Category: Agriculture

With a large proportion of the population directly engaged in small scale agriculture, the Federal Government has been urged to participate in agricultural value chains with adequate funding of farming.

Speaking with The Nation, Deputy Director, Grants Management and Reader, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr Kola Adebayo, said lack of access to finance has constrained the efforts of small producers across the value chains.

According to him, agriculture, including agri-processing is an area that is typically starved of funds.

Agri-processing companies,he noted play a major role in adding value to agri-commodities and in many cases link up with wholesalers/retailers to market the products.

He said agric processors are important players in the value chain, since they can spur rural development, by ensuring off-take of commodities from the producers and at the same time provide employment opportunities.

According to him, the needs of agro-based agro-based small and medium size (SMEs) for appropriate credit, are rarely met and this limits their capacity to support the agricultural sector in realising its full potential and contributing meaningfully to national economic development.

He noted that it is the responsibility of the government and of the Central Bank to nudge banks towards a more inclusive approach which fulfils the needs of the agriculture sector.

Adebayo said the agriculture sector is a seasonal one with a longer gestation period and is exposed to a host of risks.

For this reason, he said traditional financial products do not really meet the needs of players in the agri-value chain.

To change the situation, Adebayo said financial institutions will have to make efforts to develop financial products suited for the agriculture sector.

He said financial products that are poorly designed are of limited use to the value chain players and severely limit the growth of the sector.

According to him, development of financial products has to be supplemented by some form of financial literacy which enables the farmers to understand the different financial products available, the right mix and the real cost of funds.

The Jigawa Chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has praised the Federal Government for distributing fertiliser and other inputs to irrigation farmers in the state.

The chairman of the association, Alhaji Adamu Maigoro, said in Auyo, Jigawa that the gesture would assist farmers and encourage agricultural activity.

The Federal Government had distributed 7,200 tonnes of fertiliser at 50 per cent subsidised rate to rice farmers in the state. The Federal Government also distributed 2,400 tonnes of improved rice seeds free to the farmers this season under its agricultural palliative programme to accelerate rice production in the country.

Maigoro said the measure would enhance farmers access to fertiliser, and seeds and encourage them to produce more.

He said: “We praise the Federal Government over the support and we will put more effort to double paddy rice production.

“More than 48,000 hectares of rice plantation was earmarked for cultivation in the state.

“Some of our members have also set up rice mills in Hadejia to enhance rice production in the state.”

The chairman further commended the Jigawa Government for providing 2,000 tube wells and hand pumps for irrigation farmers in the state.

“The state government is also clearing typher grass on the Hadejia River Basin. This exercise will encourage irrigation activity and provide means of livelihood for peasant farmers,” he said.

Former head, Apiculture Unit, National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Imo State, Mr Victor Obi has said the beekeeping industry needs new strategies to tackle decline in honey bee colony populations.

Speaking with The Nation, Obi said bee populations have fallen sharply, and urgent action was needed to reverse the decline.

Obi said bees are very vital in food production as they are nature’s most prolific pollinators.

As a result, he said fewer plants are being pollinated, which affect their bearing fruits. This is a phenomenon that is now globally spread. This has major implications for farming and food supplies, as one-third of the world’s fruits and vegetables would not exist without the help of bees and other pollinators.

According to him, the decline of populations of bees and other flower-visiting creatures caused concern about pollination.

Obi blamed the decline on a number of factors, including climate change, loss of habitat, disease and the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. He added that the impact is preventing bees from carrying out their vital role as a result of upsetting their life cycles.

Obi added that bees and other pollinating insects are vital to the production of crops, including fruits, vegetables and herbs. He urged the government to take decisive action to protect bees and other important pollinators.

Bees are important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops across the world including tomatoes and berries thanks to their large body size, long tongues, and high-frequency buzzing, which helps release pollen from flowers.

Bees in general pollinate some 90 per cent of the world’s commercial plants, including most fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has described the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) introduced in the outgoing year by his ministry as the saving grace for the agriculture sector.

Reviewing the ministry’s activities in Abuja, Adesina said: “But for the GESS, Nigeria would have seriously felt the impact of the flood disaster that occured in some parts of the country.”

