Category: Agriculture

Without a plow or an axe, the Team Lead for Eupepsia Place Limited also known as Soilless Farm Lab, Samson Ogbole, uses hydroponics, a new agricultural method, which excludes soil to grow various produce year-round, and the operation is very climate-friendly. His Soilless Farm Lab farm supports sustainable agriculture and vertical farming.

At Km 14 Abeokuta Lagos Road, Owiwi, Abeokuta, where the farm is located, he has achieved so much using hydroponics in diverse crop production. His dream has been that of building millions of ‘mini-farms across Nigeria where urban dwellers can grow their food.

One of these is managing water scarcity,  and soil contamination. His success story in hydroponics is encouraging more Nigerians to adopt the farming method, where the farmers need a structure, perforated square pieces of growing medium, water, a nutrient solution, and pumps to speed water flow.

In an ideal situation, a hectare of hydroponics can produce more than 300 tonnes of vegetables yearly, which is five to 10 times more than the produce of any crop that has been grown in agricultural lands, which depend on traditional soil. His use of hydroponics helps him reduce the need of fertiliser and water to almost one third, and does not need highly expensive and carcinogenic soil sterilising materials.

Usually, the growing medium is filled with water, which is mixed with a nutritious solution that contains multiple nutrients, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, in addition to calcium and potassium. The media are drilled with holes through which plants grow. For him, hydroponics is supportive of healthy cultivation of vegetables and essential nutrients. For those in the urban areas, the system enables farmers to grow vegetables without the need for fertile soil, or running water but is powered by electricity. He has been successful.

He has taken his campaign to the rural areas where he is establishing hydroponics farms to helping youths grow vegetables with a self-sustaining system, create jobs and improve their communities.

He has got the support of MasterCard Foundation’s Enterprise for Youths in Agriculture (EYiA) to groom 12,000 youths who will be trained to produce exportable leafy greens and berries, including lettuce, kale, spinach, and celery without soil.

He wouldn’t want lack of electricity to kill his dream of grooming more Nigerians to farm without the need for fertile soil, or running water and electricity.

In rural areas and off-grid locations, Ogbole is deploying solar power to help the young people light their rooms, cook and run the irrigation system.

Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Samson Odedina, was the Rector, Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Ondo State when the institution pioneered the campaign for the use of biogas power generation to solve the twin challenges of livestock waste  and lack of energy to offset the rising cost of electricity.

Biogas is a type of biofuel produced from  organic waste. Animal manure, food scraps, wastewater and sewage are examples of organic matter that can produce biogas.

Mr. Adewale Zacchaeus, is a small-scale farmer in Ibulesoro community in Ondo State. FECA, with the support of West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria), used Adewale’s farm to demonstrate how to use cow dung to generate power with a modest biogas plant.The project was aimed at helping farming communities become economically self-sufficient.Through biogas technology, the institute showed that cow dung  can become an alternative energy source for cooking to replace LPG gas and firewood.

By implementing the cow dung energy project for farmers, Odedina said the school envisages a transformed agricultural industry that meets the needs of the rural and urban poor, small holder farmers, and provides transition to modernising agriculture.

Speaking with The Nation, Odedina said energy was needed in all aspects of agriculture and food production, including processing, service provision, among others, adding that such sustainable solutions provide the key to improving energy and reducing poverty among the rural poor.

According to him, the plan of the government was to use its smart agricultural programme to power the transformation of agriculture and food system, adding that the rapid spread of off-grid solutions for renewable energy offers hope for the production, processing and consumption of more nutritious food.

Odedina said the Ogun State Government was gearing up to revolutionise farming, with public-private partnerships.

 One of the anchors of the state’s smart farming projects, he explained, was to propel the agric sector toward a sustainable future.

He indicated that electricity has become part of our lives; and for farmers, from home life to the farm – the use of energy has become a necessity.

With some rural areas in the state still off the national grid, the commissioner said the government will invest in renewables to extend energy access to help smallholder farmers to meet rising food demand.

He was of the opinion that increasing deployment of renewable energy solutions would help to catalyse development and improve rural livelihoods in Nigeria through agricultural productivity.

Last year, the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and RMI, an independent non-profit, focused on transforming the global energy system to secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all, launched the Energising Agriculture Programme (EAP).

The EAP is a three-year initiative with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), with funding from The Rockefeller Foundation that aims to stimulate the use of mini grid electricity in agricultural productive uses (i.e., those that drive local economic growth).

The EAP’s focus is on enabling market-led solutions and breaking the silos separating electrification and agricultural development.

As part of the GEAPP’s broader efforts to bring reliable electricity to one billion people by decade’s end, avert four billion tonnes of greenhouse gases and enable 150 million green jobs that generate inclusive growth, the EAP will build on agriculture and electrification initiatives in Nigeria and, then, accelerate the deployment and adoption of the most effective solutions for rural communities across the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud Abubakar, had said: “This programme encourages the productive use of energy to deepen our objective of organising and managing the agricultural sector in Nigeria. Leveraging renewable energy technologies for productive use in off-grid communities greatly helps to strengthen production capacity of the average Nigerian farmer in rural communities. The EAP is in line with our mandate at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development toward strengthening agriculture and rural development across the country.

“Catalysing the productive use of the appliance market is a critical priority on the REA strategy roadmap, designed to increase economic opportunities in off-grid communities. Beyond providing electricity to the unserved and the underserved, the ultimate goal for the REA is to make sure that the electricity impacts the communities socially and economically, and agriculture is the chief activity that supports livelihoods in almost all rural communities. That is why we are going beyond powering residential communities to also focus on energising their agricultural clusters as well,” said the Managing Director/Chief Executive, REA, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad.

“Addressing the energy deficit challenge in sub-Saharan Africa is fundamental to unlocking agricultural productivity, new income-generating activities and acceleration of global decarbonisation efforts,” said Managing Director of RMI’s Global South Programme, Justin Locke, adding: “The EAP’s potential to electrify agricultural loads can catalyse scaling the adoption of decentralised renewable energy systems and spur local community development.”

Supporting demand, jobs and small and medium enterprise growth by increasing agricultural productive use at minigrid sites is critical to uplifting low-income communities in Nigeria. The EAP will directly contribute to these efforts by deploying productive use appliances in rural communities and proving out business models to scale similar interventions at minigrid sites throughout Nigeria. Equipment like electric grain mills and cold storage can plug directly into existing agricultural value chains once electricity is available.

“Despite incredible advances in renewable energy technologies, we haven’t seen these innovations spread at the speed and scale needed to reach the communities most in need, especially in the agricultural sector,” said Executive Director for Africa, GEAPP, Joseph Nganga, who added: “The EAP will bring together farmer organisations, private agricultural companies, donors, equipment manufacturers and governments to surface innovations and embed them within the value chains. If we are successful, some of these solutions will have wide uptake, helping to catalyse more equitable and sustainable economic development.”

