The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Group plans to rejuvenate palm oil production

    The tide appears to have turned for palm oil as the market is growing. In spite of this, experts are concerned that the industry may not keep up with demand, especially as the aging trees may not support production growth. In response, the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) plans to revamp the sector, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    Palm oil is a common ingredient in many food products. It is used as cooking oil, shortenings, margarine and feedstock.

    The international oil palm market, according to analysts, is  worth over $62 billion yearly, underscoring  the commodity’s significance and multiple utility.

    Analysts said oil palm produces nearly four tonnes of oil per hectare, which is five times higher than rapeseed, sunflower, and soybean yields. It has the highest  yield of any oil crop.

    However, its production is facing challenges amid rising demand from the food, energy, and industrial sectors. According to analysts, major palm oil producers have not been able to increase their yields due to ageing trees and diseases.

    Nigeria’s oil palm industry’s contribution to global market share is 1.40 percent as of 2018, according to data from the United States’ Department of Agriculture.

    The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) estimated that upstream palm oil production is 0.98 million tonnes. Total domestic edible oil production is at 1.5 million tonnes.

    Speaking with The Nation, the  President, National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN), Mr. Alphonsus Inyang, explained that oil palm could become a money spinner with  growing global demand for it as an input for food products, cosmetics, animal feed, and bio-energy, among others.

    He lamented, however, that there was lack of support to boost production to meet demand. He noted that the sector was not  contributing to the gross national productivity. He listed ageing trees as one factor hindering the industry.

    If repositioned, Inyang said oil palm could enrich the nation’s coffers. He stressed that making Nigeria self-reliant in edible oil production is a mission that needed to be accomplished.

    Read Also: ‘How agro processing hubs can spur industrialisation’

     

    He added that Nigeria possessed the wherewithal for self-sustenance, urging the government to implement a comprehensive and time-bound strategy to provide stimulus to the growth of the edible oilseed economy.

    He called for support to increase production of vegetable oils sourced from oil seeds and oil palm, to reduce their import.

    To change the fortunes of the industry, Inyang said farmers needed improved seeds and better management practices.

    According to him, the association was working with the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) to mass produce high-yielding oil palm seeds that will start bearing fruits in two years.

    This is to enable farmers to increase yields to the highest levels in the industry, without increasing land under cultivation. He reiterated that the new executive of the association was working on the development of the industry.

    He solicited for information, suggestions and ideas from members/stakeholders that could move the association forward.

    He said the election into state chapters executives council would be conducted before April. Inyang said he would collaborate with  industry  stakeholders, such as Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, NIFOR, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), state governments, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC, in developing the industry and supporting  smallholders farmers.

    The outgoing National President, Chief Henry Olatujoye, appreciated the Federation Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) National President, Dr. Victor Iyama, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and NIFOR, for their support to the association.

    He praised the Akwa Ibom State Government for hosting the First International Conference on Oil Palm in 2013 (IPPC 2013) in  Uyo, which was attended by many countries.

    He acknowledged the contribution of the Ondo State Government to the development of oil palm sector.

    The new National Executive  Council are Inyang; Vice-President (Southeast), Standard Igwe; Vice President (Southsouth), Harrison Okpamen;Vice President (Southwest), Omiyale Abiodun; Vice President (Northcentral), Hassan Wada; National General Secretary, Kayode Babatola; Assistant General Secretary, Victor Atu; National Treasurer, Bobade Adebayo; National Financial Secretary, Adaugo Obi; Public Relations Officer, Bernadette Enanem; Ex-Officios – Steve Eghen  and Amos Gandu.

  • Kebbi to boost tourism via fisheries

    Kebbi State is known for food production but its fisheries sector is yet to be fully explored for tourism. To this end, it is set to inaugurate an international fish market in Yauri, and host the famous Argungu  International Fishing Festival this year, KHADIJAT SAIDU reports.

     

    FarmERs in Kebbi State grow rice and other crops. They are also involved in sustainable livestock production. For the government, farming is the way forward given the growing population.

    To this end, the government has unveiled a blueprint to boost fisheries, tourism and micro, small and medium enterprises. The aim is to create jobs and business opportunities for youths.

