this contamination.

    The Commission adopted a number of commodity standards that will protect consumers from fraud and ensure fair practices in the food trade: fresh and processed fruit and vegetables (e.g. avocados, chanterelles, pomegranates, table olives, date paste, and tempe) and fish and fishery products (smoked fish, abalone). The standards also help buyers and sellers establish contracts based on Codex specifications and make sure that the consumers get from the products what they expect.

    The Commission also adopted the nutrient reference values on sodium and saturated fatty acids, which are nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), to be included in the guidelines on nutrition labelling. This is part of Codex’s on-going efforts to promote healthy dietary practices and address the increasing public health problem of diet-related NCDs.

    The Commission also adopted the revised and updated guidelines on formulated supplementary foods for older infants and young children to ensure the health and nutrition of the vulnerable population group. Furthermore, it adopted hundreds of safe maximum limits for pesticide residues and veterinary drugs and provisions for food additives.

  • Akwa Ibom trains 4,500 women in commercial agric

    Akwa Ibom State has so far trained about 4,500 women in commercial agriculture under the Women Agro-Empowerment Development Programme, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Godwin Afangideh, has said.

    Afangideh said the present administration was committed and determined to develop the agriculture sector.

    “We have trained and empowered about 4,500 women with N250,000 each for commercial agriculture under the women agro-empowerment development programme in agriculture.

    “This will let us explore, use available opportunities and resources to thrive and develop the agriculture sector of the state and country,” he said.

    The commissioner also said 4,000 youths were trained with N500,000 each under the integrated farming scheme across the state.

    He said the state government had provided land for people to boost the industrial sector in the state.

    Afangideh said the policy thrust of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s administration is to create an enabling environment for industrialisation to provide employment opportunities for the youths in the state.

    “The governor is excited and interested in agriculture’s development. But we also have industrial estates in Uyo, Eket, Ikot-Abasi and Ikot Ekpene local government areas (LGAs), as well as abundant land for those who want to set up an industry,’’ he said.

    The commissioner said when the 191 megawatts Ibom Power Plant (IPP) project is completed, it would help in driving the industrialisation process of the state.

    On the development of infrastructure, he said the state government had built four flyover bridges and 28 other bridges in the state in the last six years.

    Afangideh said Akwa Ibom has the best road network among states in the South-South part of the country.

    He said about 1,600 communities have also been linked to the National Power Grid, adding that about 87 per cent of the communities are connected to electricity in the state.

  • ‘Survey of fish stocks vital for growth’

    A don, Martins Anetekhai, has called for a survey to assess the status of fish stocks.

    Anetekhai of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Biology, Lagos State University (LASU) noted that the fish stock was not improving.

    He said the sector needs to rebuild their populations.

    According to him, harvest trends and fishery conditions put the sector at risk.

    As demand and fish prices rise, he said shortfall in fish supplies is likely to affect consumption.

    He said the government was coming up with realistic options for developing fisheries which are genuinely sustainable and economically viable in the long term.

    Anetekhai said there was a poor data on fishing stocks. This data, he noted, can be from the government’s research institutes on fish markets and at sea on hundreds of fishing and research vessels.

    The data, he explained should consist of measurements of fish: their length, weight, sex, developmental stage, and estimated age.

    These data, Anetekhai noted, would be analysed and integrated into a national data on fish stocks.

    He emphasised the need for a data to verify existing fishing stocks.

    According to him, such surveys need to be carried out regularly, with appropriate frequency .

    Anetekhai called for a national fish disease control surveillance. This, according to him, will provide information on aquatic animal health .

    He said the sector needs a system for notification of the presence of disease and a contingency plan for fish diseases.

    Anetekhai supports the crusade to put an end to decades of over-fishing and rebuild dwindling stocks as part of a deal to overhaul of fisheries policy.

    Across the industry, there is a strong desire now to listen to the scientists, rebuild fish stocks, cut discards, and give the fishing industry a better future.

  • How govt can stop rice import, by Utomi

    How govt can stop rice import, by Utomi

    How can the Federal Government stop rice import? It is by providing adequate incentives for stakeholders in the rice value chain ,says the Co-founder, Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos, Prof. Pat Utomi.

    He advised the government to guarantee rice farmers so that none of their harvests would be wasted.

    In an interview in Abuja, Utomi , said until stakeholders began to see agriculture as a business rather than development programme, the sector may not witness expected transformation.

    He said: “Once there is appropriate incentive to produce rice, if you can guarantee those who produce for example that nothing they produce will be wasted, that incentive will make them produce.”

    Utomi emphasised the need for private sector partnership and encouragement to enable all stakeholders take ownership of various agriculture programmes.

    He said government can as well support private investors to devise strategies on value chain that has comparative advantages.