In Africa, Morocco has taken the lead in the campaign to support farmers in the rural areas to adopt renewables.Today, the kingdom hosts Noor Ouarzazate Complex, the largest concentrated solar farm in the world. Apart from positioning the country to become the green leader in Africa, the government is working   to reduce climate-warping greenhouse gas emissions by 18.3 per cent by 2030. Also, King Mohammed VI is driving the aspiration to turn Morocco into a green energy hub.

Morocco also has its eyes set on decarbonising agriculture. So much has been accomplished by Biodôme du Maroc in bringing renewable energy to local farmers.

The company has been on the campaign of eco-innovative farming solutions with the goal to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to agriculture and providing farmers with sustainable and cost-effective production methods.

Chief Executive, Biodôme du Maroc, Dr.  Fatima Zahra Beraich, has developed a sustainable and cost-effective production method to recover and treat agricultural waste for Moroccan farmers.

Biodôme du Maroc, a Moroccan company, provides local farmers with a technology that gives them access to renewable energy for on-farm use. It is the first Moroccan company to specialise in the recovery of organic waste through natural treatment and environmentally friendly processes.

She offers an innovative solution that ensures farmers energy independence through the installation of a methanation plant for the waste coming from their farm.

To make such a biodome, she built a kind of small underground dome, in which vegetable waste is placed, which will then be fermented in a second underground chamber, using a patented biological accelerator. The process produces methane, which is then offered to farmers for their energy consumption, and fertiliser, produced from biodegraded waste, to refill the soil.

According to the World Bank, renewable energy has created opportunities for farmers in Africa. It said farmers who produce agricultural waste or animal manure has ready sources of feedstock that can be converted from wastes to clean cooking energy. It added that small-scale biodigester technologies have the capacity to convert agricultural waste into gas, and the potential to provide a clean cooking solution for Africa’s farmers.

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), an Agency under the Presidency has continued to achieve overwhelmingly positive results in its core mandate to develop the full potentials of the vast arable lands in Nigeria for the provision of food and fiber security for the citizenry.

In driving her mandate, NALDA has initiated various innovative programs and projects across the country to motivate more people into farming, especially women and youth in various rural communities, as well as assisting both small and large-scale farmers with essential implements to increase their yields and income. This will ultimately assist in diversifying the nation’s economy and enhance revenue generation through the agricultural sector.

In Ogun State, NALDA’s intervention in agriculture has had significant impacts on communities where the Agency established integrated farms to provide the local populace with opportunities and invaluable trainings that would help them engage in active farming as parts of its Women in Agriculture and Back to Farm initiatives. In other to deepen the gains of these agricultural interventions, and to guarantee the training and retraining of young and intending farmers on best agricultural management practices, NALDA is set to establish the NALDA INSTITUTE in Ogun State.

The establishment of the NALDA Institute in Special Agro Industrial Zone, in Simawa/Iwelepe area in Ogun State formed the focus of an awareness and advocacy program by NALDA officials in the State to sensitize residents, volunteer farmers and community leaders in the host community.

Addressing the community leaders and stakeholders that converged in the awareness programme, (Simawa/Iwelepe and Totoro) community, the State Administrator, Mr. Babalola Ibraheem Adedeji, highlighted the agency’s activities in other parts of the country and particularly the various community-based projects currently undertaken in Ogun State. He noted that with the establishment of the NALDA Institute, the agency is on course to fulfil her mandate. He further stated among other things the institute will

             Be a world class agricultural training hub where teaching and learning of agricultural activities will take place

             Will have primary, secondary and tertiary institutions

             Will be where practical learning will take center stage

             Offer National Diploma (ND) in agricultural Technology, Animal Production and Health Technology

             Offer vocational training in Agriculture and offer recognized certificates to graduates

             Have practical training facilities such as fish ponds, fish hatchery, poultry pens, snail pens, grasscutter pens, processing centers for finished agricultural products are being provided

             Be a multi-campus institute

An expert with KIM – KHALS INTERNATIONAL LTD consultant to NALDA, Dr Samuel Ono, further enlightened the people on the various programs to be offered by the institute and the need for the host community to key into the project. He further highlighted the incentives for host community such as;

             Scholarships to 5 deserving students from the communities on yearly basis

             Job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled cadre of staff

             Bragging rights as host community to a federal institution

             Vocational training of selected members of the community from time to time

             Empowerment of youths and women as per activities of NALDA from time to time

             Infrastructural development of community

 He further advised the host community to

             Support NALDA programs actively

             Ensure NALDA assets are well secure

             Encourage young people from the community engage actively in agriculture

             Encourage youths to seek admission into NALDA Institute when admissions commence

             Community leaders should galvanize support for this laudable project as it will be highly beneficial to all.

Community leaders and other members of the community present expressed gratitude to NALDA for bringing this laudable project to them and pledged total cooperation with the agency to actualize its objectives.

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), an Agency under the Presidency has continued to achieve overwhelmingly positive results in its core mandate to develop the full potentials of the vast arable lands in Nigeria for the provision of food and fiber security for the citizenry.

In driving her mandate, NALDA has initiated various innovative programs and projects across the country to motivate more people into farming, especially women and youth in various rural communities, as well as assisting both small and large-scale farmers with essential implements to increase their yields and income. This will ultimately assist in diversifying the nation’s economy and enhance revenue generation through the agricultural sector.

NALDA’s intervention in agriculture has had significant impacts on communities where the Agency established integrated farms to provide the local populace with opportunities and invaluable trainings that would help them engage in active farming as parts of its Women in Agriculture and Back to Farm initiatives. In other to deepen the gains of these agricultural interventions, and to guarantee the training and retraining of young and intending farmers on best agricultural management practices, NALDA is set to establish the NALDA INSTITUTE.

The establishment of the NALDA Institute formed the focus of an awareness and advocacy program by NALDA officials to sensitize residents, volunteer farmers and community leaders in the host communities.