With GESS, he said the government withdrew from direct fertiliser purchase and distribution, and introduced an alternative, tranparent and efficient system of distribution built on the voucher system.

Under the scheme, he said registered farmers receive e-wallet vouchers with which they redeem fertiliser and seeds from agro-dealers.

Before the scheme, Adesina said only 11 per cent of fertilisers purchased and distributed by government got to genuine farmers.

In some cases,he said government fertilisers found its way to the markets and foreign countries, to the detriment of Nigerian farmers.

As at December 6, he said , about 1,585,980 farmers showed up at operational redemption sites in the 35 States and Federal Capital Territory(FCT) for the 2012 GES season.

About 1,113,685 farmers have received their farm inputs (government subsidised fertiisers and free seedlings) so far. Over 873 agro-dealers are participating actively in the scheme. These figures,he explained excluded 2,639 farmers reached under the cotton seed multiplication programme and 27,834 farmers under the cotton seeds distribution programme.

Out of the five million transactions processed through the GESS, in terms of languages, 45 per cent was in Hausa, 25 per cent in English, 17 per cent in Yoruba, 12 per cent in pidging English, and zero per cent because those in the Igbo speaking areas chose to transact in English Language.

On a regional basis,he said 197,656 benfitted from the GESS in North Central, 234821 in North East, 560,932 in North West, 49,484 in South East, 95,302 in South south and 30,014 in South west, which has started the planting season before the GESS Scheme was launched.

The National Council of Local Government Department of Agriculture has called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to domicile the National Farmers Database in the Local Government Department of Agriculture to ensure the registration of genuine farmers and daily update of same.

The Council said it will be easy to gather data on farmers and farmlands nationwide through the local councils since it is intended not only to address existing data gaps, but most importantly, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of support services to farmers.

In a communiqué released at the end of its eight annual national conference/Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abuja,the conference said having a reliable data of farmers and farmlands would help government agencies to deliver programmes and services to the intended farmers fast and timely as well as faster tracking and estimate of damages in agricultural lands to make it easier for partner agencies to assess what assistance to provide in a particular area.

The conference appreciated the gesture of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for admitting the Council(NCOLGDA) into the National Council of Agriculture(NCA) on observer status.

The conference commended the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of government and called for the support of all to ensure its proper implementation. It particularly solicited for the full integration of Local Government Department of Agriculture in the programme.

Thwith pride the progress made through the Growth Enhancement Support programme (GES) and called on the Federal Government to involve the directors of Agriculture in the local government in the implementation of future programmes.

The conference viewed with concern the dwindling budgetary allocation to agricultural sector at the Federal, state and local government and called on governments to implement the 10 per cent budgetary allocation to agriculture as agreed to in the Maputo declaration of 2003 of which Nigeria is a signatory.

The Lagos State Radio Service and Point Management Consultants, are mounting food and agricultural fair in Lagos from December 14 to 21. With the theme : “Availability of quality foods: a positive step toward sustainable agricultural growth and poverty eradication”,the fair is expected to host more than 400 exhibitors, comprising farmers, manufacturers, agro-processors, producers and investors.

The Principal Consultant, Point Management Consultants, Mr Lanre Bello said the fair is to project, modernise, and move agriculture to a highly commercial level.

Bello said agriculture continued to be an important part of national development, people should be encouraged to take up the venture as an essential aspect of national life.

Bello said it would offer an opportunity to scientists, engineers, agricultural institutions, buyers, exporters, dealers and suppliers of agro inputs and machinery to showcase their talents and inventions in the quest to address problems and challenges facing the agricultural sector.

Whether it is crop or any of the other numerous agriculture and agri-food products exported by producers and processors, he said they are committed to continuing these and other market access efforts to improve opportunities and profitability for the entire sector.

He said the fair should inform stakeholders in agriculture about the state of the industry and do more to uplift it.

Lagos State Commercial Agriculture Development Project(CADP) is working on improving infrastructure to link some farms in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives,Prince Gbolahan Lawal, said the project has also rehabilitated 10 rural access roads totalling 22.4 kilometres across the state valued at N640 million.

