The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Don advocates responsible investment in agriculture

    The Federal Government has been urged to develop principles for responsible investment in agriculture that respect rights, livelihoods and resources.

    Prof Martins Anetekhai, of the Lagos State University (LASU) said the principles should promote responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests.

    Speaking with The Nation, Anetekhai said the principles should address all types of investment in agricultural value chains and food systems including small producers, research, extension services and technology transfer. This also include foreign, domestic, public, private small, medium and large-scale investments.

    He said investments are required to support expansion in agricultural output to meet projected demand. These include investment in primary agriculture and services such as storage and processing facilities.

    While emphasizing the need to attract investment in the agriculture sector, with a view toward improving food security, yields, output, and value added, Anetekhai pointed out that poorly conceived or executed investments, , could have unintended negative impacts in terms of , sustainable food production, or environmental protection for Nigerians.

    He urged the government and the private sector to support farmers to increase production and mitigate problems caused by climate change.

  • Making Kogi investors’hub

    Making Kogi investors’hub

    Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Majority of the people are farmers. The rich and highly diversified soil conditions with adequate rainfall provide the ample reasons for the growth of many farm produce.

    There are many farm produce from the state, notably coffee, guinea-corn, cocoa, palm oil, cashews, cassava,groundnuts, maize, cassava, yam, rice and melon.These agricultural produce are sources of raw materials for agro-allied industries such as flour mills, fruit juice processing, starch, animal feeds, vegetable oil and soap production among others.

    Kogi has extensive arable land for cultivation. Rice production is encouraged in the flood plains of the rivers, while coffee, cocoa, orange and cashew nuts are produced in ljumuaniKabba/Bunu local government areas.

    Farmers are engaged in share cropping schemes at lyagu, Alade and Adikena. Today, the state is the second largest producer of cassava with a production figure of 2.854 million metric tonnes. With the increased tempo in the production of cassava as a result of state government intervention, it is obvious that production will outstrip consumption, which could lead to a glut. This is so because there are no industrial end-users of cassava products in the state.

    This scenario is a major challenge to the government, industrialists and organised private sector since cassava chips, flakes, high quality flour and starch are raw materials for a number of industries. The cassava industry can also generate employment and incomes for families thereby reducing poverty. Kogi State has ecological advantage in the production of cocoa for export. The state government has raised over 5000 seedlings and provided assorted agro-chemicals for free distribution to farmers.

    A total sum of N20 million has been invested in this programme to date. Along with 13 other states in the country, Kogi has been classified as a major cotton producing state. The state government has placed order for 5,000 metric tonnes of improved long span variety of cotton for distribution to farmers to accelerate production for export.

    In the area of cashew production, the state has established 10hectares plantations for raising seedlings for distribution to farmers. This crop along with sesame is among the nominated crops under Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) for development and support.

    To boost oil palm plantation, the government has established a 200 hectares plantation to produce high grade vegetable oil for export. Similarly a total of about 3,500 sprouted oil palm seedlings has been procured and distributed to farmers to reposition the state as a major exporter of palm oil. Palm plantations are being rehabilitated and a standard agricultural mechanical workshop is being constructed.

    The state is endowed with natural facilities for fishing activities. The two largest rivers, Niger and Benue, flow through the state with all their tributaries. The estimated fishermen population in the state is put at about 5,000 with artisanal population of about 20,000.

    An estimated area of over 150,000hectares of flood plains and swamps can be harnessed for aquaculture. The area of needs include, targeted fingerling production to breed improved species and manpower training in fish breeding.

    Also,the state has abundant natural conditions that favour livestock development. The state government has sourced for a loan of N271 million for the reactivation of hatchery and piggery farms to create employment opportunities.

    As a major strategy towards ensuring that indigent farmers, largely based in the rural areas, earn their living through commercial farming, the government is embarking on a farm settlement scheme.

    To this end, the state government has begun the acquisition of farm lands in 21 local government areas. Improved seedlings and farm implements and other necessary machineries aimed at boosting the take-off of the farm settlement project have been acquired. The Kogi government’s commitment to the farm settlement project is total.The forest resource in the state are equally of very high economic value. There is abundant land suitable for forestry development.

    At present, about 381,000 hectares of the total land area is under forest cover. These resources are valuable for construction and furniture industries.Valuable trees found in the state include iroko tree, teak, mahogany, obeche, parkia and castor among others. The state government has established nurseries for the production of about assorted seedlings of these trees. To accelerate the pace of forestry development, the state government has initiated an annual tree planting campaign across the 21 local government areas.

