The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Expanding shea butter export market

    Expanding shea butter export market

    Nigeria earns over $5 million yearly from shea butter exports.The country, however, is targeting about $100 million yearly earnings from the commodity.There are increasing efforts to achieve this through the commodities exchange, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    THERE is an increasing demand for shea butter on the European cosmetics market, the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries(CBI) has said.

    The main driver is the demand for natural and organic cosmetics on the European market. It is expected that the demand for shea butter will continue to rise in Europe.

    Furthermore, the Global Market Insights Inc report said Shea Butter Market revenue is projected to cross $2.9 billion by 2025.The Middle East and African shea butter market is expected to register 10 per cent from 2019 to 2025, driven by rising dependency on African countries for shea butter exports.

    According to Research andMarkets.com’s report, the global shea butter market value is projected to display a robust growth by volume during 2019-2024.

    Over the years, the shea butter market has been witnessing considerable growth on the back of increasing demand for chocolate in emerging and developing nations and growing urban population.

    Moreover, the rise in the demand for heathy and nutritious food and rising number of high-net-worth individuals has been driving the market of shea butter globally.

    Nigeria earns over $5 million yearly from shea butter exports. The country, however, is targeting about $100 million yearly earnings from the commodity.

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, in a message to a recent Third Technical Meeting of the National Committee on Export Promotion held in Abuja maintained that FCT administration has chosen shea butter and handicraft under the scheme because the commodity has been identified as a high economic impact export product.

    According to her, the FCT administration resolved to key into the zero-oil plan with One-State-One Product (OSOP) initiative.

    Similarly, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as part of its implementation of a 10-year Capital Market Master Plan, constituted a Technical Committee on Commodities Trading Ecosystem.

    One of the recommendations of the committee was to identify commodities with good supply base in Nigeria for inclusion as a tradable commodity in the Nigeria Commodity Exchanges. Shea nut kernel is one of such commodities.

    At a panel session entitled: “Trading shea nuts and shea butter in commodity exchanges in Nigeria: How to make it happen” at the Second Agribusiness Networking (AgNet) Shea Investors Forum  organised by the Nigeria Agribusiness Register in partnership with the National Shea Products Association of Nigeria (NASPAN), the modalities for including shea as a tradable commodity was examined by representatives from the nation’s commodity exchanges.

    Representatives of AFEX and the Lagos Commodity & Futures Exchange said trading shea butter would provide benefits, including increasing the focus on quality and sustainability of the product from the production areas.

    Also, part of the benefits of listing shea products is that it would provide access to capital from the capital market and provide the needed liquidity to enhance production and trade of the product which will provide economic benefits to rural producers and the rural economy of the producing states.

    Following the submissions, NASPAN, the Agribusiness Register, the Commodity Brokers Association of Nigeria, the nation’s commodity exchanges and other stakeholders will be working in the coming months to make shea trading on the nation’s exchanges a reality.

  • Integrating more women into agric value chain

    Integrating more women into agric value chain

    Stakeholders said getting more women into the agricultural value chain is a pre-requisite to fulfilling the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aims to end poverty and hunger. But they face challenges, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    IN Nigeria, female farmers engaged in agriculture and contribute significantly to poverty reduction.

    Chief Executive, Ganiyy Vogue Services, Mrs Agboola Folasade Ganiyat, quit her job at Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to pursue her dream as a farmer who has achieved a sustainable source of livelihood.

    A graduate of Zoology from the University of Jos, Plateau State, she started planting cassava in 2015 after the general elections at Osiele in Ogun State on four and half acres and yam and vegetables on three acres.

    At the moment, her vegetables are on two acres, one for green vegetables and the other for water melon. She had worked almost single-handedly to achieve the right mix of farming.

    The business has become her main source of income. But getting there wasn’t easy. She has had to stay strong and focused. She has worked on various farming projects but the common theme is empowerment.

    Anything with the potential to raise revenue, and generate jobs would be on her radar. She is working on processing cassava into various bio-fortified products.To further the cause, she received training in entrepreneurship and good manufacturing and marketing practices.

    Mrs Ganiyat speaks on the opportunity agriculture offers her.  It allows her to forge alliances outside her community.

    At the moment, harvesting is going on at her vegetable farm in Mawuko in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. But she is facing a lot of challenges moving her produce. It was tug-of-war taking her produce to lbereko market last Tuesday for sale.

    Her words: “There was no vehicle to convey the items once. A motorcycle that moved thrice between the farm and the market took about 45 minutes to drive one-way trip. It’s not that easy transporting produce to end users from the farm with bad roads and no vehicle.”

    For her, life as a farmer is not easy, especially for rural women, whose contributions and successes have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve.

    She noted that women farmers were facing a lot of challenges in agriculture. This is in addition to their roles as wives and mothers.

    She said there was a need to support female farmers who were struggling to maintain their livelihood because of climate change, land depletion or a lack of tools and agricultural knowledge.

    She said the dream of socio-economic empowerment of Nigerians would not be fully realised without empowering farmers who were living at the nation’s periphery.

    According to her, female farmers are strong and resilient, and given the opportunity and adequate support, they could prove to themselves – and to the world – that they could thrive, leading and contributing in ways that benefit not only themselves and their families, but entire communities.

    She believes that an investment in women is an investment in the future as it benefits not only the women themselves, but also their families and communities

    Not only in Nigeria but across the world, women’s contributions to agriculture are significant.The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by about 30 per cent. This could raise the agricultural output in developing countries by five per cent, which could, in turn, reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17 per cent.

    Despite their contributions, Ambassador for Food Systems, Thought for Food Foundation, Sarah Fagoyinbo, said women farmers were not adequately equipped to succeed. In fact, the odds are stacked against them.

    She said women remain at a disadvantage due to their inability to access land, markets, innovation, farming knowledge, funding, education and training platforms.

    She noted that an inclusive approach, all the way from policy to implementation, was essential to bring women working in agriculture into the mainstream and to empower them with direct access to knowledge of improved agricultural practices.

    She added: “I am not satisfied with the level of integration of women into the agricultural value chain. But I know there is a room for improvement.

    “My recommendations to improve the situation is for the government to replicate what FAO has been doing to support women farmers in any other parts of the world. The first is the improvement of capacities of women farmers in agrifood value chain, through training, special support for market orientated production, value addition. Of course enterprise development, business-to-business networking, financial empowerment.

    “Secondly, special institutions should be supported to promote gender sensitive value chain. These include managing gender gaps and making available such services to women in agro food sector. It can be done via advocacy workshops, targeted at policy and decision making groups, mostly find in Ministries of Agriculture.There should be training of trainers targeted at the National Extension Service officers.

    “Thirdly, making knowledge and product tools available.”

    The Chief Executive, Yoda Express Nigeria Limited, Mrs Yetunde Adamu, canvassed the promotion of gender transformative approaches, saying this not only improves the value chain, but also the well-being of women and their families. However, she observed that the standard approaches to addressing women’s economic empowerment in agriculture were not sufficient, adding that more needs to be done to achieve lasting benefits to improve the quality of life for women and their families.

    Mrs Adamu said she was interested in any programme that would integrate more women into the agricultural value chain.

    “In Ekiti State, there are more women and young men in farming. If more women are given all the tools needed, we will do more than we are already doing. A lot of women are in garri production. If you give them more materials such as fertiliser, and all that, we will do better. We need people that will be taking the products from us. If I am producing like 10 tonnes of garri, and cassava flex yearly, I need to know somebody that will take them off me, so I can get my money back.

    “If I am able to do that, I can pull in more women to do the programme with me. Even if it is planting of sweet potatoes or ground nuts, there are more women that can do that. There is the need to provide more security for women in the farms because a lot of them are being assaulted by strangers and female members. We have issues with access roads to the farms and irrigation during the dry season,” Mrs Adamu said, adding: “It could be a game-changer to bring more women to agriculture.”