Addressing the community leaders and stakeholders that converged on the premises of NALDA farm at Okpulumobo community in Abia State, the State Administrator, Mr. Obinna – Njoku Obinna, highlighted the agency’s activities in other parts of the country and particularly the various community-based projects currently undertaken in Abia State. He noted that the with the establishment of the NALDA Institute, the agency is on course to fulfil her mandate. He further stated among other things the institute will

• Be a world class agricultural training hub where teaching and learning of agricultural activities will take place
• Will have primary, secondary and tertiary institutions
• Will be where practical learning will take center stage
• Offer National Diploma (ND) in agricultural Technology, Animal Production and Health Technology
• Offer vocational training in Agriculture and offer recognized certificates to graduates
• Have practical training facilities such as fish ponds, fish hatchery, poultry pens, snail pens, grasscutter pens, processing centers for finished agricultural products are being provided
• Be a multi-campus institute

An expert with KIM – KHALS INTERNATIONAL LTD consultant to NALDA Dr Samuel Ono, informed the community that the Institute which is multi-campus in nature will kick off in Abia, Ogun, Katsina and Borno States. He  further enlightened the people on the various programs to be offered by the institute and the need for host communities to key into the project. He further highlighted the incentives for host communities such as;

• Scholarships to 5 deserving students from the communities on yearly basis
• Job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled cadre of staff
• Bragging rights as host community to a federal institution
• Vocational training of selected members of the community from time to time
• Empowerment of youths and women as per activities of NALDA from time to time
• Infrastructural development of community

He further advised the host community to

• Support NALDA programs actively
• Ensure NALDA assets are well secure
• Encourage young people from the community engage actively in agriculture
• Encourage youths to seek admission into NALDA Institute when admissions commence
• Community leaders should galvanize support for this laudable project as it will be highly beneficial to all.

Community leaders and other members of the community present expressed gratitude to NALDA for bringing this laudable project to them and pledged total cooperation with the agency to actualize its objectives.

One key obstacle to food production in West Africa is insufficient access to fertiliser. Organisations have been working towards ensuring fertiliser prices are within the reach of farmers. DANIEL ESSIET reports

THE Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Bank, and UN World Food Programme (WFP) have forecast severe food shortages due to shocks on food systems.

To address these, several multi-stakeholder dialogues have been convened  to facilitate the sharing of good practices, innovations, and advocate actions to ensure smallholder farmers have access to fertiliser to safeguard their food and nutrition security.

Some of these meetings have reflected on regional efforts towards the production of fertiliser in Africa, educating farmers on the correct use, improving access to soil-testing facilities to guide the targeted application, promoting agronomic practices, deployment of smart and targeted subsidies programmes, use of e-voucher systems for distribution, incentives to promote the local production such as tax incentives for raw materials import and access to capital by the private sector for setting up fertiliser blending plants.

Above all, there was a call for an urgent action to make fertiliser affordable and accessible to farmers given the prohibitive prices and transportation costs and develop area specific soil fertility maps. Africa utilises an average 12 kg of fertiliser per hectare, according to the International Fertiliser Industry Association (IFA).

Also, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) noted that fertiliser use in Nigeria  Kenya, and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa  was still  below  50kg per hectare, compared to Asian countries such as Malaysia where consumption averages 1,570kg per hectare, Hong Kong 1,297kg per hectare and Bangladesh at 278 kg per hectare.

Consequently, IFPRI has thrown its weight behind meetings across Africa held to discuss how to address issues impacting growth of fertiliser use, including poor-quality control, weak agro-dealer networks, lack of initiatives to provide financial services to importers and agro-dealers, poor port, rail and road infrastructure and unsustainable, poorly planned and coordinated subsidy programmes.

One of such meetings was the Afriqom Fertiliser Club meeting held in Accra, Ghana. It was their first, held in partnership with International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), West African Fertiliser Association (WAFA) and others. Afriqom, a consulting firm, is the provider of market information on the African fertiliser market.

The conference gathered experts who spoke on the ideal market conditions and the state of change in industry, among others.

Speakers described West Africa as a major market, with producers and manufacturers building on their dominant positions in producing nitrogen and phosphate based fertilisers.They discussed broadening intra-Africa trade, increasing fertiliser consumption across the sub region, and, ultimately, boosting agricultural productivity. However, the consensus was that there are opportunities on the horizon.

One of the speakers was the Senior Vice President, OCP Africa, Mr. Mohamed Hettiti, a supporter of made-in-Africa fertiliser.

He saw how vulnerable food supply chain was during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been on the campaign for the sector to address the problem, including the production of specialty fertiliser to help agricultural producers.

By expanding the production of domestic fertiliser supplies, his organisation has been able to grow independent local businesses, bring production and jobs to rural communities in Nigeria.

He noted that the AFRIQOM Fertiliser Club has become pivotal in the fertiliser space within Africa and beyond.

Hettiti’s words: “We’re happy to see African organisations and institutions commit to spread access to information and data towards the growth of the agriculture value chain in Africa.

“Africa cannot be satisfied with imported models and must lead the way in achieving its green agricultural revolution by setting an example for sustainable nutrition through customisations of our own solutions. We have invested in research and development in partnership with agronomic research institutions to implement initiatives centered on farmers and to develop fertiliser formulas adapted to their soil and crops. We have mapped over 50 Mha of land across African countries, strengthen capacity of laboratories, and developed specific programs to meet our partner’s needs.

“Over 44 formulas have been customised to local conditions and crop needs, and we have worked with partners to connect farmers to the agricultural services, knowledge, and resources they need to prosper.”

Hettiti reiterated that their company’s partnerships with organisations to grow agriculture in Africa has led to the creation of platforms that allow dialogues and synergies to address the   challenges faced by farmers, including infrastructure, knowledge, market access, and financing.

He said: “An example is our partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its West Africa Trade & Investment Hub, to establish a fertiliser-blending plant facility in Nigeria to bridge the lack of specialised fertiliser to grow crops on a large scale and support food security in the country.

“The partnership targets rural smallholder farmers who will have access to high-yielding customised fertiliser that promises to grow their productivity by as much as 85 per cent and create jobs for many young men and women in Nigeria.”

Hettiti called on international partners to address food security and agricultural challenges on the continent.

Fertiliser prices doubled between 2021 and last year due to price hikes caused by the war in Ukraine, a limited supply of the minerals, high energy costs, high global demand and agricultural commodity prices and reliance on imports.

Indeed, Afriqom has been part of an effort to help producers boost production and address Africa’s food insecurity.

In light of the challenges, Chief Executive Officer, Afriqom, United Kingdom, Mounir Halim indicated that the key stakeholders in fertiliser industry were  trying to strike a balance between enhancing agricultural productivity and staying ahead of turbulent conditions that affects the industry.

Halim noted that the fertiliser market has evolved, but urged for more discussions to address the major constraints to Africa’s agricultural productivity growth.

He said Africa was on the way to becoming one of the world’s leading producers of fertiliser, and steadily developing new capacity.

For him, long-term prospects remain strong, as  the demand for food, and thus fertilisers, keep on increasing.

Given the steady growth of the population in the sub-region, Executive Secretary, WAFA, Dr. Innocent Okuku, reiterated that fertiliser role in feeding Africa would be essential for years to come.

He gave an overview of the fertiliser market in West Africa. Despite this great potential, he  said, the sub-region was still grappling with logistic problems.