    Kogi is toeing the line of agricultural revolution like her sister state, Kwara. American investors under the Global Greenfield Development Group visited the state to forge partnership with the government in cultivation of rice, cassava and sorghum.

    The American investors paid the Deputy Governor, YomiAwoniyi, a courtesy visit, saying the state is blessed with abundant arable land, rich for commercial cultivation of rice, cassava and sorghum.

    Kogi government in response assured that the present administration would focus on commercial farming in the state.Awoniyi said that necessary infrastructure, such as power, roads, farm implements and assistance needed to encourage farmers would be provided.

    Determined to boost mechanised agriculture and provide food for the people, Kogi State Government has distributed 50 tractors and agro- chemical products to the 21 Local Government Areas of the State.

  • Osun opens cattle ranch

    Osun opens cattle ranch

    THE Osun State government has opened a cattle ranch where a new agro-based industry is emerging.

    This is part of a plan to assist livestock farmers to improve milk and meat production.

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola,who opened the beef farm , said it would boost self-reliance in food production as well as create economic bases and job opportunities for the people.

    The Oloba Farm Settlement at Iwo, according to the government, is primarily targeted at boosting agriculture, meat and food production, food processing and mass agro-based employment.

    Aregbesola’s theory is that given the huge market for cattle in Lagos and other southwest states, animal rearing has become a lucrative business for Osun.

    The governor described the potential of the beef market in the Southwest as huge, adding that it could not be waved aside by visionary government.

    For instance, he disclosed that in Lagos alone, about 6,000 cattle are slaughtered daily in the abattoirs, while the remaining five states combined conservatively accounts for another 6,000 based on their total population.

    This translates to a huge N4.4 billion per annum. This huge market demand for beef, the governor argued, carries the potential to empower the state and the entire Southwest people economically through wealth creation.

    ”It is the objective of this administration in the State of Osun to create the enabling environment that will make this happen.

    “We will be dedicating and developing hundreds of hectares of land into grazing reserves, cattle markets, breeding centres, and fattening hubs. This will be in addition to the new central abattoirs that we are developing in selected towns across the state,” Aregbesola said.

    It is against this backdrop that the government began a study of the process to come up with a programme that will be indigenous to the state and the region.In February 2011, this assignment took them to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ibadan, where they discussed about building partnerships to help the state develop a robust framework for implementing an innovative programme that focuses on Beef Chain Development in Osun. What came out of the interactions between the Osun team and the ILRI is the abattoir-linked enterprises that include fattening, breeding and marketing activities.

    Hence, government decided that the strategic option for the state is to adopt the value chain approach to developing the beef sector in the state, with a preliminary target, excluding production for local consumption, of serving a minimum 10 per cent of the Lagos 6,000 cattle per day market. This, it was gathered, would be achieved through a strategic initiative incorporating activities such as cattle genetics improvement, breeding, fattening, slaughter and beef marketing.

    With the resulting strategic discussion with the ILRI, between December 11th and 16th, 2011, Aregbesola led a delegation of selected state government officials on a tour of the Zambian agricultural industry. Research revealed that Zambia has practised what could be achieved through agriculture as a means for creating jobs and wealth for the people.

    The first, it was gathered, hinged on gaining a first hand understanding of the Zambian success story in agricultural development, as well as to begin the development of the beef sector in Osun. The programme hit the ground running and this result is the Oloba cattle ranch, which the governor revealed would not be the only one in the state as efforts are on to establish more in viable locations in the state.Oloba Cattle Ranch is about 78.8 hectares in size.

    Plans are afoot to establish others in Ede (400 hectares) and Ejigbo (1,000 hectares). Land has been acquired for this purpose and the location would have grazing reserves and cattle hub – including markets, feed mills. The grazing reserves will help us to tackle the recurring feud between the Fulani pastoralists and the crop farmers usually caused as a result of cattle grazing on farms.

    At present, the ranch, which is being managed by a South African expert in conjunction with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, has 1500 cattle sourced locally. The farm is being run with the technical direction of foreign Technical Partners from Zambia and South Africa.

    According to the governor, 30 foreign species of cattle called the Zambian Boran, would be introduced to the ranch with a view to genetically crossbreeding them with local ones to get new indigenous species.When fully in operation, the ranch, which will be run on public private partnership basis, will have modern abattoir that offers services to the people at a lower rate. Government also intends to promote the establishment of cattle and ram feedlots and as such, efforts are in progress to put the feedlot infrastructure in place to accommodate 1,500 cattle. At the maximum capacity, this ranch will accommodate up to 10,000 cattle being fattened at the same time.

