Efforts are on to get smallscale oil processors to increase access to micronutrients and address malnutrition. It will involve reducing Vitamin A deficiency using fortified oils, DANIEL ESSIET reports

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause colossal economic losses through morbidity and mortality of women and children, reduced cognitive development in children, decreased work productivity in adults and increased disabilities.

This has prompted oil fortification, involving adding essential vitamins and minerals to oil as it is processed, which makes foods prepared with fortified oil more nutritious. Iron, zinc, folic acid, and other B vitamins are commonly added to oil.

Across the country, edible oil processors have agreed to fortify cooking oil with Vitamin A. This involves increasing the content of essential micronutrients.

TechnoServe, an international organisation, is promoting food fortification by enlightening producers on standards for the fortification of vegetable oil.

However, it believes the key component of a successful food fortification programme is regulatory monitoring by which the private and public sectors collaborate to produce high quality fortified food.

It is collaborating with BASF – a leading global manufacturer of micronutrients and BioAnalyst – and pioneer of on-the-spot micronutrient analysis to train local processors on quality control in food fortification organisations.

The aim is to empower processors not only to increase food security and local economic growth, but also support ongoing national food fortification campaign designed to increase access to enhanced foods.

To drive this, a regional trainings have been conducted in Lagos and Owerri, where edible oil processors were exposed to global best practices.

The Programme Manager, Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods Project (SAPFF), Techno Serve Nigeria, Ms. Ayodele Tella, said: “The training seeks to address the challenges affecting processors in fortifying their products with Vitamin A and how to get fortification right, starting from procurement of the vitamin fortificant, to storage, application and internal monitoring and control.”

She said the cumulative effects of malnutrition, some of which are increase in healthcare spending and reduced productivity of the citizens, costs the country about 10per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is at $420 billion.

She said food fortification remained the most cost effective method of reducing micro-nutrient deficiency in the country and that Nigeria needed to spend about $50million on it yearly for its 200million people, going by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) cost for food fortification of $0.5 to $0.25 per person yearly.

TechnoServe, through SAPFF initiative, is increasing the compliance level of processors in fortification of their products with essential micronutrients by understanding their challenges and helping them in closing the gaps.

It is doing this by using a first time market-based approach to solving the problem of low industry compliance.

Global Application Specialist, Food Fortification & Technical Marketing, BASF, Mr. Claus Soendergaard, who trained the processors on quality control and compliance, said food fortification is a long-term and complementary strategy to tackle hunger.

He advised processors to always protect their Vitamin A as well as products already fortified with it from sunlight, as excessive light penetration causes degradation.

Soendergaard trained the processors on how to calculate the dosage of Vitamin A in a litre of oil. He specified that 23IU/g is the recommended dosage by the Federal Government for edible oil fortification with Vitamin A.

The Managing Director, BioAnalyt – a product innovator of diagnostics and food testing, Mrs Anna Zhenchuk, said Vitamin A has more stability in oil than in sugar because the air around it can penetrate the particles and is a natural environment for oil.

By Olatunde Odebiyi

Stakeholders said the country has what it takes to feed its citizenry if farmers are  empowered.

One of them, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr. Chima Igwe. said zero hunger could be achieved  through a collaborative effort, noting that the government cannot do it all.

Igwe, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Project Development and Design Department, Dr. Livinus Onu,  spoke at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos State, during a programme organised by Hope For Life Initiative in collaboration with FIIRO).

The theme was “Our actions are our future; Healthy diets for a zero hunger world”.

According to him, the empowerment of farmers is necessary, following the closure of boarders to stem the importation of food. He noted that with more support, farmers would produce more to feed Nigerians.

“Nigeria has what it takes to produce agricultural products to feed the population with nutritional and healthy diets and to sell at cheaper prices compared to imported goods or prices being sold now. All hands must be on deck to empower farmers in the country to enable them produce more to feed her citizens.

“All the stakeholders in the value chain, starting from the farmers down to the processor and those that can finance the farmers as well as the processors must come together,” he added.

He explained that FIRO has the role to assist in post-harvest processing of various products, to add value to the products while ensuring that quality products are produced and safe for consumption.

The Executive Director, Hope For Life Initiative, Kendi Aig-Imoru, said Nigeria has what it takes to feed herself, noting that it starts from the individual.

“Nigerians should start planting what they can eat to feed themselves and their family in the confine of their compound and be informed about food security, technology and healthy diets, as this is crucial to promote healthy living and reduce diseases.”

She called for increased focus on agriculture, noting that with this there will be little or no complain o about what to eat.

Deputy Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Francis Ifem, said the emphasis is on healthy diet to achieve zero hunger for all in Nigeria.