    For Senior Programme Officer, Justice Development and Peace Commission, Florence Bassey, believes it has become clear on need to rethink all aspects of the food system to favour women.

    She said women farmers need the right tools to succeed – and that requires the government to re-orient food systems so that female farmers were given opportunities to thrive, and to be fairly rewarded for the work they do.

    According to her, women farmers perform most of the big farming jobs, from sowing to harvesting, yet their access to resources is less than their male counterparts.

    She noted that the voices of women farmers needed to be heard at the policy and implementation levels if the government is to realise the dream of a progressive Nigeria.

  • How public procurement can boost agric

    How public procurement can boost agric

    Farmers and food producers have been complaining that many government agaencies are not patronising them enough. Experts say expanding the public procurement system will not only encourage agricultural productivity but also reduce poverty and help to meet the goal of food security, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    THE Chief Executive, Thy Consulting Limited, Ismail Abdulazeez, is one farmer whose life has improved, thanks to his discovering of the hidden fortunes in agriculture.

    As a child, he had a passion for agriculture, having been involved in subsistence farming with his parents. He developed so much interest in the occupation that he had vowed that he would be a big farmer.

    Having suffered several misfortunes, including the loss of his job, Abdulazeez retired to his village Ewupe Ijaniye, Sango Ota, Ogun State. Incidentally, it was at that point that the journey to his dream job of being a big time farmer started to materialise. His success story has proved that young agro entrepreneurs can make it.

    For him, government procurement of food is an appropriate policy to foster agricultural development and support small farmers.

    Abdulazeez believes a lot of farmers will be successful, if the government supports them through its public procurement programmes. According to him, the approach to sustainable procurement is too limited, as it does not consider farmers and food producers. Therefore, Nigeria needs a public procurement system that will encourage farmers in produce trade and commerce.

    An effective market intervention, through a public procurement system, he noted, would help keep prices under check and boost food security.  The Executive Director of Development Dynamics, an Owerri-based non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Dr. Jude Ohanele, described public procurement as a tool for sustainable development if the government decides to increase strategic spending on goods and services to drive agricultural development ambitions.

    Ohanele is among food production advocates who see an increase in public food purchasing, having a correlated increase in farmland  by enticing more producers at the  local levels expanding their operations.

    He said his organisation, in partnership with Rotary Club, distributed pro-vitamin maize seeds to farmers to improve food security.

    Impressed with the impact of the exercise, Ohanele wondered how far such programmes would go on the fortunes of farmers nationwide if the government drives it using the public procurement system.

    According to him, integrating agricultural growth in public procurement policy is a good strategy for boosting food production, and the sector requires a relatively well-functioning government system to meet surging national demand for food.

    He added that he supports a public food procurement system that aims to provide a market channel to smallholder farmers by removing key barriers to entry.

    For farmers to benefit from the system, Ohanele proffered that that public spending must be transparent, traceable and accountable and the authorities seen as useful partners to ensure that procurement remains as competitive as possible.

    The Chief Executive, Multimix Academy, Dr. Obiora Madu, said public procurement could be used to serve several development goals, including agricultural and industrial growth.

    To favour small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in agriculture, Madu said the government could create more contract requirements that give them preferential access to public procurement markets.

    Madu said small businesses in the food industry tapping the public procurement opportunities would provide a springboard for advancements in economic inclusion and market participation.

    According to him, Nigeria needs a dynamic procurement policy that links public food procurement to domestic food production that can used to encourage the development of SMEs.

    Such strategies, according to him, would spark investments in social and economic developments as well as poverty reduction.

    He said a public procurement system that supports agro exporters will help raise incomes for farmers.

    Without the government support, he maintained that the business of agriculture was not sustainable. Madu explained that the idea was not that the government had to buy everything. But rather that farmers needed some support to come up to some minimum level of payment.

    An expert reacts

    A former Dean,  Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof  Emmanuel Babafunso Sonaiya‘s research is centered on sustainable smallholder poultry production for poverty alleviation, income generation and community development.

    He said a push for expanding the public procurement system would help the country meet its food security goal.

    He explains: “Agriculture can be supported by providing input to farmers, either at regulated prices, subsided or free. It can also be supported by the purchase of the produce of farmers, which can be used for strategic grains or food reserves.These two aspects lend themselves very well to a public procurement system. A public procurement system can be used to support farmers with input, seeds, and fertiliser. Services such as tractorisation, and irrigation can be supplied through a public procurement system as a support for farmers. The same thing can be done for livestock farmers, particularly poultry farmers in the procurement of maize, soybeans, vitamins and minerals.”

    Under a country-wide procurement system, the government purchases crops from farmers at a pre-set value, known as the minimum support price (MSP).The MSP is designed to guarantee farmers’ incomes and encourage the cultivation of certain crops for dietary and sufficiency reasons, the don said.

    Across the world countries have been using public food procurement as a strategy to promote smallholder market participation and strengthen rural livelihoods. Also, the there is  interest among international institutions in using public food purchases to promote the integration of smallholders into markets and strengthen rural livelihoods.

    During the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, public procurement was  adopted by many countries to tackle the crisis.

    The crisis forced governments to find new, innovative approaches to engage farmers in purchasing food products that were later distributed to citizens. In recent years, studies have shown that international institutions deploying public food procurement initiatives to generate positive synergies between smallholder livelihoods and food security and nutrition.

    Sustainable public food procurement in Africa

    Participants at the Africa Regional Workshop on Designing and Implementing Sustainable Public Food Procurement for Home Grown School Meals Programmes (HGSF) in November 2019 at the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called on governments to enact legal frameworks and increase national investments to foster sustainable public food procurements for home-grown school feeding initiatives.

    Participants were drawn from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Public Procurement Authorities, and Ministry of Social Protection in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Nigeria, among others.

    In her opening statement, presented by Dr Laila Lokosang, the Adviser of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko said HGSF was embedded in the African Union Programmes, targeting hunger and malnutrition, local production and human capital investments.

    “The African Union Commission considers HGSF as a key component in the implementation of the Continental Education Strategy (2016-2025), which aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, “ Ms. Sacko said.

    Highlighting the collaboration  among FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the AUC in promoting school feeding programmes in Africa, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and Representative to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, David Phiri, noted that the engagement was the sign of the strong commitment these institutions had forged to achieve multiple goals by linking school feeding to smallholder farmers.

    “Building the linkage between school feeding programmes and local smallholder farmers is an innovative approach to provide schoolchildren with food that is safe, nutritious and local, opening up an uninterrupted market for local farmers, leading to higher production and productivity. With all its expertise in food security, procurement, logistics, and school feeding, FAO will continue to work with governments and partners to develop national policies and strategies for HGSF programmes,” Phiri assured.

    According to WFP, 66 million primary school age children go hungry daily, with 23 million of them in Africa alone.

    Also, 75 million school-age children (55 percent of them girls) do not attend school, with over 35 million (47 percent) of them living in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, the need to reduce hunger while increasing school enrolment in these children is evident, and school feeding programmes have been developed to target these multifaceted problems.

    As in many countries, the Schools Feeding Programme prioritises farmers’ participation. Unfortunately, the programme has left them vulnerable to the impacts of massive cuts in funding in recent years.

    Experts see the potential for public spending on school feeding providing nutritious meals to school children as well as a source of income for smallholder farmers.

    Schools Feeding Programme as a procurement policy

    The founder/Chief Executive, JMSF Agribusiness Nigeria, Richard Ogundele, noted that public procurement and trade policies help to scale up their food production.

    Ogundele, a former Group Intervention Manager, Department for International Development’s (DFID) Growth and Employment in States (GEMS), believes the Schools Feeding Programme, which a certain percent is produced by local farmers has helped to reduce hunger and create rural jobs.

    He said public purchasing from local producers adds value to local markets by integrating small-scale farmers.