    Not only that, the Oloba Cattle Ranch would act as a breeding centre for a foreign breed of cattle known as the Boran, so as to develop a new breed of cattle that is indigenous to the South-West by cross-breeding the Zambian-Boran with local breeds such as the White Fulani and Sokoto Gudali.

    The resulting cattle, it is expected, will have greater capacity to produce meat, making cattle fattening and beef production a very profitable endeavour for the state.

  • Expert warns on adulterated food products

    Economically motivated adulteration (EMA) costs the food and consumer products industry millions yearly, food safety expert Prof Stephen Fapohunda has said.

    EMA is the fraudulent, intentional substitution or addition of a substance in a product to increase its value or reduce the cost of its production.

    Internationally, the cost of one adulteration incident averages between two and 15 per cent of yearly revenue.

    In an interview with The Nation, Fapohunda,who is of the Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State, said EMA is a serious issue because people who perpetrate it defraud the public for economic gain, making it a criminal act.

    He said there were cases of Nigerians going to China to fake products, misrepresent food, food ingredients, and repackage a legitimate product fraudulently.

    Fapohunda said the economy and the health of Nigerians were at risk with high rate of counterfeiting.

    While all incidents of EMA will not result in a public health risk, he noted that they have the potential to negatively impact brands.

    According to him, EMA is fraudulent because it involves substituting a lower cost product for a higher one.

    Many are involved in the act, and the adulterants used may be unconventional and difficult to detect.

    Therefore, access to legitimate products must be sufficiently protected and monitored within the production facilities from visitors and unauthorised employees to prevent diversion of products for illegitimate means.

  • Boosting food production in Kebbi

    Agriculture accounts for a substantial aspect of Kebbi State’s economy. Food crops include guinea corn, rice and millet while cash crops include groundnut and cotton.

    Others are wheat, beans, tobacco, sugar cane, sweet potatoes and vegetables, such as onion, pepper and tomatoes.

    Almost 75 per cent of the population make their living from farming. Many factors give Kebbi its competitive advantage in the agri-food sector.

    The state boasts of rich a agricultural land. About 200,000 hectares of the land are fadama land, mainly on the flood plains of the Rima and Niger valleys.

    The rest is upland, where season cultivation by mainly small farmers dominate. Agriculture continues to dominate the state’s economy. It is also the largest contributor to the state’ s coffers. Farming is mostly based on indigenous techniques, using local inputs of seeds, family and animal labour and informal credits.

    Animal traction is used among the Kambari,Dukawa and Dakarkari. Indigenous forms of cultivation are, however, gradually giving way, as more farmers now use improved seed varieties, chemical fertiliser, formal credit facilities, ploughs and tractors. Due to migration of family members, indigenous forms of farm labour also are gradually being replaced by hired labour. Some farmers rear cattle, sheep and goats to augment their income.

    These animals are fed with the stalk of grains, and leaves of legumes.For the most part, animals are grazed in the open field around the village and in the fadamas. Animal wastes are in turn used to manure the field. Therefore, some form of mixed farming is practised. Most animal rearing is done by the Fulani who oscilate from north to south.

    There are nine forest reserves in Kebbi, and there are pockets of ‘natural’ forests in the south and southeast,which yield forest resources such as wood, thatches, fruits as well as being sanctuaries for wildlife.

    Already, the forests in the riverine areas of the state are exploited for wood, used in boat building at Yauri, while in the other parts of the state (around Zuru), the people use the wood in carving mortars, pestles and handles of various implements like hoes and knives.

    Existing forest resources are, however, undersevere threat by animal grazing, bush burning and sourcing for fuelwood. These have caught the t attention of the Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture, and Natural Resources, the Kebbi State Afforestation Programme (KSAP) and the Kebbi State Environmental Protection Agency (KSEPA).

    These agencies have pushed through various edicts to curtail the wanton destruction of forest resources. Furthermore, they have undertaken campaigns to improve the quality and number of forest reserves in the state.

    Kebbi has abundant livestock which include cattle, sheep, goats, camels, horses, donkeys, pigs and poultry. A survey of livestock potential in the state.

    The state ranks among the five with the highest number of livestock. It exports quite a substantial number to other parts of the country.