    One area the government is focusing attention is fisheries.

    At a press conference in Birnin-Kebbi, the Secretary to Kebbi State Government (SSG), Alhaji Babale Umar, said the government was establishing an international fish market in Yauri to unlock the potential of the sector.

    He said Yauri was chosen because it is a famous destination and would be a suitable place to build such a market.

    In line with this, the state’s biggest agro tourism event that attracts  professionals from across the country is underway in Yauri. It is the Yauri Annual Regatta Cultural Festival taking place on February22.

    Participants from Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states have been invited to the regatta in view of the affinity between the people of Yauri and the riverine areas.The festival will feature agricultural show, the fish market inauguration, and water sports, among others.

    Read Also: Akwacross: Cross Rivers leverages tourism economy

     

    Umar said the main venue of the festival had been restructured to accommodate more visitors and provide effective crowd control.

    According to him, one of the  reasons for giving the festival a boost is to lift tourism in Yauri Emirate.

    Meanwhile, the state has inaugurated a 16-member committee to organise the Argungu International and Cultural Fishing Festival, scheduled for March. The fiesta used to be held once a year but it has not held in the last 10 years.

    Prior to the suspension of the festival, it was self-funded. The government had stopped funding it because the festival generated a lot of money to sponsor itself.

    The festival was inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation.

    The four-day festival, which runs between late February and March features Sabanci — a series of water competitions, including hand fishing, canoe racing, wild duck catching — as well as other traditional practices, such as wrestling and boxing.

    Men and boys participate in the contests, while women provide encouragement performing songs and dances.

  • Tapping into Delta’s agric investment opportunities

    Delta State has capacity to contribute significantly to the agriculture, natural resources, and rural development sector. This was highlighted by a panel of experts at the just-concluded agribusiness summit in Asaba, the state capital, DANIEL Essiet writes.

     

    Agribusiness has a huge potential to spur development in Delta State. This is because it is critical to economic development as it impacts all three sectors of the economy: agriculture, manufacturing, and services. But the sector requires investments to boost production and meet growing demand from the  rising population.

    The investment will unlock market growth.This will present huge opportunity for companies and investors in the agri-food industry. It was the spear point at the Delta Agribusiness Finance and Investment summit held in Asaba last week.

    The Chief of Party and Managing Director of Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, Dr Adam Saffer, has urged investors to take advantage of  the agricultural opportunities in Delta State to  establish businesses that  will promote agricultural commercialisation in the country.

    He spoke at the Delta Agribusiness Finance and Investment summit in Asaba.

    Saffer said agriculture has a big potential to contribute significantly to the state’s growth and development, but the sector remains rooted in subsistence farming.

    He said investors will help to make sure Delta‘s agricultural products and processes are up to international standards.

    He stated that team from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity was in Delta State to brainstorm on opportunities and solutions to challenges in the agribusiness sector.

    According to him, the five-year programme aims to strengthen Nigeria’s business-enabling environment to encourage investment in the agriculture sector.

    Saffer said the Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) is the prime implementer of the agribusiness investment activity which is funded by the USAID.

    According to him, the “Activity is pursuing a unique, robust business-centred strategy to increase the depth, breadth, dynamism and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector” in line with the US and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy”.

    He said the activity is designed to create an improved environment by working toward four inter-related objectives of mitigating obstructive policies to make it easier to do business in Nigeria’s agricultural sector; broadening access to finance; promoting investment opportunities in agriculture, and strengthening the capacity of agribusiness to expand and scale up operations.

    Read Also: Firm trains agro business men, others to access CBN loan

     

    “As an integral part of these efforts to create an improved enabling environment, the activity works to establish new linkages among a full range of public and private sector partners including agribusinesses, financial institutions, investment groups and business development service providers.

    “As the project cultivates more robust business conditions, Nigeria’s rural entrepreneurs and MSMEs will gain improved access to the business and financial services they need to grow and to become more efficient, competitive and profitable – benefiting the entire Nigerian economy,” he said.

    The Delta State Agribusiness Coordinator, Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, Liz Oluwadare who was excited at the large turnout of stakeholders to the event stated that the activity will foster further development of the non-oil sector.