He said the agriculture sector in a large part of Africa has continued to be characterised by low-fertiliser use as well as low-crop yields.

According to him, scaling up fertiliser production is a key step in strengthening regional input and agricultural value chains so that countries in the sub region can become more food-secure.

In line with this, Okuku indicated that a lot of    efforts had been made to improve food security and nutrition for millions of people through increased local production of fertiliser.

A key goal of WAFA, he maintained, was to build a reliable market that guarantees sustainable access to quality and affordable fertiliser to farmers in West Africa.

He acknowledged that the sub-region was facing severe challenges in the cost and availability of fertiliser.

He said the collaboration with AFRIQOM was important to the association and its 60 members who account for about 90 per cent of fertiliser supplies in West Africa.

Overall, he said, this collaboration would contribute significantly to helping Africa increase its agricultural production, decrease its dependence on food imports and create wealth among her rural populations.

He reiterated that there was a dire need for stakeholders take long-term views in dealing with fertiliser issues in the larger interest of food security.

WAFA has been involved in improving fertiliser statistics to help policy makers make informed decisions on the industry.

Across the sub-region, governments have been inviting global companies to set up fertiliser manufacturing plants and storage facilities, besides partnering local firms to supply soil nutrients.

Countries within ECOWAS  have witnessed an increase in prices of fertiliser and raw materials, despite reforms to ensure the products are made available at affordable prices to farmers.

The prices of fertiliser, seeds and other agricultural inputs have risen to affect continuous production and sustainable security of food.

To improve the availability and affordability of fertiliser, enhance food and agricultural production – as well as security of supply, Afreximbank  has been  engaging leading fertiliser companies from across West Africa, development finance institutions, technical development partners and public sector representatives. Central to  this  is the attainment of food security in the region by improving producers’ access to fertiliser.

The  bank  has identified  and onboarded  new traders, sellers, and buyers from WAFA members to the African Trade Exchange (ATEX). It has been working with IFDC, the African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), the ECOWAS Commission, OCPAfrica and Presidential Fertiliser Initiative to deploy the  ATEX platform to response to the challenge of fertiliser availability.

“ATEX will certainly avail access to essential commodities at affordable prices to African countries that look set to be hit the hardest by the global food price crisis with severe implications on economic and political stability,” Deputy Executive Secretary/Chief Economist, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Ms. Hanan Morsy, said at the presentation of ATEX on the sidelines of  the  COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, which ended recently.

“One of the main implications is that the global fertiliser prices have significantly risen over the last year because of surging input costs, supply disruptions, and export restrictions,” Ms. Morsy said, warning that price spike in fertiliser and shortage would affect the planting season this year unless urgent action was taken to channel the fertiliser where it is needed most in Africa at an affordable price.

Morsy highlighted that ATEX could strengthen Africa’economic resilience as demand would ensure that Africa’s ability to negotiate competitive prices and attenuate the impact of the disruption in the food supply chain.

“There is a dirwe need to reduce the cost of agricultural inputs, especially fertiliser,” Morsy noted, indicating that ATEX offered a huge potential to enhance intra-Africa trade in fertiliser.

Early this year, development partners committed $30 billion to boost food production in Africa over the next five years. The President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, said the support would enable the countries to increase food production.

The bank also got assurances from Dangote and Indorama and OCP Fertiliser that Africa would not be marginalised in the fertiliser supply chain.

Adesina’s  goal is to ensure there is no fertiliser crisis in Africa and that support measures were in place to make fertiliser affordable for farmers.

Nigeria’s organic agriculture segment is expanding in response to increased domestic and international demand. One challenge in the industry, however, is the growing cases of producers who falsely declare their produce as organic, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

In 2021 global organic food and beverages market size was valued at$188.35 billion and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.0 per cent between this year and 2030.

Analysts said the demand for organic ingredients has grown over the past few years, owing to the desire for improved health among consumers and the awareness on the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients.

The International Fortune Business Insights projected that the global organic foods market would grow from $157.48 billion last years to $366.66 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 12.83 per cent

Exchange Africa, a continental think tank report, noted that the organic farming market size is expected hit $169.04 billion last year. It indicated that organic fresh produce sales totalled $9.22 billion in 2021, up 5.5 per cent from $8.54 billion in 2020.

Also, the FiBL Survey 2022, indicated that in 2020 the European Union imported a total of 2.8 million metric tonnes of organic agri-food products. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL, is one of the world’s leading institutes in the field of organic agriculture.

Basically, organic food is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, such as human-made pesticides and fertiliser, and does not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Consequently, there are growing national campaigns to increase awareness of organic agriculture across the continent. To boost this campaign, the European Commission’s Knowledge for policy report said there were more than two million hectares of certified organic agricultural land in Africa.

Top certified organic products in Africa destined for export markets, include nuts, olives, coffee, cocoa, oilseeds and cotton, fruits, fresh vegetables, as well as products from medicinal and aromatic plants.

Organisations such as Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative have emphasised the importance of encouraging new companies to enter the market, and educated consumers on the benefits of purchasing organic produce. 

Also, EOA-I is a continental initiative that holds promise for increasing the productivity of Africa’s smallholder farms, with consequent positive impacts on food security.

The propelling idea for the initiative came after the African Union Commission (AUC) supported a workshop in Kenya in 2011.

The initiative has been implemented in Africa since 2012 first on a pilot basis in six countries, namely, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia. The rollout has risen to eight countries – four in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania) and four in West Africa (Mali, Nigeria, Benin, and Senegal), with an overall goal of mainstreaming ecological agriculture into national agricultural production systems, plans and policies.

Recently, the Country Coordinator of EOA initiative in Nigeria, Olugbenga Adeoluwa, said the adoption of organic farming would enhance the country’s opportunity of joining food exporting countries, thereby generating revenue for the country and improving the lives of rural farmers.

He added that the adoption of organic agriculture would guarantee quality and healthy food for Nigeria.

“A lot of agricultural produce is being rejected from Nigeria, which affects our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). So, if organic agriculture is adopted, then Nigeria can be part of countries that export a lot.”

The Head of Agriculture Division, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Abuja, Ernest Aubee, said organic agriculture required standards and regulations.

Aubee stated that the commission was supporting smallholder farmers in the region with technologies on organic farming. Noting that the ECOWAS was assisting member-states to develop those standards, he said the commission had projects in the 15-member-states to support organic agriculture.

“ECOWAS Commission is promoting organic agriculture in West Africa because organic agriculture is the right way to go in terms of improving the health of the people of West Africa, protecting the environment and enhancing livelihood, because it is generating lots of resources globally.”