    The National President, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Ezekiel Ibrahim, believes the school feeding programme can promote agricultural production and improve livelihoods and nutrition.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Growing cucumber fortunes

    Growing cucumber fortunes

    Cucumber farming is a booming agricultural subsector. Increased production could help propel economic activities, support small-scale businesses, create more jobs and increase export revenue. New entrants are encouraged to get in on the profitable business, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    The demand for cucumber is high. Though different varieties are being bred and cultivated on a large scale, the demand shows no sign of going down.  More people are becoming health conscious and are inclined to consuming cucumber among other fruits and vegetables.

    Hence, overall production is expected to be higher mainly  as Nigerians adopt healthy lifestyles.

    For years, the Chief Executive, Veggie Concept and Veggie Grow, Ayo Akinfolarin, a vegetable farmer has experimented with various crops. Cucumber farming worked well for years, resulting in good income.

    After tasting success, Akinfolarin has been promoting the cultivation of cucumbers.

    According to him, the demand is huge as cucumbers are eaten as fruits and also used in garnishing meat, fish and salads.

    His popular seed is the high- yielding Car­men F1 cucumber vari­ety, grown in a green­house in four months. Car­men F1 has become popular among farmers for its tolerance. It performs well in greenhouses, giving uniform fruits in size, shape and weight.

    He is, however, caution that before engaging in the production of cucumber, a farmer should first identify the market.

    Supermarkets and major hotels and other high-end eateries are big consumers of cucumbers. Carmen F1 gives heavy and long fruits which weighed up to half a kilogramme.

    He has recorded success cultivating cucumbers under polyhouse conditions and reaping profits.

    He encourages Nigerians to plant cucumbers in tunnels on farms.

    Because of equal exposure to the micro ecological conditions in the greenhouse, quantity and quality of the produce is almost uniform in yields and other attributes.

    For him, the first step on the road to profitable cucumber farming is to find a supply  of good quality seedlings.

    In addition to the poly house, he advised them to get  drip irrigation equipment.

    According to him, cucumber farming is a profitable farming ventures. His words: “As a matter of fact, cucumber farming is called Farmers’ Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in Nigeria because of its ability to make a farmer earn good income within a short time. As profitable as cucumber farming can be, it can also be a loss making business if you do not implement good agronomic practices.

    From 300 plants, one can easily harvest about 7,500 kilogramme(kg) by the end of the growing season.

    A  35kg bag of fresh cucumber, according to  Akinfolarin is sold for between  N3,500 and N7,000.

    He added: “One hectare can yield 800 to 1,300 bags. With one hectare, you can get an income of N5 million. About N1 million can do one hectare of cucumber, using drip irrigation.

    To be competitive, he  advised entrants to use mart technologies  such as  drip irrigation, plastic mulch, farm machines and precision meters.

    His words: “Drip irrigation will enable you to cultivate cucumbers all year round. Plastic mulch will also prevent weeds from growing on your farm.”

    He added that cucumber crop planted in the open field lasts for between 70 and 110 days. But in  greenhouses, cucumber plants can last for up tosix months, if properly managed.

    He advised: “ In the open field, most hybrid cucumber varieties start fruiting as from the 37-45th day. Harvesting is expected to be done every two to three days. Leaving big fruits on your cucumber plants without harvesting them will reduce your overall yield as the big fruits will not allow new fruits to emerge.”

    He recommends a simple budget, including initial resource requirements, production, capital, equipment, among others. He  gave a breakdown for farm set-up for one hectare of cucumber farming venture.

    For a starter, the cost of rent of one hectare of farmland is N25,000, Fertiliser N200,000,Manure-N50,000, Pesticides N70,000,Hybrid SeedsN240,000, Labour for four months N240,000,Knapsack SprayerN5,000,Farm Tools N10,000. Total about: N840,000.

    A farmer selling 1000 bags at  N6000 each will make N6million.The profit, according to him, is 5,160,000.00

    Where the farmer sells 1000 bags at N4000 each, the revenue is N4million. The profit will be N3,560,000.The production cost will be N840,000.

    Experts advised that cucumbers be grown on soils that have good water infiltration rates and moisture-holding capacities. The soil should not be compacted and the pH should be 5.8–6.6.

    Cucumbers are very sensitive to cold, and the plants as well as the fruit can be injured by even a slight frost. The best average temperature range for cucumber production during the growing season is between 65°F and 95°F; temperatures above 95°F or below 50°F slow the growth and maturity of the crop. Cucumbers require a constant supply of moisture during the growing season. Moisture fluctuation, especially soil water depletion, will cause growth deformity, which can reduce both the yield and the quality of the crop.

    Global cucumber seeds market is projected to reach $ 1,939.6 million by 2027, according to Coherent Market Insights, an international research report. This is because cucumber seeds are grown in farmlands, greenhouse systems or other systems such as hydroponics.

     

     

     

  • Tapping into multimillion dollars global coconut market

    Tapping into multimillion dollars global coconut market

    The global coconut products market is anticipated to reach $31.1 billion by 2026.This follows its increasing use in food, beverage, cosmetics, and other industries. There are campaigns for the government and the private sector to explore opportunities in the international market to earn foreign exchange, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    The global coconut products market is anticipated to hit $31.1 billion by 2026, going by forecasts by ReportLinker, an award-winning market research firm. Reportlinker reports that increase in demand for coconut products such as coconut milk, coconut water, and desiccated coconut in the food & beverage industry is one of the major factors that drives the market globally. Coconut is a highly versatile fruit and its derivatives, especially coconut oil, are sought-after ingredients for food, drink and personal care products.

    In 2019, the number of coconuts produced worldwide reached 62million tonnes. Overall, coconut oil production continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The average coconut export price stood at $487 per tonne in 2019. However, Nigeria is not among the countries with the highest volumes of coconut production. The countries with the highest volumes of coconut oil production are the Philippines (1.2M tonnes), Indonesia (885K tonnes) and India (390K tonnes), with a combined 76 per cent share of global production. Vietnam, Mexico, Malaysia and Cote d’Ivoire lagged behind, together accounting for a further 12 per cent. Instead, Nigeria,  according to  the United Nations Statistical Office, spent $219,446.53 and $293,214.22 on coconut importation in 2019 and 2018. Nationwide, the coconut industry is distressed. Not only is its productivity low and stagnant, it is losing ground in the highly competitive global vegetable oils market.

    The President, National Coconut Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NACOPPMAN), Nma Okoroji, said Nigeria’s coconut import has risen over the years by more than 80 per cent as the country has not been able to produce enough coconut.

    “At  present about 265 tonnes of coconut are produced in Nigeria and 70 per cent of it is in Lagos State while 30 per cent is produced by the others. But, as the national president, the association cannot promote what we don’t have.

    “We don’t have enough coconuts in Nigeria; 80 per cent of the coconuts that are used are imported and the cost of importation is getting higher and higher everyday,” she said.

    “In Nigeria, coconut farming receives very little attention.

    “The farming is a ‘gold mine’ because of its wide range of industrial applications of most of the products. For a crop not indigenous to the country, she is blessed with the trees which could help harness the development of industries through which the standards of living can be improved.

    “In Nigeria, low production as a result of old plantations and the varieties, have reduced coconut industrialisation,” she added.

    Coconut is one of the important and useful palms in the world. Considering the money spent on coconut importation yearly, Nigeria can gain more if more is produced. The President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Iyama, said there was the need for more states and entrepreneurs to join hands with Lagos to explore business opportunities in the industry, noting that it has the capacity to produce huge foreign exchange for the country. This is because the European market potential is huge with the commodity sold in many forms, fresh and processed for many uses in health food, cooking and cosmetic products.

    Analysts said changing consumer health and wellness preferences have spurred a boom in global demand for products such as coconut water and oil.

    Yet, many coconut farmers are not deriving a sustainable livelihood from the crop.

    Inyama said FACAN was ready to partner the government and producers to get more Nigerians to invest in coconut production.