    “The key to agriculture is if it runs as a business or source for business enterprises because passion, commitment of people goes into where they profit.

    “Part of the problem with the structure of agriculture for a long time is that it has been seen as a kind of development initiative, where government put all available resources so you don’t calculate the outcome but if government creates the enabling environment and encourage these people to entrepreneurial opportunities and create values,” he said.

    However, Utomi urged all stakeholders to embrace local food produce to foster more income for the farmers.

  • Lagos moves to raise fish production

    Lagos State government plans to increase fish production to eliminate poverty and raise the people’s nutrient intake,Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Adejoke Orelope–Adefulire said.

    Speaking during the artisanal fishing inputs delivery service programme for fishermen in Badagry, Mrs Orelope Adefulire, who spoke through the Commissioner for Rural Development, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi , said the estimated yearly consumption of fish in the state is 260,000 tonnes but farmers can only produce 130,000 tonnes.

    She said Lagos is working to create an opportunity to produce additional fish and improve the income of fish farmers and fishermen.

    The Deputy Governor said the government was ready to invest in fishermen to strengthen the sector and increase domestic production.

    According to her, small-scale fishermen who wish to continue artisanal fishing will also be able to invest in new facilities, equipment and boat renovation.

    With the fishing plan, she said the government plans to lift many fishing families out of poverty.

    She said the Artisanal Fisheries Project would improve income,contribute to employment generation and improve food security of artisanal fishermen families.

    These will be achieved through assisting artisanal fisheries development by providing production inputs for fisheries activities,promoting improved methods for processing and commercialisation of fish, monitoring and evaluation of accessible fish resources to artisanal fishery activities.

    Twelve cooperatives got fisheries equipment and materials. Commissioner of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal said fisheries resources were among the most significant natural endowments of the state.

    Tthe state,he said, had a fisheries landscape, including rivers, swamps and floodplains all of which are critical habitats, breeding and nursery grounds for fish and suitable sites for fish farming. He said each benefitting fishermen cooperative society will be given two units of outboard engines(40hp) ,bundles of fishing nets and gears,and two units of fishing canoes.

    He said the fisheries office at Marine Road,Badagry has been renovated and equipped wih fish storage and preservation appliances such as ice block making macines,smoking kiln,deep freezers and coolers as well as refrigerated vehicle.This, he said, is to ensure speedy evaluation of surplus fresh fish catches from the coastal areas for further processing and preservation.

    According to him, the government recognised the marketing challenges of farmers and was making efforts to link them to markets, in order to be able to feed more people. In a recent press conference, Lawal expressed the desire of the state government at achieving one million fish production by 2015.

    He also hinted that the state is making efforts at increasing food production by 25 per cent in the same forecasted year.

    He said the government is supporting additional 10 communities in Badagry and Ojo zones with the production of outboard engines, fishing net refrigerators and other inputs that will boost their fish production. These are the measures we have put in place to assist our farmers with the subsidisation of their inputs,”he added.

  • ‘Nigeria must improve livestock data’

    A robust data on livestock is required if the sector is to meet the challenges of sustainable food production, an expert, Prof Abiodun Adeloye has said.

    Nigeria, he said, lacked quality data on livestock that could be used to measure and improve progress and policymaking.

    Speaking with The Nation, Adeloye, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, said data was crucial for identifying effective public and private sector investment opportunities.

    Adeloye noted that there was need for a complete data on state of health and welfare in the dairy and beef sectors.

    He urged the industry and the government to ‘get their act together’ on data quality and consistency.

    According to him, data remained the main hurdle to the industry in attempt to move it forward .He explained that there are large gaps in availability and consistency of data.

    The industry, he maintained, lack a tracing system and this needs to be resolved to address the levels of challenge and improvements in performance

    He said the livestock sector is highly dynamic, adding that meeting the substantial increases in demand for food will have profound implications for production.

    According to Adeloye, increasing demand for livestock products will give rise to considerable competition for land between food and feed production, stressing that data is necessary to cope with impacts on food security. Progress with reliable data,he noted will improve the quantity and quality of livestock statistics, that remains in many respects one of the big unknowns.

    Adeloye said data collected on livestock will be informative of relationships between production, food insecurity and livelihoods at the household level.

    To achieve these, Adeloye said the nation needs a better data of the pastoral economy.

  • Cooperatives can enhance productivity, says Commissioner

    Agricultural coopera-tives are essential for boosting productivity and improving living conditions in rural areas, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation, Lawal said by forming cooperatives, agricultural workers would be able to support themselves and establish co-financing mechanisms and social safety nets to protect their families.

    He said cooperatives could enhance food security, create jobs, and contribute to improving social integration.

    The government,he said, use cooperatives to develop projects among farmers, purchase agricultural equipment and vehicles to transport produce to buyers, as well as to provide training in new technologies.