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) said Nigeria’s organic agricultural industry could generate N150 billion in the next three years. Subsequently, it called for more attention to organic cultivation of foods as demand astronomically rises in international and local markets. He urged farmers and investors to take advantage of the demand and dominate the markets.

Rise of fraudulent organic labels

While organic market growth is at a double-digit pace, fraud and food safety issues abound. There are reports of fraudulent organic labels and certifications which raise food safety concerns. Reports said 40 per cent of organic food sold in America test positive for prohibited pesticides, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies. 

 In response to this threat, the Department of Agriculture in January unveiled new regulations designed to protect the integrity of USDA’s organic seal and deter and detect organic fraud throughout the supply chain. It offered a long list of fraudulent organic certificates. Imports on that list come from all over the world.

USDA said it was taking steps to improve transparency and standards for products currently considered organic.

 ”The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule is the biggest update to the organic regulations since the original Act in 1990, providing a significant increase in oversight and enforcement authority to reinforce the trust of consumers, farmers, and those transitioning to organic production. This success is another demonstration that USDA fully stands behind the organic brand,” USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programmes Jenny Lester Moffitt said in a statement.

USDA said businesses allegedly using fraudulent certificates to claim their products are organic.

“Falsely representing products as certified USDA organic violates the law and federal organic regulations,” the body warned.

The agency noted that the fraudulent certificates may have been created and used without the knowledge of the operator or the certifying agent named in the certificate, adding that this does not necessarily indicate that the named operators or certifying agents were involved in illegal activity.

As organic food becomes ever-more popular, the Director-General, African Centre for Supply Chain, Dr Obiora Madu, noted that the awareness of organic fraud had been increasing rapidly everywhere in the world. According to him, they are exports accompanied by fake organic declarations and fraudulent paperwork.

This year, a report said two Dubai companies and several individuals were charged in an indictment for their roles in a multimillion-dollar scheme to export non-organic grain into the U.S. to be sold as certified organic.

Hakan Agro DMCC and Hakan Organics DMCC, both based in Dubai, and Goksal Beyaz, Nuray Beyaz and Mustafa Cakiroglu, all of Türkiye, were each charged with conspiracy, smuggling and wire fraud. An initial appearance for Hakan Agro and Hakan Organics was held on January 5, in the District of Maryland.

The indictment alleged that between November 2015 and May 2017, the defendants operated a scheme where Hakan Agro, Hakan Organics and associated entities would purchase non-organic soybeans and corn from Eastern Europe before having it shipped to the U.S. as “organic.” This scheme allowed the defendants to charge the higher prices associated with organic grains. Organic grains often cost as much as 50 per cent more than conventional (i.e. non-organic) grains.

 Among other misconduct, the indictment alleges: In late 2015, the defendants obtained non-organic, non-GMO soybeans from Ukraine for $423 per metric ton (MT). Thereafter, the defendants arranged to have the same soybeans shipped to Baltimore, Maryland, where they were sold as “organic soybeans” for $614/MT, totaling over $4.9 million

In early 2016, the defendants arranged to purchase non-organic corn for $168/MT and had it delivered to Constanta, Romania. Simultaneously, they arranged to sell the same corn from Constanta through Baltimore as “organic corn” for $247/MT. The invoices for this falsely labelled corn totalled over $3.3 million

In late 2016, the defendants shipped 16,250 MT of non-organic soybeans falsely labelled as “organic” from Türkiye to the U.S. where they were sold for over $10 million.

In early 2017, the defendants arranged for 21,000 MT of non-organic corn to be shipped to the U.S. falsely labelled as organic. The invoices for the falsely-labelled corn totalled over $6.7 million. In early 2017, the defendants arranged for a load of non-organic soybeans to be shipped from Türkiye to Baltimore falsely labelled as “organic” soybeans. Wire fraud and smuggling are each punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Conspiracy is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Upon conviction, a federal district court judge would determine any defendant’s sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Speaking with The Nation, Madu stressed that maintaining the quality and safety of organic food products for export markets has become critical as fraud is on the rise and has the potential to cause significant harm to Nigeria’s reputation and, ultimately, reduce returns at the farm gate. Though the scale and nature of organic food fraud is largely unknown, he noted that it presents major challenges for those targeting huge foreign exchange from the market.

For him, no process could guarantee that a product and its supply chain are not the target of fraud, but the authenticity testing of the produce and getting the accredited organic certifications before the produce leaves the country to its ports of destination. This will require assessing the content of food products to verify compliance with labelling and compositional standards and ensuring substitution, dilution, adulteration and mislabelling did not occur. He has been among campaigners that testing laboratories enhance compliance and standards testing as required by international regulatory and quarantine authorities.

With the rise in reported fraud incidents, he highlighted the need for organic food producers to strengthen capacity to combat fraud within their organisation and across the entire product supply chain.

Nigeria has seen an enormous growth in organic farming over the last few years with green houses used for the cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables.  Generally, organic produce attract higher prices. For this reason, companies offer their non-organic produce as organic.

Moreover, Madu emphasised the need for organic food exports to engage agencies that help them comply with standards required by US and other countries to imported organic products.

There have been cases of certification bodies receiving penalties for fraudulently certifying genetically modified, or cotton as organic cotton.

The Netherlands-based Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) warned that complying with European regulations to access the European market for ginger required paying special attention to controls on contamination, pesticide residues, heavy metals, food additives and food fraud.

CBI stated: “Food fraud in the spices and herbs sector is a serious issue, and European buyers are increasingly attentive to it. Many laboratories around Europe have increased testing to discover this type of fraud in spices and herbs. Common methods include DNA analysis, isotopic techniques, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, chemometrics, and a combination of detection methods. Concerns around ginger include adulteration with spent ginger, flours and starch products. Ginger adulteration constitutes food fraud, which is illegal and will affect a supplier’s reputation in the European market.”

Even with its strict requirements, it noted, that the European market offered many opportunities for exporters.

A former Commissioner for Agriculture in Ekiti State Dr. Bode Adetoyi has urged the President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to address the problems bedeviling the agricultural sector in the country.

Adetoyi told reporters Issues of mechanisation need to be addressed as Nigeria has just 7,000 tractors as against the required 2.5 million tractors.

The former Commissioner explained that most farmers at this age still believe in the use of the crude implements while there are less machines to enhance mechanisation within the country.

The agricultural Expert said poor variety of seeds and seedlings / yield gap is another issue as farmers need to make use of the high yielding varieties of crop to enhance production and maximize profits.

Adetoyi stated that nearly all the States scarcely have agricultural extension agents, noting that their significance cannot be overlooked as they play advisory roles to farmers, update farmers on new technologies, introducing high yielding varieties of crops and training of farmers on best practice for the sector.