    He said the association was working to help farmers and exporters connect to national, regional and international value chains. This would involve training entrepreneurs to enhance their capability to meet international standards, he added.

    He said FACAN is supporting farmers to diversify income streams across the value chain.

    The Executive Director , Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Celestine Ikuenobe, is one of those who believe coconut is  a crop in which Nigeria has s comparative advantage because it can be grown in 22 states, adding that it grows very well mostly in coastal regions.

    NIFOR has been in the forefront of promoting new investments in the cultivation and production of the coconut. The institute has been approached by investors to develop hybrid coconut seeds.

    He said there are hybrid varieties of coconut that mature and bear fruits between two and three years.

    He said the institute has launched a new high yielding fast maturing coconut variety for farmers.

    Currently, farmers in top coconut producing countries are struggling to meet export demand.

    The crop serves as a raw material for numerous industries, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food and beverage, with limitless domestic and export potential.

    The industry deserves the full support of government by way of fiscal/tax incentives, public research and product development support, and export promotion. Experts believes turning around the coconut industry is next to impossible without a strong  government  providing central direction and proper coordination of government, farmers and private sector initiatives.

    With about two million coconut trees, the Lagos State government says the industry is worth N10 billion. But the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, said Lagos  has the potential of delivering over 10 million coconut trees with a yearly production of one billion husk nuts worth about N50 billion, adding that Lagos is the hub of coconut value chain, not only in Nigeria but also in the West African sub-region.

    However, she said the government is not only positioning Lagos as a money spinner but also as a contributor to rural development, better market connectivity, and local agricultural value addition. It also aims to provide opportunities for low-income households who would participate in development.

    The government has put its name to an industry collaboration which aims to improve the sustainability of coconut farming – the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and the communities that depend on it.

    Ms Olusanya said such efforts are essential to ensure that smallholder farmer incomes and subsequently their livelihoods are improved – through better access to market, finance and technology, as well as increased capacity and productivity. In Most states, the output of many plantations is under threat because of ageing trees.

    Unless the trees are replaced national coconuts  production will drop.

    Ms Olusanya said the Lagos government is establishing a coconut processing factory in Badagry to further optimise the use of coconut and harness the economic potential in the value chain.

    She said the factory would be dedicated to processing coconut husk to coir, and coco peat, among others, under a Public-Private Partnership deal in the state’s 2021 Work Plan and Budget.

    She noted that these initiatives further reinforced the state’s position as the number one coconut producer in the country in addition to providing employment opportunities for the citizens.

    She said the processing factory would also catalyse the industry, such that more people would come to the sub sector and create more business opportunities in the value chain, adding that Lagos is the largest coconut producing state in Nigeria, contributing over 70 per cent to national production.

  • Dealing with growing cases of abandoned farmland

    Dealing with growing cases of abandoned farmland

    The nation’s food feeds a population of 120 million and supports the livelihoods of over 80 million. Experts have expressed concerns as climate change-related events and insecurity on farmlands are impacting on livelihoods and contributing to greater risks of food insecurity. While restorative approaches have been advocated to address declining soil fertility, issues such as spiritual and cultural restrictions, are causing people to abandon farmlands in local communities, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    For some months, farmers in Ugbenu Ajima community, Uzo-Uwani council area of Enugu State have been living in fear of incessant suspected herders on their crops as well as threat to their lives.

    They are afraid to go to their farms for fear of herders’ attacks. The destructive activities of herdsmen in communities in Iboland are becoming worrisome. Hordes of cattle led by herders have invaded farmlands and destroyed crops of poor village farmers.

    At the moment, there is hardly any community in Anambra State that is not complaining about the negative activities of herdsmen. Although most Anambra communities were used to herdsmen who graze their cows essentially in places that were not cultivated, the resurgence of herdsmen began when the Federal Government mooted the idea of establishing Fulani colonies in Ibo villages.

    Most communities objected to it because of the peculiar nature of the Fulani who, they claim, once they are given a place to settle, would try to dominate the area and chase the original dwellers out. Following the refusal of most communities to donate their land for the establishment of the Fulani settlements, the herdsmen adopted another method – forcefully entry of farms.

    From Ayamelum to Awka North; Ogbaru to Ihiala; Orumba to Anambra East and West, the story of Fulani herdsmen is the same. The activities of herdsmen have increased the number of abandoned farmlands.

     

    Destructive activities of herdsmen in the North

     

    Similarly, in the North, Borno State faces growing insecurity. Daily, the killings of farmers and other civilians have multiplied under the helpless watch of authorities.

    In one instance, after Boko Haram members attacked villages in the Borno State, farmers were forced to flee. While Borno is the epicentre, Yobe and Adamawa states have also been ravaged. There has been reported abandonment of food production by farmers in the Northeast.

    Most farmers, who used to produce food, are now beggars, famishing in refugee camps.

    According to reports, no fewer than 78,000 farmers in Borno, Katsina, Taraba, Plateau states, among others in the North, have abandoned their farmland as a result of attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and herdsmen. The over eight-year losses of sorghum, maize, beans and groundnuts have reportedly depleted the food basket of the country and incomes of the displaced farmers.

     

    Before Boko Haram insurgency

     

    Before their displacement, the farmers engaged in wet and dry season farming and fishing; cultivated no fewer than 56,000 hectares of land and got an average of 1.5 metric tonnes of grains per hectare.

    Speaking with The Nation, a lead agronomist for Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Tijani Abdullahi, said insecurity is a real danger everybody should pay attention to and that the problem was manifesting itself in a huge food gap which would widen even more in the future.

    According to him, insecurity threatening wheat production as farmers in Borno State have abandoned their farmland, thereby reducing national productivity.

    He warned that the trend would continue as long as there was a “business as usual” attitude to taking insecurity.

    The combination of dwindling farmland and a rapidly-increasing population – expected to reach 250 million in 2025, from 120 million – will make it harder for Nigeria to meet its food needs, analysts said.

    They warned that climate change would further complicate the situation as soil degradation is a serious sustainability challenge in many states.

     

    What experts say

     

    Analysts believe abandoning farmlands will not only increase unemployment, but also affect the agricbusiness.

    Speaking with The Nation, an agric extension specialist, Dr Kehinde Adesina Thomas, maintained that along with insecurity, there were abandoned or derelict farmlands, often, an environmental liability, in need of remedy.

    He said abandoned farmland was part of a larger issue of reclaiming environmentally damaged land, caused by overgrazing and mining.

    Because of the increased cost of fertilising such farmlands, Thomas said they were abandoned as unprofitable. Thousands of acres of farmland have been abandoned because of soil degradation.

    However, Thomas of Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, Oyo State added that proactive restoration programme could return them to agriculture.

    He noted there were areas of the country with expanse of abandoned farm land, calling for mapping to identify land in need of restoration.

    He stressed that mapping was an important tool in determining which areas to re-vegetate. He added farmers could make efforts to restore a farmland if a profitable use for it is demonstrated.

    For experts, criteria for determining a land‘s potential for successful revegetation include soil type, water resources, topography, time since retirement, distance to natural seed sources, and land ownership.

    The problem with sacred land

    Thomas also added, however, that there are sacred land in Southwest and beyond which should not be used for farmlands.

    According to him, the sacred forests are protected by traditional laws restraining individuals, families and communities from using biotic resources.

    Notwithstanding, he explained that such areas play an important role in conserving biodiversity.

    He said such places are said to be the abodes of rare, indigenous and endangered species of flora and fauna, the repositories of genetic diversity, home to medicinal plants,  sanctuary for endangered flora and centres of seed dispersal, genetic reservoirs of tree species for forestry, and hotspots of biocultural diversity.

    In most parts of the country, there are rich forests that had, until recently, escaped relatively untouched, but is rapidly opening to investors, wanting to use agriculture to bring prosperity to poorest regions in the country.