By Daniel Essiet

Lagos’ agriculture and overall food systems are at a turning point. While having a strong track record and ample opportunities for future growth, the sector faces major demographic and economic challenges.

To reverse this, the state government has taken steps to improve supply, quality, and food safety with added value. It has outlined an agenda of short- and longer-term to strengthen public and market institutions needed to achieve the goals for agriculture and overall food system growth.

The government is promoting food processing in rural economy to create jobs. This is by encouraging entrepreneurs to set up units in food processing, dairy, poultry and fisheries.

At the Lagos Farm Fair, organised by the state, in partnership with British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation, at the Police College Ground, Ikeja,  Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was one of the participating states in the World Bank-Assisted Agro-Processing, Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project, aimed at enhancing the productivity of small and medium scale farmers and improving value addition along priority value chains.

The selected value chains for the state, which aligned with its comparative advantage in agriculture are poultry, rice and aquaculture. The APPEALS project, implemented through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the six participating states of Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi and Lagos, is a six-year project expected to run between 2017 and 2023.

For Lagos, the goal is to help youths and women in rural households shift to a new generation of economic initiatives by developing viable enterprises for farm products.

It aims to alleviate rural poverty and create sustainable livelihoods in rural communities by promoting sustainable community-based institutions which will facilitate economic and financial services for the rural poor.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folasade Jaji, the governor said the project is also collaborating with Africa Rice for the development of pure ofada rice strain, capacity building for seed out growers and rice-based products and as such no fewer than 35 farmers and state officers had been trained while the institute is expected to supply 200kg of foundation ofada seed by February 2020 for cultivation.

He noted that a key component in the food security programme of the state is the 32 metric tons per hour capacity Integrated Rice Mill in Imota, which is expected to be completed and inaugurated in the next seven months.

BATN Foundation Executive Director, Abimbola Okoya, said through its partnership with the Lagos, the foundation intends to use the fair to provide a platform to expose farmers to more opportunities as well as enable the public access fresh and organic farm produce.

“Since its inception in 2002, the foundation has invested about N1.5 billion in supporting federal and state governments as well as over 36,000 rural farmers in the production of crops like cassava, rice and maize and in aquaculture and livestock, with the hope of reaching a target of 62,000 farmers in 2022,” she said.

A Technical Committee Member, BATNF, Mr. Fatai Afolabi, who disclosed that in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the sector rose from N3.5million in the Q1 to over N3.8million, added  that the sector is capable of contributing more if farm produce can get to consumers regularly.

“We all appreciate that no matter how fantastic a product is if it does not get to its end-users at the appropriate time, that product will rot away in storage. This prompted our collaboration with the state government and other sponsors for this fair. We have always identified with smallholder farmers and we will continue to do all we can to promote agricultural enterprise by encouraging a commercial mindset in subsistence farmers and support them to run their farms as sustainable agribusinesses,” Afolabi said.

The Oke Ogun Youths Association has called on Oyo State Government to reconsider its decision to spend the recently approved N7.6billion loan by the House of Assembly on Akufo and Eruwa farm settlements only.
They made the call when the management of Oke Ogun Green Revolution initiative of Oke Ogun Youths Association paid a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor Engr. Rauf Olaniyan.

The Project Coordinator of Oke Ogun Green Revolution Bola Olalere, said spending the approval loan only on Akufo and Eruwa farm settlements will be unfair to other parts of the state.

Oke-Ogun, as the food basket of the state, he said should benefit from such gesture.

“Our association pleads with your Excellency to take this our concern to the Governor Seyi Makinde who we believe will amend the bill and spread the loan across the state,” Olalere pleaded with the deputy Governor.

Olalere informed the initiative was aimed at encouraging youths from the region engaging in profitable, sustainable and commercial agriculture by creating a platform that will generate networks that will make the work easier and interesting to them.

He said that the association has acquired 1500 hectares of land in four different locations across Oke Ogun and currently having about 1600 registered members ready to take farming as their main occupation.

Olaniyan promised the government’s unflinching support for Oke Ogun Green Revolution initiative of Okeogun Youth Association.

Read Also: Why Oyo is spending CBN’s N7.6b loan on farm settlements, by Makinde

He declared the administration was ready to implement policies that will develop agriculture and generate employment for the youths in all regions of the state

“Oke Ogun being the food basket of the nation would be given adequate attention. It will enjoy improved infrastructural facilities and good road networks that will make life easier for the people and boost the economy of the region,” Olaniyan stated.

He also stated plans were on to make credit facilities available to young farmers, build silos, storage and off take most of their products after harvesting.

He said that with the dry port coming to Ibadan, it will be easier to export agricultural products directly from the state without having to go to Lagos.

By Agency Reporter

The Enugu State Government has urged the people to embrace rice farming, promising to make available farmland for cultivation to improve production.