    Okowa who said he was happy that Delta was among the benefiting states of this development assistance, noted that the projects have enhanced the capacity of the state’s human resources for an effective contribution towards the development of its economy.

    He said: “We appreciate the US Government for showing considerable magnanimity for various intervention projects.

    “No doubt, these projects have the ability to achieve and enhance the capacity of our state’s human resources.”

    The summit, which drew participants from different sectors including financial institutions, was also designed to strengthen the capacity of agribusiness to expand operations.

    The Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment with a focus on the following five key value chains: rice, cowpea, soy, maize and aquaculture.

    The five-year, $15.7million intervention seeks to sustainably link thousands of Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and producer organisations with high-performing commercial actors in the seven target states: Benue, Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.

    The Agribusiness Investment Activity works to expand access to financial services across the value chain through informal, community-based savings plans; formal and informal credit; guarantee programs; insurance offerings, and more.

  • Moves to enhance growth, food security

    For increased foreign exchange (forex) earnings and improved food security, a productive, competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural sector will need to emerge at an accelerated pace.  To this end, promoting food security and diversifying agricultural exports is a priority for Nigeria.  Experts shared their experiences on what government can do to enhance economic growth through exports and increased food security. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    Strengthening agriculture and boosting exports competitiveness are strategies that can help transform the economy.

    This was the position of the Africa Agric Expo held in Lagos.  Co-sponsored by NAHCO Aviance, the event highlighted the importance of strengthening competitiveness through diversification and value added exports.

    Buoyed by favourable external conditions, agro exports had in the past helped to create jobs and earn the much-needed foreign exchange.

    However, the country is vulnerable to price swings because its exports are dominated by unprocessed and undifferentiated agricultural products.

    Stakeholders said several challenges needed to be addressed to expand the country’s agriculture sector to contribute to structural change, which is vital for sustaining economic growth and development.

    One of them was the Group Managing Director/CEO, NAHCO Aviance, Mrs Olatokunbo Fagbemi, who made a presentation on Effective ground handling & preservation – Critical factors for mitigating challenges to agriculture export.

    She noted that weak infrastructure have led to high transportation costs and longer transit times. According to her, investing in infrastructure is an important channel through which policy makers can reduce costs and encourage higher-valued export.

    She said: “Key factors which holds us back from competing with neighbouring countries such as Ghana are dedicated perishable centre’s at key airports and ports. We have to ensure that all farms, shippers and agents are regulated and accredited to handle agricultural produce.”

    She said agriculture plays an important role in international trade and for this reason the country needs to make an effort in this area and move up the value chain, as well as develop a supply industry.

    She said: “We have to support farms by reducing taxes and subsidising to help develop reinvestment opportunities and expand business growth over five to 10 years.”

    She reitrated the company’s commitment to the growth and development of agricultural export in the nation as it expanded its facilities to boost the volume of export of products it handles by 68 per cent.

    “Nahco Aviance has increased its volume of export of agricultural products by about 68 per cent, having spent about $2 million to expand its facilities whilst improving on security for exported products.

    “In a few months, we are building a state-of-the-art cold storage hub for both existing and potential clients, including our new clients that want to transship their goods through Nigeria with a bit of packaging.

    “Our findings from the airlines revealed that a lot of agricultural products exported are destroyed by the time they get to their destinations, which is largely caused by inadequate storage facilities.

    We just got an approval to develop a facility in our packaging warehouse, which will tackle that challenge because it will help exporters to package their products at a particular temperature rate to reduce the incidence of rejection in the International markets.

    “We just got an approval to develop a facility in our packaging warehouse, which will tackle that challenge because it will help exporters to package their products at a particular temperature rate to reduce the incidence of rejection in the international markets.

    Read Also: FG inaugurates committee for $1bn agric programme

    “In a few months we are building a state of the art cold storage hub for both existing and potential clients, including our new clients that want to transship their goods through Nigeria with a bit of packaging.

    We are working towards achieving standards, best practices and guidelines for the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Fresh Certification which is what guarantees the seamless delivery of perishable cargo.

    We also want to provide a CEIV Pharma, which is a project that is designed by IATA, to support the movement of pharmaceutical products via air,”she said

    The Vice-President, Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the border closure to develop agriculture in an efficient manner.