Adetoyi also identified absence of storage / processing facilities as a bane of agricultural development.

He explained that post-harvest losses today of farm produce is at over 65 percent, stating there must be massive investment in processing and storage facilities so farmers can get value for their money.

He advocated removal of land use act of 1978 because the system does not make land available for investors, noting that Nigeria has 33 million hectares of arable land.

A large expanse, he said, is not available for commercial purpose, forcing farmers and investors go through harrowing experience on land acquisition.

The Chairman and founder of Value Ingredients Ltd Lagos with a branch in Ado Ekiti, was Director, Fountain Holdings Ltd (an investment arm of Ekiti State.

As Commissioner, he made footprints that were largely indelible, including engagement of youths in agribusiness {Training of over 300 youths through YEASA, IITA, IFAD, AFRICARISE, ABUAD}, Engagement on Development Strategy for Agro Cargo Airport, built and support Ease of Doing Business, wrote a new Agric. Policy Development for Ekiti State, Establishment of clonal gardens for seedlings so that farmers an have access to new and improved varieties of Cocoa, Oil Palm, Cashew etc.,

Palm oil is one of the essential ingredients in food preparation. It is also used in the production of soaps, cosmetics, magarine and many others. Its price has been rising and falling. Right now, it is down, making it easy for users to keep cost of products down. But stakeholders say there is the need to stabilise the price through increased production with high-yielding seedlings and better techniques. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

THE price of palm oil rose last year. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the price of a bottle of palm oil went up from N775.11 in November 2021 to N1,006.64 November last year. Also, the bureau said the Southwest recorded the highest average price of palm oil at N1,174.30, followed by the Northwest at N1,129.63, while the Northeast recorded the lowest price at N765.04.

Early last year, two largest palm oil producers, Okomu Oil Palm and Presco Plc., grew their revenue by 83 per cent to N82.47 billion in the first-half from N45.09 billion in the corresponding period of 2021. However, in the fourth quarter, there was a 29.2 per cent pullback in palm oil prices on the back of increased supply from Malaysia and Indonesia, the two largest producers of crude palm oil (CPO) and an expected slowdown in demand from China and India, hence, the quarterly decline in revenue reported by Okomu Oil Palm and Presco Plc.

However, both companies’ revenue declined by 36.47 per cent to N26.91 billion in the third quarter from N42.36 billion in the second quarter of last year; therefore, bringing total revenue to N59.84 billion in the second half of last year, 27.43 per cent down from N82.46 billion in the first-half of 2022 (January to June).

Notwithstanding, revenue reported by Nigerian palm oil producers grew by 68 per cent to N142.31 billion in 2022, from N84.82 billion in 2021, thereby bringing total profit for the year to N38.81 billion, a 26 per cent increase from N30.86 billion in 2021.

While vegetable oils were the highest on record last year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said the prices fell for nine months in a row.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index averaged 144.4 points in December, down 10.3 points from November and hitting its lowest level since February 2021.The decrease in the index was driven by lower international price quotations across major vegetable oils such as palm, soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower oils. While world palm oil prices dropped nearly five per cent, led by sluggish global import demand and world soybean oil, rapeseed, and SFO international prices dropped on account of ample global supplies and subdued import demand.

In the next three months, the Chief Executive, James Energy and Construction Limited (Jemas Palmoil), Mr. Jerry Sam Etukapan, said the  price of palm oil would be on a downward trend, attributed to low purchasing power occasioned by the currency squeeze. He said that 25 litres of palm oil now sells for N4,000 because people were not buying as before.

He explained that the price spike is caused by the enthusiasm to purchase oil palm. He has been working with local farmers in Akwa Ibom State, where he buys their palm fruits and processes them  into oil.

Etukapan exports and others are integrated into palm oil derivatives including frozen pizzas, chocolate and hazelnut spreads, cookies, and margarine. He, however, said it had been difficult for those involved in growing palm fruit and converting palm fruit into oil.

He expects the edible oil prices to rise again after June as palm oil production is not expected to increase due to non-availability of manpower required to produce theoil. This, according to him, has impacted palm oil production.

Palm oil is used in manufacturing various products ranging from cakes, frying fats, vegetable oil, cosmetics and cleaning products.  Following Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports from April 28, last year, prices of edible oil in most countries in Africa rose   due to shortage of supply.

Indonesia accounts for more than half of global palm oil supply. The ban led to an increase in the price of major edible oils, including palm oil, soy oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil, for consumers in Asia and Africa. Consequently, manufacturers of cooking oil were buying palm oil, the main raw material, at between $1,760 and $1,980 per metric tonne. Before the escalation of Ukraine-Russia conflict, the commodity retailed at $1,490 per tonne, having more than doubled from $700 per tonne before the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

For Etukapan, seasonal palm oil price fluctuations have a significant effect on farmers’ gross margins. According to him, in the lean palm oil seasons, farmers get good prices, but gross margins are not good during the peak/high seasons between January and March.

He noted that the country would face a wave of high prices of vegetable oil in light of the supply shortage, during the summer season when harvest is low.

He acknowledged small-scale farmers face a myriad of challenges, including experiencing low oil palm yields because they use minimal input and crop maintenance.

Etukapan put the issues and challenges in the business in perspective: “Our palm oil is more expensive than that of countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Few days ago, I lost business to an Indonesian company because our palm oil was costlier than others. After harvesting their palm fruits, they will collect N600 per bunch. It takes 20 bunches to produce 25 litres of oil. If they collect N600, you will be paying N12,000 to produce 25 litres of oil. This makes oil very expensive.”

It is easy to see the implications of this price difference on the local palm oil industry.

He explained: “With this (the prevailing price structure), we cannot compete with exporters in the international market because they use sophisticated machines that make the process cheaper for them.

“We are using crude methods and ancient machines. Today, we still use those machines that our forefathers were using.The other thing is that the cost of purchasing oil palm processing machines is high. We cannot afford it here. It is one or two companies that have been able to afford such machines in Akwa Ibom.

“If these machines are made available to local farmers, production level will expand and at the end of the day, the oil palm prices will go down. We cannot compete favourably with our counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia. We should take note of this.”

Experts are positive that the federal and state governments, as well as the private sector, can work with research institutes and universities to produce and use improved seedlings, techniques, and storage to realise optimal output from the three million hectares of farmland said to be available for palm oil cultivation in the country.

Nigeria has an unmet demand of 500,000 tonnes of palm oil. According to Statisca, a research portal, palm oil consumption in Nigeria amounted to about 1.72 million metric tonnes. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region has an unmet demand of two million tonnes. This presents an opportunity for Nigeria to scale up production of the cash crop to satisfy local and regional demand for much-needed foreign exchange.