The State’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Matthew Idu, gave the advice while speaking with newsmen on border closure on Tuesday in Enugu.

Idu said that the border closure would boost local rice production, especially in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

“Since the state joined the FADAMA project, government has found out that about six, out of the 17 LGAs in the state, have arable land for rice cultivation in large quantity.

“The state government is, therefore, calling on residents to engage in rice farming in those areas with arable land and consultants, who are into training on how to cultivate rice, are available,’’ he said.

He listed the LGAs with arable land for growing rice as Uzo-Uwani, Aninri, Awgu, Nsukka, Nkanu and Orji River.

According to him, the border closure is not new as many countries did the same to help their citizens produce what they needed, thereby engaging the masses positively.

Read Also: Farmers begin dry season rice farming

“Nigerians may find it difficult at the beginning of the border closure, but it is to the benefit of the people.

“It will make Nigerians to go into farming and begin to produce their food by themselves rather than importing everything.The foreign rice that is being imported into the country, sometimes can be expired.

“This is because nobody knows when it was produced and how long it has been kept before importing them into Nigeria.

“I believe that at the end, there will be much food produced by Nigerians and there will be lesser importation of food items into the country,’’ Idu said. (NAN)

Experts will address the impact of the nation’s policies on the agriculture  sector at a workshop to be organised by the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State on October, 24.

During the forum, experts would  address the issue of  what  policies could trigger a process in the selected value chains.

ARMTI’s Public Relations Officer Mayowa Gidado, in a statement, said the speaker is Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Charles Arinzechukwu Igwe.

The topic is: Agricultural policies in Nigeria: Unlocking full potential, Identifying challenges and solution.

Among the discussants is the National Vice-President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN),Comrade Musa Mohammad.

The statement said the programme would serve as an avenue for ARMTI to fulfil one of its mandates, which is to contribute to policy development to enhance better management of the agricultural and rural sector in Nigeria.

According to the statement, the ARMTI Annual Lecture is also an avenue through which the institute plays a leading role in the sector.

 

Cocoa and other crops were the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. But shortly after independence, attention, however, shifted to crude oil. The Federal Government is changing the narrative with its drive to boost non-oil revenue. DANIEL ESSIET writes that building capacity in cocoa grading to boost international competitiveness was the focus of a two-day workshop in Lagos.

Cocoa production is set to take a turn for the better as efforts are being made to support producers of the crop to improve grading to enable them earn premium prices at the international market.

The campaign targets exporters, inspection officers and  farmers. The  focus is on quality, especially among buying agencies and exporters.

More than 300 cocoa stakeholders, ranging from producers, exporters and processors to researchers, technicians and representatives of institutions supporting trade and investment, took part in the two-day event in Lagos.

It was organised  by Starlink Global Limited and the Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC). The areas targeted were overall quality enhancement and improved productivity in the sector.

Declaring the event open, Chief Executive, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo, said Nigeria earned $338.17 million from cocoa and cocoa products last year. Also, cocoa accounted for 20.8 per cent of total of non-oil exports.

He said Nigerian cocoa beans have   being commanding high demand for decades.

He said: “Our cocoa is rated as some of the best in the world because of the flavour and aroma.”

He said in 2017, Cote D’Voire and Ghana could boast of production levels of roughly two million and one million metric tons.

According to him, Nigeria production still hovers around 245,000 metric tons.

“This low level of production is a result of many factors, including poor grading and quality related issues,” he said.

In line with the vision of  the zero oil plan, Awolowo said the Council has intensified efforts at increasing production.

He said: “We have donated seedlings and agro input, including sprayers, agro chemicals, as well as organising capacity building, on integrated pest management for our cocoa farmers and processors. Workshops for cocoa famers and stakeholders were held in Akure, Ondo State; Osogbo, Osun State; Umuahia, Abia State; Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and Ikom, Cross River State.

“In addition to repositioning the cocoa industry, NEPC sponsored a team of Master of Business Administration (MBA ) students of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) United States (U.S) to understudy the demand and supply situation of Nigeria cocoa in the U.S market.The researchers, he said, found that U.S  is the world’s largest importer of cocoa beans; however, Nigerian exports represent only 3.3 per cent of it. It was also discovered that 91 per cent of Nigeria’s cocoa in 2016 was exported to the European Union(EU) for further processing.

He said: “Vertical integration of value addition into cocoa butter, powder and liquor can bring additional $150-280 million yearly.”

With African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), he said there is a huge cocoa export market in the U.S.

He said the team recommended, among other things, that Nigeria increase land area for cocoa cultivation.

The team, he added, estimated that total production revenue could increase to $1.1 billion from $0.55 billion by 2025.

The Managing Director, Starlink Global Limited, Mr Adeniji Adeyemi, said when the Federal Produce recruited  last year, the training started at his warehouse.