    According to him, the closure is capable of driving growth which will lead to better agricultural crops, and an expanding services sector.

    He said one of the challenges the industry is facing is limited storage facilities that have resulted in high post-harvest loss.

    He called for investment in refrigeration system to reduce waste and support farmers business.

    He reiterated the group’s determination to work with the government to improve, food security, and attract investment and trade to better the quality of life of Nigerians.

    The state Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Abimbola Akeredolu said the Federal Government is working towards building a modern, globally-integrated and sustainable agricultural sector.

    According to her, the leadership of the Ministry is determined to ensure agriculture is connected with the processing industry, preservation, markets, exports and global value chains.

    The Vice President West African Fertiliser Association (WAFA), Dr. Innocent Okuku, said West Africa’s huge agricultural potential holds the promise of covering much of the region’s food needs, but it is hampered by poor fertiliser usage.

    He said there was need to tackle the food and farming conundrum in sub-Saharan Africa that is far from being solved. To this end, he said concerted measures must be taken to ensure stable supply and access to food.

    In line with this, Okuku said the Fourth West Africa Fertiliser Forum will hold in Abuja. The event will bring together over 170 people from more than 30 countries representing all the links in the fertiliser supply chain, as well as global producers, technology developers and investors.

    While the outlook for Nigeria’s agriculture sector is bright, a Communications Consultant, Wofai Samuel said there were challenges that have the potential to slow investment growth.

    She said for Nigeria to feed her people, the government and the private sector must work to radically and substantially increase agriculture productivity and they need to do that through innovation.

    She said it was necessary to encourage farmers and businesses to develop the production chain to control the quality of agri-products effectively.

  • Edo expands agripreneur scheme

    The Edo State Government has called on communities with contiguous land sizes (minimum of 50 hectares) to offer their land for agricultural use under the State’ Agripreneur Programme.

    The Edo State Agripreneur Programme is an initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, aimed at de-risking the agricultural value chain. It is being run in partnership with a number of partners, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    In a statement, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Prince Joe Okogie assured that the land would be used for crop and livestock production in line with the state’s food security strategy.

    Okogie noted that crops such as rice, maize, soya beans and cassava would be cultivated under the agripreneur programme in the lands made available by communities.

    READ ALSO: Edo screens 2500 youths for PUWOV scheme

    According to him, “Indigenes of the communities will be aggregated as beneficiaries of the programme where the government will assist them with land development, mechanization, cultivation, access to market and access to soft loan.”

    “Similarly, for communities or individuals with poultry pen of large capacities (minimum of 4,000 poultry pen capacity) are also encouraged to aggregate farmers for their pen and submit to the Office of the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Government House, Benin City,” he added.

    Okogie explained that the state government has through the programme provided opportunity for subsistent farmers to expand to commercial-sized farms, with the benefit of securing necessary input and tools to make the farming process hassle-free.

  • Park Service takes steps to promote agric

    Our Reporter

     

    The Conservator-General, National Park Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, said the Service is taking measures to protecting, not only Nigeria land, but also farmers.

    Speaking in Lagos, Goni said the National Parks Community has  a rich agricultural history with hundreds of farmers settling in such areas with farming, which have got Nigerians gainfully engaged.

    Although unusual for parklands, he said farming is one of the only viable and practical methods for maintaining the countryside and the Service is working to ensure a stable future for farmers.

    He said the Service has constructed roads to enable farmers move their produce to the market and that there is emphasis on sustainable farming to keep the land fertile, protects it from development and help to maintain wildlife habitats.

    He reiterated that the policy thrust of the Service is to provide security, manage, and regulate the use of the diverse and unique natural resources within the National Parks in the country.

    He said there are seven national parks across the country. These include  Chad Basin National Park (CBNP), Cross River National Park (CRNP), Gashaka Gumti National Park (GGNP), Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP) Old Oyo National Park (OONP), Okomu National Park (ONP) and Kamuku National Park (KNP).