Increasing oil palm production

For instance, the National President, Palm Produce Association of Nigeria, Alphonsus Inyang, said the industry had the potential to close the domestic demand as well as capacity to produce for export. He has been driving a two million seedling project and urged Nigerians to embrace the project and vision of the association. He made a passionate call for the local palm oil industry to be protected. He said local producers have more than sufficient capacity to refine and bottle palm oil to meet local demand. He said Nigeria had several thousands of acres with high potential for palm oil development that could be cultivated with foreign investors. He said oil palm products made in Nigeria could find ready export markets in the United States and Europe.

Inyang urged the government and the private sector to plant one million oil palm trees in four years. He wants policymakers and business actors to discuss how to ensure Nigeria played a big role in global palm oil supply to meet demand for edible oils.

In doing so, one of the issues that will engage the attention of policymakers and business actors is, perhaps, the traceability for much of the palm oil produced in rural areas, as larger companies depended on middlemen to source palm fruits in the rural areas.

There is also the issue of the ease of doing business in Nigeria. “The ease of doing business is not there,” Etukapan pointed out, accusing the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of making it difficult for entrepreneurs to get certifications.

“Sometimes, it can take you more than three years to have one certification. Before they give you that paper, they will come to your office 10 times, collecting money. At the end of the day, if they don’t collect enough money, they will not release the paper to you. When it happens like this, people cannot do palm oil exports. As far as oil exports are concerned, I want to say that the Nigerian Exports Promotion Council (NEPC) is really trying. If other agencies can do like NEPC, we will make a headway.”

Renewed hope

The average yield of oil palm farms in Nigeria is five tonnes of fresh fruits per hectare per annum, representing 25 per cent of potential production— a yield considered very low and attributable to poor agronomy and limited knowledge on best management practices for oil palm cultivation.

There is hope of a rebound of Nigeria’s palm oil industry, following recent global partnerships to deal with shortages of fertiliser and workers, for instance.

The price of fertiliser makes up about 40 per cent of palm oil’s production cost. So far, oil palms in Nigeria have not reached their full potential because of the lack of fertiliser input and farmers cannot get certain types of fertilisers

According to the Chief Executive, Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe, oil palm requires a steady diet of nutrients and minerals. Malnourished trees produce less, which leads to lower oil extraction rates.

However, to ensure Nigeria’s palm oil production rises beyond two million metric tonnes per annum (MMTA) in the next three years, OCP Fertilisers Nigeria Limited and NIFOR are working on trials for the specialised fertiliser that will increase production by 40 per cent per hectare.

The Nation learnt that researchers at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) and NIFOR are testing fertiliser formulation at various agro-ecological situations across oil palm production states.

Deputy Managing Director, Programme Incubation, West Africa, OCP Africa, Mr. Caleb Usoh, said the company, in partnership with NIFOR and IAR&T, had conducted a soil mapping survey, to facilitate the development of specialised fertiliser recommendation for oil palm nationwide, to address complaints of low yields by farmers.

Ikuenobe explained that oil palm output had failed to keep pace with rising demand, so millions of dollars on imports had put a strain on state foreign currency reserves. He noted that characterising soils of the oil palm belt had helped to determine limiting nutrients based on new fertiliser formulations tested on farmer’s fields in validation trials across the country.

He noted that the soil test-based application of nutrients would help oil palm farmers to realise higher response ratio and in turn, higher yields.

The President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama, believes that the sector could achieve a lot in increasing domestic and export production of palm oil if the government worked with producers to ensure that smallholder communities living in the production belts enjoyed higher incomes and a better quality of life, and improved rural infrastructure.

According to him, oil palm offers an opportunity to support rural livelihoods. He said as the palm oil industry expanded, so too would opportunities for the private sector to tap into the demands, particularly with regard to export.

He said the projected unprecedented growth in national income would be largely driven by unlocking opportunities in agriculture.

For Etukapan, there is the need for the government to provide the necessary support and an enabling environment to increase the competitiveness of local businesses to meet the demands of the sector.

He noted that while there has been a growing interest in strengthening and intensifying local oil palm production to capture the global market over the years, measures need to be implemented to mitigate the adverse effect of operational volatilities.

He added that the impact of a vibrant local oil palm value chain on the economy is huge and must be harnessed through a proactive approach to promote the growth of the production of sufficient palm fruits. This, he said, will make the country not only self-sufficient but also a net exporter of palm oil products into the sub-region.

Sustainable West Africa Palm oil Programme (SWAPP)

The Federal Government is collaborating with Solidaridad West Africa (SWA), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to ensure that the Best Management Practices approach to oil palm production at both the farm and mill levels .SWAPP is implemented in Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast with a focus on increasing the productivity and profitability of the Small to Medium-Scale Enterprises in the palm oil sector. Since its inception, SWAPP has produced quality palm oil onto the market and also trained more than 2000 farmers across the three West African countries benefiting from the programme.

This year, ministers from 10 African countries signed the Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI) Declaration, a single set of principles for the responsible production of agricultural commodities in Africa.

ASCI puts producer countries in Africa at the forefront of defining the principles for the sustainable development of cocoa, rubber, palm oil, coffee and other commodities in a way that protects livelihoods and protects natural resources, including forests.

Stakeholders agree that African governments must employ a multi-pronged approach to ensure food availability with emphasis on increased fertiliser production. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

The agriculture sector is responsible for one-seventh of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). Consequently, countries have been rolling out development plans with the sector as a priority.

 However,  boosting the competitiveness of producers to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the sector, analysts believe, depends on providing a robust fertiliser supply framework and improving access to finance to further stimulate private investment.

President, the World Bank Group, David Malpass, said a transformed fertiliser market was needed to avert the food crisis in Africa. He stated this last December after a meeting with African leaders who were in Washington for a summit with the United States government.

Malpass lamented that fertiliser prices were out of reach for most farmers, putting the crop cycle and rural stability at risk.

But he noted: “Across 45 countries globally, 205 million people are in acute food insecurity, meaning they have so little access to food that their lives and livelihoods are in danger.  One key obstacle to food production in many developing countries is access to fertiliser, which enriches the soil with the nutrients needed for healthy crops. Sufficient primary raw materials – nitrogen, potash, phosphate, and natural gas – and fertiliser production facilities are essential to farmers across the developing world, but high fertiliser prices are blocking the 2023 and 2024 crop cycle.”

  He said the challenge is, particularly, evident in Sub-Saharan Africa. Said he: “Fertiliser prices have tripled since early 2020 and remain volatile, putting a stable supply of fertiliser out of reach of many small farmers. Fertiliser exports from Belarus and Russia – important fertiliser suppliers for Africa – have been disrupted by the war, while other exporting countries have restricted the supply through export taxes, bans and licensing requirements, in part to protect their own farmers. With agricultural prices high, farmers in more advanced countries can afford to plant more and order more fertiliser, benefiting from subsidies that often cover the cost of the natural gas needed for fertiliser and the diesel fuel needed for farm equipment.”