He said 10 communities have benefited from the rural energy support under the project through the supply and installation of transformers, high tension and low tension wires in farm estates and clusters to aid processing and increase profits.

Lawal said better transportation infrastructure allows producers to obtain inputs, move their commodities over large distances and access the market.

According to him ,the high productivity of agriculture will be complemented by producers’ ability to quickly bring their perishable and high value goods to market.

Lawal said the state government was doing all within its capacity to maximise the agricultural land usage and expect the continuous support of the World Bank through its various intervention projects in terms of infrastructural development and support services.

He stressed that the present administration takes food security very important and with the support of Governor Babatunde Fashola, the state was doing its best to meet responsibilities in terms of requirement for the projects such as the counterpart contributions and all the neccessary support.

In another view, the State’s Project Coordinator, CADP, Mr Bolaji Balogun, said the project enables participating small and medium scale commercial farmers gain access to improved technology, infrastructure, finance, information and output markets.

Balogun listed the five states benefitting from the project as Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Kano and Cross-River states, adding that three value chains were selected in each of the three states based on comparative advantages.

He explained that in Lagos State the three selected value chains are, rice, aquaculture and poultry, while maize, rice and dairy were selected for Kano State.

Balogun said that Enugu state has maize, orchard and poultry selected as value chains by CADP while maize, dairy and orchard were selected for Kaduna State and oil palm, cocoa and rice were selected for Cross River State.

He revealed that Lagos would contribute N168 million to the project yearly for the duration of five years.

Balogun also listed some key achievements of the project since its inception e to include the development of Commercial Agricultural Plans to guide Commercial Agriculture Development Associations (CADA), which serves as the apex body for Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs).

He said 136 CIGs comprising of 1,471 individual small and medium scale commercial farmers across the three value chains of poultry, rice and aquaculture have been supported to over N300 million to effect expansion in their enterprises.

He added that over 1,800 farmers have also benefited from capacity building and linkages to improved markets and market information while over 29,000 have benefited indirectly from project interventions.

Balogun enumerated some of the equipment, which the project has assisted the farmers in Lagos with, in order to increase physical output to include 571 units of collapsible fish tanks, 174 units of fish plastic fish tanks, 50 units of fish smoking kilns, one unit of fish smoke drying plant and five units of fish extrusion plants.

He added that the project has also assisted Lagos State farmers in acquiring four 4WD tractors fitted with implements, 985 units of nipple fitted battery cages, mini combine harvesters, storage bins, agro inputs and tricycles for farmers to use in conveying their products.

Balogun also said the project has supported rice farmers in Itoikin and Itoga in Lagos State, in cultivating over 200 hectares of farmland during the 2011 planting season.

The Federal Government has said it will establish one-stop shop agro-input centres in the 774 local governments in the country.

The initiative became imperative to ensure that agricultural inputs, such as fertiliser, tractor rental service among others are made readily available, accessible and affordable for all farmers nationwide.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Bukar Tijani stated this at the inauguration of 62 centres built by the Federal Government at Wushishi, Niger State.

The Minister added that this was part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) aimed at strengthening the nation’s food security programme.

Tijani, who restated that at least one-stop shop centre would be built in each local government in the country, with each having facilities for about 500 tonnes storage capacity for fertiliser, seeds and agro-chemicals as well as provide tractor hire service, primary processing and extension services.

Tijani said:”The Ministry is very much mindful of the serious impediment of inaccessibility of good quality agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, agro-chemicals, seeds and seedlings, livestock feeds, veterinary drugs, tractor hiring, primary processing and extension services by farmers in a bid to maximising aggregate agricultural production output for the nation.

“This impediment as well as the Federal Government’s preparation to withdraw from direct procurement and distribution of all agricultural inputs informed the decision of the Ministry to propose the establishment of at least a one-stop shop Agro-Input Centre in each Local Government Area of the Federation by the year 2015.”

According to him, the centres which will be jointly supported by states and local governments through operational support tools like tractors and ancillary services will also provide market information services, promote private sector investment in viable commercial agriculture and enhance food security and enhance the activities of the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.