    While there has been a renewed interest in farming, the Chairman Agriculture and Agro-Allied, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Afioluwa Mogaji, advised people to seek help to set up farms across the country. He has been mobilising Nigerians to become financially independent through farming and small scale businesses.

    Nevertheless, he has been a witness to the cases of abandoned farmland.

    He believes people are sometimes deceived to buy portions of culturally-protected forests, indigenous and community-conserved areas and sacred natural sites that are not good for farmlands. He noted that it is never profitable to use such land for agriculture or grazing.

    According to him, such places are common and embedded within agricultural landscapes that are ‘lived-in’ by people for thousands of years. Sometimes, he said new farmers are ignorantly sold such places.

    Though they play a role in conservation of biological diversity as they exist within farming communities, Mogaji warned new farmers against buying such areas for agriculture.

    The result, according to him, is wasted investment, calling for spiritual due diligence, including seeking counsel from elders living close to such areas.

    Common features on sacred land include restrictions on the cutting of trees, killing of birds and injuring nature carelessly. These cultural practices and prohibition mechanisms have informally enhanced ecosystem conservation and protection.

    The Chairman, Ewebe FADAMA Users Cooperative Group, Alhaji Mufutau Oyelekan, has been farming for 15 years. He explained that though sacred land exists, they are not given out for farmers.  As a safeguard, Oyelekan told The Nation that he does his farming inside government-granted concessions.

    These days, population growth, poverty and lack of jobs are putting pressure on people who live around protected areas and driving them further into the forests.

    Compounding the issue is that decades of farming have depleted the nutrients of Nigeria’s farmland. Unable to afford modern means of replenishing soil fertility, farmers shift deeper into formally protected areas where the soil is still rich.

    But residents of these areas are still cautious in exploring new areas for farming. For instance, at Abini in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State where Odim Akerot sacred forest is located, report said natives never enter the sacred forest, including the village head and elders. It was tagged ‘evil forest’ and so revered. In addition,  owners of adjoining farmlands bordering the sacred forest ensure that they carry out zero clearing during the land preparation for agricultural activities to avert possible spreading of fire into the grove when the farm debris are burnt to avoid evil consequences.

     

    Saving abandoned farmlands

     

    In support of soil’s rehabilitation, Thomas and other experts encourage farmers to plant cover crops such as legumes to restore soil fertility and also protect against wind and water erosion, weeds, and moisture loss. There are so many restorative techniques deployed on a huge scale to breathe new life into barren and degraded landscapes across.

    Across West Africa, permaculture movement is fast gaining ground among subsistence farmers and proponents of alternative agriculture. It combines agriculture” and culture” and advocates the three ethics of people care, earth care and fair share.

    Experts said permaculture helps build resiliency among small-scale farmers and facilitate the creation of self-regenerative systems and communities with regard to energy, food, shelter and other needs, in harmony with nature.

     

    Assisting farmers

     

    Meanwhile, no fewer than 200,000 farmers are expected to be engaged under a regenerative agricultural intervention in 10 states. First of its kind in Nigeria, it  would be piloted across Kano, Cross River, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Katsina, Kebbi, Benue, Niger and Plateau states.

    The new technology enhances on-farm biodiversity and water storage capacity will enhance farmers’ productivity and food security in the country.

    Anchored by Dantata Foods and Allied Products Company Limited, in partnership with RegenFarm Limited and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office of the British Government under its Agricultural Sector Intervention (LINKS Project), the tripartite partnership aimed at increasing quality food production, enhancing export opportunities of Nigeria’s agricultural commodities and improve the soil fertility, nutrients content and organic matter.

    Besides, the biotechnology will rescue Nigeria from the challenges of soil degradation through flooding, erosion and continued cultivation will reduce farmers’ productivity and low yield.

    The Managing Director, RegenFarm Limited, Mr. Jason Haywarda, said Regenerative Agriculture would be an all-embracing opportunity for the agro-processing industry in the country.

    Jason explained that the intervention would enhance small holder farmer out-growers productivity, boost profitability and resilience to climate change will be greatly enhanced.

    On his part, the Chairman/Chief Executive Dantata Foods and Allied Company Limited Alhaji Tajudeen Aminu Dantata, said the deal had galvanised access to markets in UK and other parts of Europe for the organic commodities produced under the Regenerative Agriculture practices.

     

     

     

     

    He added that Dantata is involved in agricultural production, manufacturing and processing, besides the export and distribution of Agro allied products, as well as Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

    “Dantata Foods have aggregated and monitored farmers in the aspect of livestock and animal husbandry. With all these achievements, the company wants to build a strong relationship with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stand out as a reliable implementing partner for farmers’ aggregation and agro-allied development projects,” he said.

    The use of Regenerative Agriculture enhances on-farm biodiversity and water storage capacity, and, therefore, RegenFarm Platform offers a cross-over to other complimentary industries and sectors which are focused on, for example, conservation of wildlife and the retention of rainwater in the landscape to rehydrate arid landscapes. Across Nigeria, native agricultural practices such as crop rotation, no-till farming, agroforestry, intercropping and the use of heritage seeds have been integrated into regenerative agriculture.

     

     

  • Agriculture: Investments for scale, value

    Agriculture: Investments for scale, value

    Infrastructural changes are expected to boost agriculture and set the stage for future international investment and cooperation this year. Although some indicators point to favourable economic landscape, problems, which have fueled challenges in the sector still remain, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    NIGERIA’S agricultural sector was  negatively impacted in a major way from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Due to the fear of contracting COVID-19, several emergency measures were put in place, and  fewer persons were visiting the farms.

    Before now, the borders were shut in furtherance of  the vision of a self-reliant and self-sufficient country.

    As the barriers have been lifted,  there is hope for positive change. The government’s vision for agriculture seeks to change the view that agriculture is for subsistence livelihood while it also seeks to promote agriculture as a wealth generator and entrepreneurial enterprise, producing food and non-food commodities to meet local and export demands. Analysts hope that the  economy  would  exhibit moderate economic growth is based largely on agriculture and extractive industries.

    Export of some commodities   such as cocoa, cashew, and sesame will  increase this year. However,  agriculture may be highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in commodity prices.

    Much of the growth has come from a surge in rice production and there will be increased  efforts  to  broaden the country’s export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.

    This year, watchers expect the  sector  to be  affected by disasters. Recurring floods and droughts  may  occur  as real threat to development and food security. Last year, flooding in the Middle Belt and Soutwest part of the country  increased the vulnerability of local communities and puts small farmers, live stock holders, and agro-processors at risk.

    Agriculture has suffered from  COVID-19, but the supply of agricultural products to markets remains stable.Country Manager, HarvestPlus, Dr Paul Ilona acknowledged that COVID-19 represented a serious test for national agriculture, since the sector faced the health crisis and its socio-economic consequences as well as a crisis linked to climate change.

    The 2019-2020 agricultural season faced unfavourable climatic conditions, characterised by irregular rainfall. The water reserve for agricultural use in dams was  characterised by several territorial disparities.

    The fishing industry may  emerge  as one of the most important contributing sectors to the nation’s revenue as Lagos and other states make efforts  on building domestic production and  export of fish.

    The industry is responsible for the livelihood of approximately  100,000 persons and their families.

    However, recent developments suggest there are good  signs ahead for the country’s seafood sector to  contribute to  economic growth. The rice industry will remain a key sector in Nigeria’s long-term food security plans. It has been  as  a  transformative agricultural area with the potential to generate positive impacts along   the  value chain.

    The Federal Government is working with  the private sector to make the rice food system more resource-efficient and climate-resilient ,using precision agriculture, gene-editing and biological-based crop protection, and technologies that improve traceability.  The Nigerian agricultural sector is brimming with massive investment opportunities, across the value chain, for both local and foreign investors, with the current favourable policies of the government aimed at making the sector a viable base of the economy. The government still relies on the Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP) 2016-2020, which sets out strategies for stakeholders to build a sustainable agribusiness economy with the capacity to attain food security, import substitution, economic diversification and job creation.