He  continued: “The world’s ability to quickly realign energy and fertiliser supply chains in ways that leave room for poorer farmers will be one of the determining factors in the length and severity of the food crisis in Africa and the displacement of rural populations already under pressure from climate change.”

In recent years, according to the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), Africa has greatly expanded its fertiliser production capacity.

IFDC confirmed that Nigeria has installed 6.5 million tonnes of urea; while OCP produces over 14 million tonnes of phosphate fertiliser, and more than 140 blending plants are in operation across SSA.

IFDC fertiliser market specialist and EnGRAIS Project Director, Patrice Annequin, who participated in the third Africa Investment Forum, hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, urged participants to take advantage of the resources Africa already has to bolster its own economy. He said: “If by 2050 the per capita annual fertiliser consumption will be 30 kg (as compared to the current global average of 60 kg), the projected population in sub-Saharan Africa in 2050 will require 60 million tons of fertiliser every year. At current farm gate prices, this is valued at $50 billion. These fertilisers allow the production of food, fibre, fodder, and fuel, worth over $10 trillion. This underlines how fertiliser fuels the African economy. The use of African resources to produce fertiliser for the African continent has the full attention of the African Development Bank.”

One of the main challenges farmers face is the high cost of fertiliser. Higher fertiliser costs pose a challenge to food security by reducing yields.

Chairman, All Famers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Southwest, Otunba Femi Oke has seen demand for produce growing. Though agriculture has experienced impressive growth, millions of the country’s smallholders have missed out on that prosperity, following high input costs, including fertiliser.

He emphasised the need to reduce the costs of inputs to enable farmers to tap the sector’s full potential for alleviating poverty.

Most farmers have struggled with increasing production yields due to poor soil management and outdated agricultural practices.

To address these challenges, Deputy Managing Director, Project Incubation West Africa, OCP Africa, Caleb Usoh said the organisation has been working with farmers to carry out fertiliser usage training with growers to improve their soil. He said the organisation was eager to engage with stakeholders, to improve soil management, adding that many growers are not achieving peak production due to poor soil management and outdated farming techniques. To produce greater yields, he stressed that it was important for farmers to control several factors, including the nutrient content, temperature, and moisture of the soil.

Apart from providing fertiliser, he said his organisation has been supporting farmers to transform the prospects of their community, by providing them with agronomic and post-harvest training that helps them produce better crops and earn steady incomes.

 Early this year, Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism (AFFM) received $10.15 million in new funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). The financing will target projects in Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique, which will be receiving AFFM support for the first time. NORAD’s contribution will enable AFFM to provide credit guarantees for up to 36 months, with the expected leverage of at least ten times the credit guarantee amount, enabling access to at least 85,000 metric tons of fertiliser for 850,000 smallholder farmers in the three countries.

The NORAD contribution will buttress the African Emergency Food Production Facility, the AfDB Group’s rapid response initiative for addressing Africa’s food crisis, which has been exacerbated by climate change, conflicts, pests and disease.

 The Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism received a first instalment of $8.73 million through the African Emergency Food Production Facility window, on December 27, 2022.

“This funding will allow the Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism to provide financing and credit guarantees for the large-scale supply of fertiliser to suppliers, to enable access to fertiliser on credit to agro-dealers, and contribute to bridging the supply gap of fertiliser in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Marie-Claire Kalihangabo, AFFM coordinator.

The bank hosted the Dakar 2 Africa Food Summit under the theme: “Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience.” The summit brought together governments, private sector leaders, representatives from multilateral organisations and NGOs, as well as scientists and researchers, to explore ways to meet the escalating challenges of food security in Africa. The event included discussions on the impact of rising fertiliser prices on African smallholder farmers. The increase in prices has deepened the shortfall in fertiliser supply, and lowered accessibility, threatening agricultural production across Africa.

According to analysts, when the continent’s smallholder farmers have timely access to quality fertiliser, it is possible to double the agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers. An international research report,  Fitch Solutions, predicted that high fertiliser prices would further depress farmer profit margins and might result in reduced usage. It warned that agricultural yields across the African region could suffer a potential drop if fertiliser application is reduced.

 On consumption, it indicated that five countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia) account for almost two-thirds of consumption in Sub-Saharan African (SSA). In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the report said three countries (Egypt, Iran and Morocco) account for 75 per cent of consumption.

This year, Sub-Saharan African markets will see new projects coming online in the coming years and consumption will grow at a superior rate compared with other global regions.

 AfricaFertiliser.org indicated that poor supply and distribution systems from port to farm mean that SSA fertiliser prices are almost double global averages and hinder consumption. According to the organisation, this supports illegal fertiliser trade across the region, with issues, including cross-border smuggling of subsidised fertiliser and the sale of counterfeit fertilisers.

Moreover, the organisation observed that international fertiliser companies were refraining from entering partnerships with local ministries to supply subsidised nutrients owing to frequent delays in payments, which reinforces the position of illegal fertiliser traders.

At the end of the supply chain, the organisation noted that inadequate storage facilities have resulted in a substantial waste of fertiliser which could not be sold.

Overall, the organisation stated that there are about 37 new fertiliser processing and manufacturing facilities in SSA that are either operational or expected to come online.

The other fact was that a network of fertiliser blending plants process imported or locally produced fertiliser into balanced nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium blends throughout Africa.

According to the West African Fertiliser Association (WAFA) and the International Fertiliser Development Centre, fertiliser is an essential agro-commodity.

 Sharing her thoughts on the global fertiliser market, Director-General of, the International Fertiliser Association, Alzbeta Klein, indicated that sanctions on Russia had also led to record high gas prices in Europe, which has been passed to fertiliser production costs. She noted: “Natural gas accounts for 70-80 per cent of nitrogen fertiliser production costs, and spiralling gas prices have led to unsustainably high costs for European nitrogen fertiliser producers – reinforcing the case for decarbonising the fertiliser and other sectors, already a driver in response to climate change.”

Meanwhile, to ensure stability in the supplies of soil nutrients, four Indian fertiliser firms –  National Fertiliser Limited and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited and Chambal Fertiliser and Chemicals Limited and Paradeep Phosphates Limited – have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morocco’s OCP Group for yearly imports of 1.75 million tonnes (MT) of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilisers.

On the MoU, one MT of diammonium phosphate (DAP), 0.7 MT of triple superphosphate (TSP) and 0.05 MT of mutate of potash (MOP) will be imported to meet the domestic requirements of the soil nutrients varieties for the next one year.