    According to him, each park has  its animal and plant resources. For instance, while a roll call of animals at the Chad Basin National Park may include Giraffe, Hartebeest, Elephant Red-fronted gazelle,   Spotted hyena, Jackal, Serval cat, Ceracal, Python, Monitor lizard and various snakes, that of the Old Oyo consists of Buffon’s kob, Roan Antelope, Western hartebeest, Bush buck, baboon, Patas monkey, Oribi, Grimm’s duiker, lion, Warthog, Water buck, Red Flanked Duiker, Black and white Colobus monkey, Green monkey, among others.

    The distribution of animals and birds, just like the vegetation at each of the parks, differs from south to north with more animals being sighted in the south probably due to availability of water and food all year round in additional to the vegetation cover which provides shelter.

    Also, these parks are endowed with water resources running across most times the breath or length as the case may be: As it is the case with the Kainji lake national park for instance, the stretch of 5340.82sq/km is blessed with the popular Oli River.

    Despite the abundance of this natural and cultural attributes within the National Parks and the role they play, he said Nigerians were yet to appreciate the importance of the Protected Areas and their contributions to the mitigation of climate change, security, well-being of citizenry, and  the  economy.

    Read Also: National Park Service seeks partnership with tourism stakeholders

     

    According to the Conservator- General, the main objectives for establishing National Parks are: the conservation of selected and representative examples of wildlife communities in Nigeria, the protection of endangered species of wild plants and animals and their habitats, to preserve the culture, historical and archaeological features in the abandoned sites, to protect, preserve, conserve and manage representative samples of indigenous flora and fauna of the geographical region of Nigeria.

    He urged the public to visit the National Park to appreciate the aesthetic, spiritual and ecological values of nature in the maintenance of a healthy environment.

    Like any other organisation, he continued that the National Park Service just has its own peculiar challenges.

    These include Illegal activities within the parks, armed banditry and insurgency in and around the parks, poor quality of tourism infrastructure, lack of zeal of Nigerians for leisure and tourism, poor road network to the parks and inadequate number of modern operational equipment.

    With the dwindling fortunes from oil, he urged the government should look inwards for ways to revive the hitherto neglected sectors in a bid to diversify the economy.

    The Conservator-General, reiterated the determination of the Service to build a virile National Park system that will turn Nigeria into a preferred destination.

    The National Park, according to him, is a key component of economic development as it has a role to play in attracting direct foreign investments into the country.

    It is for this reason; he said the National Park Service is ready to work with stakeholders, to provide the enabling environment to attract both local and international investments.

  • AATF introduces stewardship to track seed quality

    From Juliana Agbo, Abuja

     

    The African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) has introduced stewardship programme in ensuring that right quality of Pod Borer Resistant (PBR), cowpea seeds, get to the farmers.

    Its Programme Officer in West Africa, Francis Nwankwo, in an interview in Abuja, explained that the new technology is responsible for management of a product.

    He said it is not only applicable to genetically modified products or biotechnology-based products, but for any technology whatsoever that farmers are using.

    Nwankwo added that the new technology needed to be managed properly to give maximum benefits to farmers.

    “In a nutshell, Stewardship is just about responsible management of the product, it begins from the time it is being developed in the laboratory to the field by the scientists, and then goes to the seed companies who produce the seed and to the farmers who grow the seeds,” he said.

    Nwankwo said it will not add additional burden to farmers, but it will add additional knowledge that will help make it work better for them.

    To ensure that the seeds are not adulterated, he said Mobile Authentication Service  (MAS)  scheme will be used as one of the anti-counterfeiting strategies to detect adulterated and falsified PBR cowpea seeds.

    He explained that the codes will be encrypted on every authentic seed package so that the farmers can quickly verify their seed using their mobile phones.

    Read Also: Edo, PRESCO to collaborate on high-yielding oil palm seedling

     

    “We anticipate that people may package anything and give to farmers in the name of PBR cowpea, so to ensure that farmers get the right quality, we will use that approach, taking advantage of the mobile phone technology and those scratch codes to confirm that the seeds are well certified,” he said.

    On sustainability of the programme, he said AATF is trying to mainstream the Stewardship approach into the extension system, adding that they were working with the National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS) to train extension agents.