    The APP identifies viable investment areas, including agricultural production, distribution and supply of production input, provision of enterprise specific infrastructure, agricultural produce storage, processing and marketing of farm produce, agricultural research and development, commodity export and agricultural support services. It prioritises private sector participation, in partnership with government, as the vehicle to fast-track agricultural growth and development.

    The policy deals with the development of the agricultural sectors with the aim of doubling exports and the agricultural GDP by 2030.

    The country also intends to modernise the irrigation network of its farms, especially of those with the highest added value.

    Globalmultidisciplinary practice, PwC Nigeria in its report of the State of Agriculture in Nigeria sees  African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as capable to providing  the necessary  help to support Nigeria ’s agri-business, create new regional markets for farmers, strengthen the agro-value chains and significantly reduce agricultural imports from outside the continent.

    Africa,  in particular, is a promising market for Nigeria thanks  to AfCFTA.

    In addition, Africa’s agribusiness sector is projected to reach $1 trillion in 2025, driven by the continent’s rapidly growing middle class.

    Experts  expect  Nigeria  to take advantage of  Africa’s food import bill projected to rise to $110 billion by 2025  to export produce to other countries on the continent.

    So far, PwC Nigeria, in its report of the State of Agriculture in Nigeria, noted that about 90 per cent  of Africa’s agricultural export to non-African market were  dominated by primary or semi-processed products while about half of intraregional trade is associated with processed products.

    With AfCFTA,  the report said the gains can be strengthen at a much higher pace.

    Consequently, it is expected that the establishment of AfCFTA would help to support Africa’s agri-business, create new regional markets for farmers, strengthen the agro-value chains and significantly reduce agricultural imports from outside the continent.

    On the other hand, the government is working  to ensure the viability of Nigeria’s agriculture  amid a challenging year.

    Despite the obstacles presented by the ongoing pandemic, the government is making progress on a multitude of issues.The Federal Government is establishing Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones aimed at boosting productivity, integrating production and enhancing the processing and exporting of select commodities.

    The government has commenced the development of more ports in Akwa Ibom and Lagos states to enhance its maritime capabilities.

    Despite Nigeria’s success in the digital transformation in the agricultural field, it is still at the beginning of the road.The government is coordinating efforts with partners to digitise the agricultural sector to increase crop production.

    The digital transformation in agriculture would improve the sector’s appeal and open employment opportunities for young people in a job market that has become more dependent on technology.

    To encourage young people to become involved in developing agriculture, analysts have  called for the creation of a bridge between youth and the agricultural sector through digitisation.

    Except things change, challenges, noted PwC Nigeria  in its report, would still hamper the growth of the sector this year. These include nomadic herdsmen shifting towards the south of the country in search of grazing fields and water for their animals. This has resulted in violent conflict with crop farmers in the south.

    Although the government has provided several facilities through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) such as the Anchor Borrower’s Programme to help provide small-scale farmers with adequate financing, the farming industry still lacks adequate access to finance.

    While the  government views agro-industrial processing as a key generator of employment, support for food-processing capacity has  increased. However, farmers still find it challenging to access the several instruments  provided to encourage high-value agricultural production and exports by the private sector.

    Nigeria ’s varying geography allows agro-industrial investors to diversify production across the year.

    Besides export markets, agro-industrial producers can also benefit from a growing domestic market aligned with the expansion of the middle class.

    Another challenge might come from the growing impact of climate change. The authorities are attempting to mitigate the risks through water-management policies, increased irrigation infrastructure and promotion of crops with lower water requirements, but droughts, desertification and soil erosion are swelling problems for the sector.

    On the average, farmland size in Nigeria are less than one in size, which makes it hard to achieve the necessary economies of scale required for a profitable agro-industry.

    Policymakers view the creation of sufficient employment opportunities as a critical development priority.

    Because agriculture is a key earner for such an important part of the population, investment projects that aggregate existing growers into value-adding production chains are likely to see a higher degree of support.

    While Nigeria has shown strong ambition in accelerating agricultural growth and positioning  itself for large-scale adoption of new agricultural technologies, not much has been achieved  in terms of mechanisation.

  • Booming turmeric’s domestic and export markets

    Booming turmeric’s domestic and export markets

    The global market for turmeric estimated at 1.1 million metric tonnes last year, is projected to reach 1. 5 million metric tonnes by 2027. In Nigeria, it brings an opportunity for entrepreneurs and farmers to make money and help their families, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for turmeric estimated at 1.1 million metric tonnes in 2020, is projected to hit 1. 5 million metric tonnes by 2027 by ReportLinker, an international economic research report.

    Such reports excite the Coordinator, Agribusiness & Youth Empowerment, Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria, Sotonye Anga. He has never been tired of packing and labelling bags of tumeric. He was exposed to the business opportunities in tumeric exports in 2006. Since then, he not turned his back on the crop.

    Anga not only export tumeric, he also takes it daily and he calls the fragrance the smell of success.

    He is proud to tell anyone that tumeric brought him great fortune after he discovered a burgeoning market for spices in Nigeria and abroad.

    Though used as a spice in foods as it adds a distinct yellow and flavour to any favourite curry, Anga noted that tumeric is receiving attention globally for its use in alternative medicine and as a super food, and researchers worldwide are studying its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties.

    Anga said the domestic and export demand for turmeric is rising because it is seen as an immunity-boosting product. Orders pour in from the Middle East, the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. Exporters like him are exploring contracts to cater to Dubai, Malaysia, Iran, US and Europe market. He has seen importers demand turmeric because of its health benefits as they continue to  push the use of turmeric in juices and immunity booting drinks in their domestic markets.

    There are contracts for dry and fresh turmeric and demand has increased in the UK, and Europe.

    Anga said tumeric is a money spinner, owing to its benefits. He said the increasing awareness concerning the benefits of consuming organic foods also is a major aspect that is contributing to the market growth at a decent rate.

    With an increase in the demand for turmeric from western and Asian countries, Anga said there is a big opportunity for Nigerians eyeing emerging openings in turmeric exports.

    Spice producers and firms, the meat and the sauce and condiments industries are the main users of turmeric. Retail chains, independent grocers, speciality shops, street markets and online retailers which fall under the banner of retailers also use turmeric.Turmeric is also used by the catering and food services sector, such as restaurants and hotels, with this being driven by the growing popularity of ethnic cuisine among European consumers.

    Zion Market Research, a US-based research firm, said the global turmeric market is expected to grow at about 7.2 percent yearly between this year and 2026, following the increasing use as a colouring agent in the culinary.

    To enter the European market for turmeric is the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI). Farmers are expected to meet the mandatory requirements set by the European Union (EU). The centre added that producers also consider meeting the common additional requirements that European buyers and niche markets have, as they will help one to enter the European market.

    CBI said there are stringent requirements, including the European General Food Law, to meet. Aside this, it said maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) contaminants in food and that for microbiologicals in food, food hygiene are outlined in the EU’s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

    The centre, which encourages imports from Africa, mentioned that there have been several registered food safety issues with turmeric in the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed that resulted in action being taken, including its seizure.

    In recent years, the centre noted that there has been growing consumer awareness and demand for more environmentally-friendly products, and this trend is set to continue. This is why leading European buyers seek ethically-sourced ingredients, something which are likely to be more important in the future.

    On quality, the centre said buyers of turmeric are very particular about levels of curcumin contents and antioxidant activity. It noted: “European buyers seek turmeric with higher levels of curcumin content because it is connected to the anti-inflammatory activity of turmeric, which is important when formulating natural health products. Note that the percentage of curcumin in turmeric varies widely based on the geographical location, climate and growing conditions it is harvested and/or cultivated in, even within a country. Processing also influences the percentage of curcumin.”

    It urged exporters of turmeric for natural health products to consider additional buyer requirements that demonstrate good quality. These include compliance with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); having certification of a food management system based on HACCP; having Food Safety System (FSSC 22000), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000 and ISO 9001:2015, British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRCGS) and International Food Safety (IFS) certification.