    The importance of livestock in the economy of the state can be deduced from the number of slaughtered yearly. It is estimated that about 110,000, 152,000 and 211,000 cattle, sheep and goats are slaughtered yearly in the state. Thus hides and skins are an important livestock subsector.

    The government has invested N1.6 billion in the IFAD-assisted Community-Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme (CBARDP) in the last three years. The programme is being financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with the federal, states and local government providing counterpart contribution.

    The programme has helped youths to be self-employed by providing them with water pumping machines and boreholes to irrigate their crops. An improved variety of cowpea and millet have been introduced to the beneficiaries by the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), in collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan,with a view to attracting buyers from Niger Republic.

    The programme gave farmers improved varieties on cowpea and millet,which they call ‘wanke- IFAD’ and ‘dawa-IFAD’. The farmers tried it and found it to be high-yielding and they have abandoned the old variety.

    It has also boosted crop and livestock production with the provision of improved seeds and work bulls, among other support, he said. The focus of the government is to promote greater agricultural productivity, strengthen early warning and response systems and improve livelihoods.

    To achieve these, the government works to facilitate the necessary changes in the agricultural sector and facilitate the transfer of best practices and technologies.

  • Odu’a Farmers Academy admits 500 OYES cadets

    Over 500 members of the Osun State Youths Empowerment Scheme (‘O’ Yes) have been admitted into Odu’a Farmers’ Academy for a six-month practical training in modern farming.

    The cadets, who are mainly young men released from the scheme by the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for the training, will be exposed to modern techniques in the management of food crops, horticulture and rearing of commercial livestock.

    The courses include commercial crop production (maize, water melon, vegetable, pepper, tomatoes) livestock production and short courses on project management and aquaculture.

    The move by the state government to engage the youth in mechanised farming is aimed at helping to plug the shortage of food production in the state.

    Aregbesola said with the training, the agricultural potential of the state would be developed, adding that food would be made available and at low price to the people.

    The governor had disclosed that the focus of his administration would be on industrialising the state through farming and provision of essential facilities to better the living standard of the people of the state.

    The Group Managing Director (GMD) of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr Adebayo Jimoh, while receiving the students, said the academy was established to provide the highest level of qualitative and modern training for new and emerging commercial farmers in viable food commodities to sustain food security in Nigeria.

    He said the cadets would be exposed to theory and practice of farming and this would bring about an alternative to the old traditional way of farming.

    The Odu’a boss noted that the trainees would enjoy an after-training follow-up and support by the government through their local governments in making available lands and soft loans for their take-off at the end of the programme.

    The academy situated at the old farm centre, (AISU) Ede, near Abere in Osun State provides training for commercial farmers in food commodities.

    It will assist trainees in planning and laying out farms and farm estates, processing, farm business management and executing trainer’s feasibility and writing bankable proposal.

  • FIIRO, firms to boost tomato production

    The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) and two companies are set to boost tomato production and processing.

    The two firms are Talon Group Nigeria and Alvan Blanch of the United Kingdom.

    Speaking with The Nation, after her meeting with representatives of the company, last week, the Director General of FIIRO, Dr Gloria Elemo, said more than 50 per cent of harvested tomatoes spoil due to inadequate processing and packaging facilities.

    According to her, the nutritional value of tomato makes it one of the most popular items. There are many reasons for processing tomatoes. The major one, she noted, is ensuring the product is available all-year round with preservation.

    As its commercial value increases, Dr Elemo said efficient processing was important to facilitate healthy movement of the produce to the market.

    She said the produce would be processed into various products, such as sauce, paste, ketchup, chutney, puree, jam, juice or squash, and base of other sauces.

    In the tomato value chain, she noted that farmers and other actors have been applying inferior production approach in harvesting and post-harvesting technologies, leading to a high level of tomato loss and price fluctuations.

    Dr Elemo said FIIRO would like to make technology for processing tomatoes affordable at middle and large-scale levels.

    She said the institute wanted to improve processing throughout the main production areas and to support farmers within geographic clusters in the production and marketing of tomatoes.

    According to her, development of the processing sector may stimulate quality production practices among suppliers.

    She expressed the hope that the collaboration will strengthen small enterprises, enhance productivity/ profitability and off-farm incomes through increased access to markets and services.

    The Managing Director, Alvan Blanch, Mr Andew Blanch, said his company has helped farmers access hi-tech engineering equipment that enabled them to expand product range, improve product quality and meet the needs of more discerning customers while increasing their earnings.

  • Ministry to import 173,000 tonnes of fertiliser

    The Federal Government will import 173,000 tonnes of fertiliser to boost agricultural production next year.