    ” We have had series of discussions with NAERLS and in couple of months we will begin to train all Extension agents in Nigeria basically for this PBR cowpea, but the same principle can be applied to any other crop in Nigeria, the important thing is for the Extension system to understand what needs to be done.

    “If AATF goes out at some point, it is already part of the system because the product is developed for Nigeria and we have to take ownership, so at some point, AATF will exit, and Nigeria will continue to do the thing, so that is the whole essence for the sustainability,” he averred.

  • Campaign to triple cassava yields

    The production of cassava, the third largest source of carbohydrates, is being threatened across the country due to harsh conditions, including drought, water scarcity and declining soil fertility. DANIEL ESSIET examines the moves to address these obvious threat by the public and private sectors.

     

    Cassava is an important commodity and an input to several industrial processes. However, its potential is under-realised. Experts said if varieties can be developed that are suitable for industrial farming, Nigeria could benefit from the trade in cassava flour, cassava biofuels and cassava starch.

    The Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) said the country has the capacity to produce over 10 trillion litres of ethanol at a competitive price and earn trillions of naira exporting the product.

    Its National President, Mr. Segun Adewumi, said the 400 million litres of ethanol that the country uses only 100,000 hectares of farmland from the 84 million hectares arable land in the country.

    “This is to say Nigeria can reduce her import bill on the listed product by N1.2 trillion.

    “At the same time, we can earn several trillion of naira in foreign exchange from cassava products,’’ he said.

    He said pharmaceutical industries across the world preferred cassava industrial starch to the corn starch being used.

    Adewumi said Nigeria uses 1.7 metric tons of industrial starch sold at N200, 000 per tonne amounting to N340 billion.

    The NCGA president estimated industrial items imported by Nigeria derived from cassava to be N1.2 trillion yearly.

    He added that mass production of these derivatives could earn Nigeria over N10 trillion yearly.

    Along with providing a vital domestic alternative to imported glucose, stakeholders believe cassava cultivation can help underpin the growth of higher-value added food products for export, benefiting both farmers and the country’s push to diversify crops and strengthen food security.

    Experts say the major challenge of cassava production in Nigeria, which also applied to other crops.

    To this, there are efforts to revamp the sector. At the vanguard of this is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), state governments, donor agencies and research institutions. CBN is supporting the government’s objectives of making cassava production competitive and increasing private sector participation and investment.

    The CBN has hosted various stakeholders in the cassava value chain in Abuja as it works on developing the sector in the country.

    Stakeholders included a team from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and state governments. The meeting included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the various parties, took place at the CBN Head Office in Abuja.

    CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele attended the event along with delegates from cassava producing states such as Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Ondo State counterpart Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu.

    The CBN facilitated the signing of the MOU between NCGA, cassava stem producers and large-scale processors to guarantee steady off-take and processing.

    Emefiele said: “We included cassava in the FX exclusion list to salvage the industry, encourage farmers to go back to their farms to boost job creation, and increase output and improve the capacity utilisation of our processing companies.”

    He pledged to support of the NCGA at the production level under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) as he expects this to increase farmers’ productivity and income.

    The CBN governor stated that the apex bank and other stakeholders, including IITA, are to participate in the development of the framework for modern production and processing of cassava by tackling challenges in the cassava value chain.

    Governments of the cassava-producing states in Nigeria and other stakeholders were urged by Emefiele to work together to resuscitate the cassava sector.

    He stressed the need for stakeholders to cooperate in creating 10 million jobs through agriculture to ease the unemployment rate in the country

    Ogun State is also taking on the cassava mantle. The state government is partnering international organisation, Harvest plus Nigeria to promote bio-fortified cassava and other crops for health and income generation.

    Read Also: Tapping into cassava industry’s opportunities

     

    The biofortified crop provides up to half of a consumer’s daily vitamin A needs. It produces high yields and resists certain viruses, making it a farmers’ favorite in Nigeria.

    The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina, while receiving the representatives of the Bill Gates funded donor agency in his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, who visited him, revealed that one of the vision of the administration is to leverage the strengths of the private sector to deliver on food security, income for the people and access to bio-fortified foods (vitamin A cassava, maize, zinc, rice and orange fleshed sweet potatoes.

    Odedina said hidden hunger caused by micronutrient deficiency is a threat to human health.