    The other thing is that European buyers of turmeric request that exporters provide them with well-organised products and company documentation to if they meet their requirements.

    In Europe, the centre added that there is demand for organic products. It said: “Many buyers are, therefore, demanding organic ingredients for their natural health products. As an exporter of turmeric, you should, therefore, consider getting organic certification. To market your natural ingredients as organic on the European market, you must meet European Union regulations. Ensure you have a Certification of Inspection (COI) that is up-to-date to with the latest changes made by the EU, which came into force on February 3, 2020. This is because it is a mandatory requirement of the EU if you want to trade organic turmeric on the European market.”

    According to the centre, about 70 percent of turmeric in Europe is used by the food industry.

    One of the key strengths of the Nigerian agricultural sector is its production of good quality turmeric, which contains high levels of curcumin with a strong smell and taste.

    However, climate change is a key challenge the industry faces because it endangers turmeric cultivation.

    Anga believes Nigeria has a developing turmeric industry. However, climate change is a significant challenge for the turmeric industry, with flooding and droughts expected in coming years. Other challenges the industry faces include poor infrastructure, and a lack of transparency.

  • Bridging the deficit in rice production

    Bridging the deficit in rice production

    Rice is one of the most important staple food crops and an important source of income for the farmers. The United States (US) Department of Agriculture says Africa’s rice demand for the produce may hit 15.7 million tonnes. There are efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s rice sector by helping to add to the supply chain, with key interventions at the farming, milling and distribution stages, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

     

    Rice is the most popular staple food for more than half the world’s population. In Africa alone, the United States (US) Department of Agriculture estimated that rice demand this year stands at 15. 7million tonnes. Nigeria is a top market for rice.

    KPMG’s Rice Industry Review last October stated that only 57 per cent of the 6.7 million metric tonnes of rice consumed in Nigeria yearly is locally produced, leading to a supply deficit of about three million metric tonnes.

    Leading professional services firm, PwC Nigeria said Nigeria’s rice statistics suggest there is an enormous potential to raise productivity and increase production with yields at two tonnes per hectare, which is about half of the average achieved in Asia. As population increases, along with rural to urban migration, the firm noted that ensuring food security in key staples becomes critical.

    As rice consumption remains strong, driven by population and economic growth, the Federal Government stated that rice farms will be revitalised to boost rice production, create jobs and improve the living standards of the people in the state and the region. Given the importance of rice as a staple in Nigeria, the Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, stated that the Federal Government is taking steps to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production, and this is evident in the policies of the government in achieving food and nutrition security, import substitution and promotion of inclusive economic growth across all sectors of the economy.

    He said the government is determined to help develop the rice sector, and the interventions include the provision of farm inputs such as agrochemicals, organic fertiliser, knapsack sprayers, planting and harvesting equipment such as reapers, mini combine harvesters, threshers at a subsidised rate to increase productivity.

    The minister added that these policies have not only increased the quantity of rice produced yearly but also interventions through the provision of modern rice milling machines to small/medium scale processors, had also helped to improve the quality of Nigeria milled rice to international standard.

    However, Nigeria’s rice consumption still holds higher than production, but the government interventions, through myriads of policies, have increased rice production from 4.8 million metric tons of milled rice in 2015 to over six million metric tons by 2019 with a huge reduction in the nation’s deficit./  Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri explained that production is expected to increase as the government continues to revitalize rice farmers.

    Shehuri said: “The Ministry has established 23 Paddy Aggregation Centres nationwide to aggregate and store paddy. The centres were given to members of the Paddy Dealers Association of Nigeria (PRIDAN) under the public-private partnership arrangement.”

    He said there would be the dissemination of modern rice production and processing technologies, through capacity building of farmers and processors directly and also, in conjunction with the international donor agencies such as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), German International Cooperation (GIZ), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Competitive Africa Rice Initiative (CARI), and AfricaRice.

    He reiterated that the ministry was responding to the challenges of food availability posed by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting smallholder farmers nationwide with various input, including certified seeds of improved varieties of food crops such as rice, maize, sorghum, wheat, orange-flesh sweet potato, groundnut cowpea, soybean, yam, as well as cash crops like cashew, cocoa, sesame, oil palm, gum Arabic.

    Others include herbicides, pesticides and agricultural machinery such as rice reapers, transplanters, power tillers motorized sprayers and processing equipment. In addition, the Rice Compact of the African Development Bank-funded project on Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) is paving the way for rice transformation in sub-Saharan Africa by promoting locally-adapted high-yielding hybrid rice varieties developed by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice).  One such trailblazer is AR051H, which is the first hybrid rice variety released by the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA) in Senegal under the name ISRIZ-9 in 2017. With high yield potential of 11-13 tonne/hectare(t/ha), long slender grains and good milling quality, ISRIZ-9, is aromatic, a trait that is highly appreciated by Senegalese consumers.

     

  • Rise of organic fertiliser

    Rise of organic fertiliser

    In view of the growing demand for food and increase in the population, there are efforts to improve agriculture input with efficacious natural pesticides and fertiliser with good health and environmental profile, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

     

    Going by increasing demand for food and ever-increasing population, the global fertiliser market is projected to reach $232.221billion by 2025.

    Of this figure, however, international research firm, marketsandmarkets.com said the biofertiliser market, made up of fertilising products such as bacteria, algae and fungi help to increase crop productivity, could hit $ 3.9 billion during the forecast period. Also is organic fertiliser obtained from animal sources such as animal manure or plant sources.

    This is driven primarily by the increasing organic farmland as well as the rising acceptance of biofertiliser among farmers.

    Buttressing this, the Fertiliser Market report 2020 to 2025, published by Research and Markets.com posits that the rising awareness among the consumers on the effects of various agrochemicals on human health and the environment is boosting the demand for organic fruits and vegetables across regions.

     

    Fastest-growing market

    In Nigeria, the agriculture and agri-food sector is a key economic driver and the organic food industry is considered one of the fastest-growing of this market.

    In the last 10 years, many consumers have been placing greater demand on the organic foods industry, creating a need for more advanced organic fertiliser products.

    To keep up with consumer demand, farmers are switching to organic farming methods that require a focus on environmentally-friendly pest-control and soil regulation methods, including alternatives to chemical-based fertiliser.

    For instance, a young entrepreneur, Mayowa Oyinkanola, is championing the use of natural manure to grow crops. His Green Organic Farm is making a success of its mission to grow sustainable, quality, certified organic food for families, friends, neighbours, local community and businesses.

    Oyinkanola grows plants, fruits, vegetables and raise poultry. He started the business with a soft loan of N100,000 from his  father.  Today, the farm is worth millions of naira. He has raised crops using organic fertiliser. He found that the yield and quality of the crop was good. Oyinkanola sees a huge opportunity in the organic farm business.

    It is clear to him that agricultural success is vital to Nigeria’s economy and the sustenance of its citizens. However, farmers, according to him, confront expensive farming chemicals.

    To address this, Oyinkanola is promoting lower-cost, fertiliser from natural resources that can help farmers cut costs, increase crop yield, revive soil and reduce pollution.

    While the majority of farmers use chemical fertiliser because of promised increased productivity and higher crop yields, Oyinkanola believes, they were unaware of the negative long-term effects it could have on the soil.

    His concern is that the continuous absorbing of chemical fertiliser into the soil over a long period destroys the ecosystem of microorganisms that supply crops with vital nutrients. This leaves farmers with a low yield of crops depleted of nutrients.

    With natural components, he sees farmers cutting costs on chemical fertiliser and pesticides.

    The transition to organic farming has given rise to a new organic fertiliser that builds soil health and reduces the environmental impact on agricultural production.