    With the help of cooperatives, he said farmers have been able manage their activities.

    Through the formation of cooperative groups, he said farmers have purchase raw materials in bulk, that are less expensive for them.

    By belonging to cooperative groups, he said farmers are better placed to satisfy bankers’ requirements in terms of guarantees and loan repayment capacities than as private individuals.

    Consequently, this helps farmers obtain loans easily to finance their investments and protect themselves against risks.

    Earlier, while delivering a speech to mark the International Cooperative Day, Lawal, said the development of agricultural cooperatives is a priority by the Lagos state.

    This is because the strategy has assisted the government to develop the rural areas and combat poverty and insecurity.

    To this end, he said the government was determined to create an enabling environment in which agricultural cooperatives will thrive and has drafted policies, laws, and programmes that take into account the needs and concerns of farmers.

    To build the skills of cooperators, he said the government established the Lagos State Cooperative College to tackle identified managerial and logistic challenges within the cooperative movement.

    So far, he said 704 cooperators have been trained in various aspects of cooperative management.

    He said there was a great potential for these cooperatives to create jobs, reduce migration of people from the rural areas.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr Yakub Basorun, said cooperatives are viable business models that are worth investing in.

    He said they have played a key role in strengthening the capacities of farmers in Lagos.

    According to him, Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED) has provided an opportunity for cooperatives to build their presence in all socio-economic spheres.

    The President, Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED), Mr Oriyomi Aiyeola, said the success story of cooperatives was built on the fact that savings and credit cooperatives make funds available to individuals and small businesses to create businesses and employment.

    Since the last cooperative day, he said LASCOFED has started a farm project at Mojoda,Epe.

    He urged cooperators to continue to manage their associations prudent to ensure the existence.

    Aiyeola said cooperatives have made a greater role to play in combating poverty and hunger.

  • How to grow marine fishery,by expert

    The non-availability of reliable eco-aquatic map is affecting the planned development of marine fisheries, an expert, Prof Martins, Antekhai has said.

    Eco-aquatic map is a geograpically location of national fresh waters,fisheries resources and marine distribtion of habitats and species for commercial and amenity functions.

    Antekhai, of the Department of Fisheries, Lagos State University (LASU), said a national eco aquatic map was needed to update fisheries resource data through surveys and stock assessments.

    He said the map would provide critical information to users in government and the private sector with a comprehensive inventory of fish habitats in freshwater streams and estuaries.

    The map,he explained, should consist information onnwetlands, streams, and riparian areas and should provide accurate and detailed information for management, planning, and research of aquatic resources.

    Advocating for a geo aquatic mapping of fish and fish habitat, the fisheries expert said the nation possesses suitable and abundant water and land resources for the development of a viable inland fishing and aquaculture industry .

    Antekhai said opportunities also exist for brackish water aquaculture.

    He said such information should be accessed through the web.

    He said there are issues constraining the development of the sector, which needs to be addressed in a long-term development plan.

    The strategy that would increase fish production, he noted, required exploring underexploited and unexploited species.

    According to him, the nation’s aquatic biodiversity ranks high, due in part to many river systems, diverse geology, and subtropical/temperate climate.

    Examining and monitoring this diversity, he emphasised, offers the opportunity to assess important factors that affect the quality of water resources. The map, he added, would be valuable for evaluating stream water quality and providing biological justification to water quality management decisions.

    He said experts would support the project by providing research information through intensive field work that can be used to monitor and manage the nation’s water resources more efficiently.

  • Farmers get free potato vines

    Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) vines have been distributed to farmers at Kuje and Mararaba markets in Abuja by the Potato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (POGPMAN).

    This gesture, which is part of the campaign to sensitise farmers for more cultivation of OFSP, with vitamin (A) content that is good for school children and productive men and women.

    The National President, POGPMAN, Hon. Bayo Ajibade, said the sensitisationand the vines distribution would be done at designated states.

    This,according to him, is to aid the adoption of the potato species.

    He reiterated the readiness of his association to support the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Goverment by ensuring food security through mass cultivation of OFSP, known to be rich in vitamin A.

    According to him, OFSP is a special orange fleshed sweetpotato with vitamin A fortification, which help children to grow healthy and enhance productivity for women within in the child bearing age. It helps to cure night blindness and is a good nutrient supplement for school children.

    More cultivation of it,he noted ,would create income opportunities for women.

    Also speaking, the Hellen Keller International promotions expert, Mrs Mary Umoh, said the avaliability of the vine for planting would never be a problem as there was a partnership with some research institute, towards increasing production of the vines for farmers in Nigeria and other sub African countries.

    Many beneficiaries commended POGPMAN, promising to join in the campaign to increase the use of OFSP.