    According to him, biofortified cassava and other crops have the potential to improve the nutrition and health of millions of people in the state.

    He said the partnership with HarvestPlus was centered on promoting bio-fortified crops and foods as the state government is seeking ways of creating wealth and increasing food sufficiency among its citizens.

    He further stated that the partnership will see joint activities across the value chain with special emphasis on input delivery, capacity building for enterprise development in production, value addition and marketing and awareness creation to drive behaviour change and markets, noting that the Ministry will organise an investment forum on agriculture to consolidate the ongoing agricultural revolution programme of the state government.

    “We have received assurance from Harvest Plus that before the planting season, enough of these stems will be made available to our farmers in the state.

    We want to start from the seed, then the products and the locations where the products would be sold and consumed across the state. It is a value chain approach, Odedina submitted.

    The Country Director, Harvest plus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, said biofortification could mitigate the effects of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in people.

    He said deficiency causes preventable blindness in children and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections.

    He appreciated the efforts of the state government in taking agriculture to the next level, revealing the coalition of donor agencies are ready to help usher the agricultural revolution in the state that is driven by partnership that would have impact on investments in the state.

     

  • Firm unveils strategic programme to boost agric

    From Juliana Agbo, Abuja

     

    Solidaridad Network has launched a five-year programme in four key oil palm producing countries to boost agriculture and generate revenue.

    The programme known as the National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate-smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) was launched in Accra, Ghana recently to enable governments  support and work with farmers towards more sustainable, climate smart palm oil production as well as contribute to Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    NISCOPS is implemented by Solidaridad in Ghana and Solidaridad in partnership with IDH in Indonesia, Malaysia and Nigeria.

    The programme is being implemented in Africa (Ghana and Nigeria) and Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia) with the initial funding support from the government of the Netherlands.

    The programme has an inception year (2019) with the implementation phase I from 2020 to 2023 and implementation phase II from 2024 and beyond.

    The Regional Director, Solidaridad West Africa, Mr. Isaac Gyamfi, at the launch of the programme in Accra, Ghana, said Solidaridad is in term with the current global and local realities especially on climate change and agriculture.

    According to him, “We are now using our over 50 years experience of both foot and brain on the ground through our works to contribute to shaping practices and policies at local, districts, national and global levels”.

    Gyamfi stated that the organisation have also supported the revitalisation of the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), adding that it has also played a role in the establishment of the Tree Crops Development Authority.

    Read Also: NIRSAL, German group boost agric projects

     

    Also speaking, Solidaridad Senior Climate Specialist for Africa and the NISCOPS Technical Coordinator, Dr. Samson Ogallah,  stated that the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the programme is built on the three pillars of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) of Productivity, Adaptation and Mitigation.

    Ogallah added that the programme in addition to its contribution to the NDCs and SDGs of the four countries, aimed to further build capacity of smallholders (organizations) and local institutions to improve performance as well as support development of landscape level mechanisms to operate in ‘vulnerable’ landscapes prone to deforestation.

    In her speech at the event, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ghana, Katja Lasseur, expressed the commitment of the government of the Netherlands to the programme and call on other partners and stakeholders to come on board in order to achieve the laudable objectives of the programme.

    A nine-member National Advisory Committee (NAC) to advise the programme was inaugurated. The NAC members comprised of Public and Private sector representatives from the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana, Oil Palm Research Institute, Ministries of Food and Agriculture; Trade and Industry; Local Government and Rural Development; Land and Natural Resources; Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (Environmental Protection Agency and Forestry Commission).

     

     

  • USAID holds agribusiness forum

    Our Reporter

     

    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is holding a one day Delta Agribusiness Finance and Investment Summit to help engender sustainable economic growth in the state.

    The forum scheduled for Thursday, January 30, is aimed to bring together stakeholders across the targeted value chains from production, input supply, storage, processing, financial service providers, investors and professionals to discuss the challenges, opportunities and potential solutions in the agribusiness sector for Delta State.

    Read Also: USAID assisted 250,000 most vulnerable Nigerians in five years

     

    A statement said the summit is a platform to collaborate with the government and private sector to promote enterprise and improve economic productivity.