    According to a statement by Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the importation would add up to the 260,000 tonnes to be produced locally by December.

    “For fertiliser, although 610,000 tonnes are expected by December, records from the ministry show that 167,540 tonnes are available, going by feelers from those that have responded to our inquiries on availability.

    “We wrote to about 12 fertiliser companies and six of those that performed well have sent their stock position to us, on what they can produce between now and December.

    “Efforts are already being made to import 173,000 tonnes and produce 260,000 tonnes locally by December,” the minister said.

    Adesina also said the ministry had started ‘fast-track measures’ to increase food production through dry season planting before the end of year.

    “This is to forestall food shortage following the flood disaster in many states of the country,” Adesina said.

    To forestall the crisis, he said that the ministry had begun a ‘double-up farming’ to ensure rapid response and enhanced productivity.

    He directed the directors to register farmers and assist those already registered on the platform of the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) for more food production.

    Adesina spoke at a meeting with directors and heads of departments nof the ministry.

  • UK firm to establish agro-processing equipment factory

    UK firm to establish agro-processing equipment factory

    To promote durable economic growth, a United Kingdom-based firm, Alvan Blanch Development Company Limited, has said it would establish an agro processing equipment factory in the country.

    In an interview with The Nation, the Managing Director, Mr Andrew Blanch , said the aim is to build more value-adding capacity within the agricultural sector.

    Though he didn’t mention where the factory will be sited, Blanch said the government needed to invest in agro-processing to promote industrialisation. An investor opening a tomato processing plant, he noted, will, for example, benefit a range of sectors in the value chain. Beneficiaries would include farmers and their employees, fertiliser and pesticide producers, among others.

    According to him, if the tomatoes were simply exported and processed elsewhere, a number of spill-over effects would be lost for domestic economy. One of the impediments to accelerated growth in the food processing sector, he observed is lack of agro processing infrastructure.

    Agro-processing ,he explained, will enable Nigerian farmers to offer agro export which are in line with the expectations of market leaders, and of value to the consumers. Value adding, particularly in food and agro processing industries, the expert said holds prospect for economic growth, adding that the agro processing equipment factory will help to reduce post-harvest losses. Agriculture, he noted, is the cornerstone of the economy; not just in terms of revenue earned, but also in relation to job creation and sustainability.

    To this end, Blanch said more investment in agro processing facilities will translate into decent and sustainable jobs.

    He said his organisation has supported the food-processing sector through standard machineries which have contributed to the retention of jobs while creating new ones. The Nigerian agro-processing sector, he noted painted a realistic picture of opportunity for development, adding that boosting milling capacity will help the production of staple foods.

    This carries the potential of lower staple food prices, equalisation of urban/rural disparities, sustainability of resources and the promotion of decentralised, inclusive growth.

    Blanch said the company exports machines such as its grain dryers to over 90 countries in all seven continents worldwide, with exports accounting for 80 per cent of total sales. He said the company has seen dramatic growth in sales to Nigeria and Russia – both offering huge potential. Alvan Blanch Development Company Limited is a world leading manufacturer of post-harvest crop processing equipment, based in rural Wiltshire.

    The company won a coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2012 in the ‘International Trade – Outstanding Achievement’ category.

  • Women farmers to get 5m phones from govt

    Five million women farmers will get mobile phones from the Federal Government next year, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, promised in Abuja.

    Adesina made the promise while fielding questions at a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum organised to coincide with the annual global marking of October 16 as World Food Day.

    The minister said the five million phones for the women farmers would be sourced from the total of 10 million cell phones which farmers would be getting from the government in 2013.

    “First and foremost, we are going to distribute, for next year, 10 million mobile phones.

    “And when I say we, actually, the Minister of Communications Technology is taking the lead in this, working with my ministry.

    “The Minister of Finance, as you know, she is always passionate about women, will do five million phones for women farmers so that we make sure that they get it.

    “And those phones are not just for inputs; it is that we want to get our rural folks to get market information, extension information, health information, climate information; all that in local languages on their mobile phones.’’

    “Secondly we are working with mobile phone companies to expand the number of base stations they have in rural areas so we can reach a lot of people in the rural areas.

    “We found that one challenge was the issue of network coverage and that is a challenge we all face as a country; that the issue of connectivity reception in a number of areas has to be dealt with.

    “We also have a number of farmers that do not have phones, especially women farmers, and I want to make sure we reach those who do not have phones so that they could really be reached.’