     

    Demand boosting organic food products

    Speaking with The Nation, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Soil Resources Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr. Olugbenga Ade Oluwa, attributed the growing use of organic and natural fertiliser to demand for organic food products is mainly attributed to a rise in consumer awareness about the potentially harmful effects of chemicals in the food chain, especially among millennials.

    He has travelled the country teaching farmers how to create healthy soil. He warned that although Nigeria has rich soils in the world, increase use of chemical fertiliser will deplete farmland of essential nutrients.

    He said: “It has been observed for some time now, that farmers doing crop production prefer to use natural or organic fertiliser. From their observations, they found that mineral source of fertiliser was gradually killing their land. The farmlands run dry of fertility so soon. Most mineral fertiliser supply three or at most four of the 16 essential nutrients that the soil needs.

    “With the use of organic fertiliser such as compost, manure, crop minerals among others, farmers realised that they were restoring more fertility to the soil. Scientifically, it has been confirmed that organic or natural fertiliser is superior to chemical fertiliser on a long-term basis. A few years ago, a scientist discovered that using urine as a fertiliser for maize increased the yield much more than chemical fertiliser. We have seen it in potato. We have compared the yield using urine and compost. It was better than mineral fertiliser. These are some of the reasons farmers go for natural or organic fertiliser for crop production. About three years ago, I visited a five acre farm in Adamawa. I saw that it was doing very well in banana production. When I approached the owner of the farm, a young man(civil servant) doing it as a side hustle, he explained to me that what I saw as an impressive outcome was a shadow of what he has been obtaining in the past when he was using poultry waste to fertilise the farm.”

     

    Cost-effective organic alternative

    He had to use mineral chemical fertiliser because other farmers had cornered the source of poultry waste supply. He couldn’t get enough yields like when he was using poultry waste.

    He said farmers choose manure as a cost-effective organic alternative.

    Given the rising costs of chemical fertiliser, the abundance of cattle manure and poultry litter, and the environmental benefits of using animal waste, farmers use animal byproducts as fertiliser for local crop production.

    Among the common organic fertiliser used by farmers include Alfalfa, Cottonseed, Rock Phosphate, Cow manure, Chicken manure, Earthworm castings and Compost. AdeOluwa and Professor Gideon Adeoye of the Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan have found oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) as an alternative and cheaper organic fertiliser in oil palm farms.

    In Malawi, farmers facing  high costs of fertilising maize and other crops amid shifting weather patterns are resorting  to the use ‘Bionitrate’ made from urine . Farmers are using human urine on their crops instead of costly imported chemical fertiliser. It’s the result of an innovative local initiative that is transforming the lives of both the farmers and city residents.

    Farmers say the fertiliser is cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than chemicals.

    A report said farmers at Neno district in Southern Malawi were happy with the impact of the ‘magic liquid’ on their crops, especially as the fertiliser comes from a free, readily available and renewable source. The subsistence farmers and their families collect the urine they pass and store it in containers where it matures and turns into fertiliser. Despite the raised unhygienic concerns, a report said several farmers applying Bionitrate fertiliser on their crops had found it effective.

    Going against this in its report, American Chemical Societynoted that while Urine is a goldmine of useful substances that can be captured and converted into products such as fertiliser, however, going “green” with urine carries some potential risks. For instance, DNA released from antibiotic-resistant bacteria in urine could transfer resistance to other organisms at the site where the fertiliser is used. Now, research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) journal shows this risk is likely to be minimal.

    The Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont operates the only contemporary community-scale system in the U.S. for capturing urine and processing it into fertiliser, according to the authors of the ES&T study.

     

    Biggest cause of crop failure

    While farmers face many challenges, the biggest cause of crop failure is low rainfall and nutrients. With the ever-rising cost of chemical fertiliser, subsistence farmers have been finding it hard to afford chemical fertiliser, and they have been trying to find affordable and sustainable alternatives.

    Analysts said the sector dependence on chemical fertiliser and pesticides have encouraged the thriving of industries that are producing life-threatening chemicals which are not only hazardous for human consumption but can also disturb the ecological balance.

    They urged farmers to shifting from producing food grown with chemical fertiliser to food grown with organic fertiliser because of the harmful effects that these foods have in the body when consumed. Whether it is organic or artificial, fertiliser is an essential ingredient for European farmers to increase production, but its use is proving costly and a headache for many.

    The Executive Secretary, Fertiliser Producers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Gideon Negedu, said chemical fertiliser are important for the cost-effective production of commercial crops. With a growing population and high cost of living, he said mineral fertiliser ensures enough food is available for everyone at affordable prices.

    Negedu said there was nothing wrong with using mineral fertiliser once the farmers are taught on effective targeted application of small quantities in a field.

    According to him, organic and inorganic fertiliser provides plants with the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong.

    With increasing population, he explained that Nigeria needs effective policies, new farming methods, improved input and high-yield seed varieties to improve harvests and reduced poverty.

    As Nigeria faces declining soil fertility resulting from degraded soils and other factors, often blamed for the drop in crop yields, Negedu stressed that there was the need to encourage smallholder farmers to use fertiliser. Fertiliser use, according to him, supports soil quality and also helps mitigate the effects of soil erosion and nutrient depletion.

     

    Inadequate supply affecting industrial agric

    Despite the benefits of organic fertiliser, the FEPSAN Executive Secretary, said the supply was not enough to support large scale industrial agriculture. As such Nigeria still needs more mineral fertiliser plants to boost farm yields and putting big smiles on farmers’ faces.

    One key to reducing food production costs and increasing food supply, he maintained, was locally produced fertiliser.

    What FEPSAN is seeking to achieve is ensuring  availability of fertiliser at affordable prices, adding that it  not only help farmers see higher yields with improvement in incomes, but also  bring other benefits.

    With over 33 blending plants involved in the production of NPK’ (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium) fertiliser  in Nigeria, stakeholders are wondering why the input is still out of farmers’ reach in many parts of the country.

    Negedu refuted the claim of inadequate raw materials in the country to blend the required quantity of NPK 20:10:10, but rather attributed the problem to logistics in moving the raw materials to the blending plants.

    He said: “There are enough raw materials on ground, but we have to be able to move these materials to the blending plants.

    “One of the major issues surrounding fertiliser supply in the country has been the gap in its prices in different parts of the country.’’

    Meanwhile, to further promote fertiliser consumption, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has decided to join forces to support the economic scheme of the West African Fertiliser Association (WAFA).

    WAFA mandated EBID to mobilise the financial resources. The fundraising concerns a total amount of $520million, of which $430 million is for fertiliser imports and $90 million for investments.

    The ECOWAS Commission, through its Department for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, sensitises, and encourages WAFA members to speed up the preparation and submission of relevant and bankable projects to EBID for funding. Furthermore, it has undertaken strong advocacy with the states that was coronated on December 10, 2020 with the virtual meeting of the ministers of agriculture of the 15 member states, with the participation of EBID and that of WAFA officials and members. The planned economic scheme is to cover both bulk importation of fertiliser and the establishment in the countries by local shareholders of private fertiliser blending units.

    To spearhead diversification of Nigeria’s economy with special focus on non-oil export, the National Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has been encouraging farmers to embrace organic agriculture.

    At the training on the National Programme on Organic Food Export and Certification last year in Akwanga Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo, said: “The value of organic food demand has risen significantly due to global awareness on the essence of food safety concern and focus on organically produced crops. Statistically, the global demand for organic foods rose from $15.2 billion in 1999 to $97billion in 2017.”

    He noted that the action plan under the World Food Summit identified the importance of organic input technologies, farming techniques and other sustained methods as organic farming.

    Organic food was first introduced on a large-scale in the early 1990s. It took over 15 years for global organic product sales to reach $50 billion in 2008. Ten years (2018) later, they surpassed the $100 billion mark.

    Awolowo said organic foods are produced and processed in a certified farmland or facilities with the overall health benefit to include improvements of immune system, avoidance of food contaminants, reduction in the chances of developing food-borne diseases and general well-being.