He said: “I realised that we need to advance from the 1959 Ordiance being used by the Federal Produce to the modern way of grading cocoa in line with Federation of Cocoa Commerce(FCC) rules.”

He said Starlink took the step to organise the workshop to keep all stakeholders in cocoa industry acquainted  with FCC rules and regulations which govern the global cocoa economy.

“It is also our objective that this workshop and some others, Nigeria would take its rightfulplace in cocoa economy not just in Africa, but globally,” he said.

He said the transformation of cocoa industry into a sustainable economic sector presents a challenge to all the stakeholders involved, and  stressed  the need  for cooperation between producers, governments, traders, processors and manufacturers to  enable the  industry  achieve  its  full potential.

“There is a need to regulate the commodities industry such that the government will have first-hand information to enable it take decision to promote commodities trading in Nigeria,” he  added.

A cocoa trader for Sucden, a global agro commodities organisation, Mr Thomas Roche, said quality control is a key capacity-building priority for exporters.

For Nigeria to earn premium price, he  said exporters must learn how to grade and dry cocoa beans and recognise quality parameters according to international standards, train their workers to apply quality-control measures and  maintain proper storage and transportation conditions.

He said exporters’ involvement in FCC could mean higher prices for cocoa exports.

A trainer, Mr Matthew Stolz, said FCC is a leader in the provision of training and education for the international cocoa market.

World Cocoa Producers Organisation Vice President Sayina Riman, who doubles as president of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria, said Ivory Coast and Ghana had  agreed to a $400 per ton premium above global prices for their cocoa, and that Nigeria wanted to follow suit to protect its farmers.

 

World Food Day is celebrated on October 16, yearly. It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to end world hunger. As part of the celebration, some private organisations are promoting sustainable systems for food security and nutrition to help ameliorate hunger, DANIEL ESSIET reports

THE World Food Day is celebrated on October 16, yearly. It was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) in 1945.

Internationally, food producing firms are striving to give  individuals an opportunity to get involved in the fight against global poverty. They include Unilever and TGI Distri, which are educating individuals on the importance of food sustainability.

Unilever marks the World Food Day with the ShareAMeal campaign. Unilever employees prepare and share nutritious meals.

Also, international company, Slow Food Presidia products, takes on an educational mission, spreading awareness about good, clean and fair ingredients. The chefs of Slow Food use and promote alternatives to vegetable margarine and stock cubes, such as dried Moringa oleifera leaves, which are very rich in vitamin C, or the toasted peanut paste called binyebwa, high in nutrients. In Nigeria, TGI Distri ,a company that produce  Terra Seasoning Cubes  is motivating its employees to partake in the fight against world hunger.

TGI Distri, which produces Terra Seasoning Cubes, is motivating its employees to partake in the fight against world hunger.

TGI Group Executive Director (Foods and Dist.) and Managing Director of TGI Distri, Sunil Sawhney,  is raising awareness about sustainable food supply and global hunger.

In addition, the company is donating food products to 10,000 Lagosians till Chrismas.

Sawhney said Terra Seasoning Cubes are good for cooking and that the company would create an opportunity for everybody to enjoy great taste.

Sawhney said the Terra Cares4Naija initiative is its own way of reciprocating the loyalty  Terra Cubes & Big Bull Rice received from customers since inception.

“Our products are made by Nigerians, for Nigerians, in Nigeria and our watch words are: food, care and love,” Sawhney said.

He drew attention to efforts to address nutritional deficiencies by ensuring Nigerians  have  access to  staple food.

According to him, there are  opportunities in agriculture. He said the company has engaged over 70,000 farmers, which are supplying its raw materials, adding that it has helped to  impact poverty reduction by increasing rural incomes,   providing opportunities and stimulating and sustaining economic transformation.

According to him, the company’ is  concerned about hunger and poverty.The need to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger was presented as the first Millennium Development Goal 1 and still features as the first and second of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Under MDG 1, the world reduced the population living in extreme poverty by 47 per cent in 74 countries. Africa experienced accelerated and strong economic growth. It established ambitious social safety nets, designing policies to boost education and tackle numerous diseases. Nevertheless, growth has not been rapid or inclusive enough to create jobs. Consequently, poverty rates are still high, hovering around 48 percent. Still, much work remains to be done to ensure living standards improve for all Africans.

The Marketing Manager, TGI Distri Limited, Mr Govind Agarwal, stated: “The TerraCares4Naija initiative is true to the values which make Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, a responsible business entity in Nigeria. Through the Terra Cares4Naija initiative, we aim to put beautiful smiles on the faces of over ten thousand fellow Nigerians.”

 

 

 

He said the initiative would cover various parts of Lagos State. Some of the communities to be visited are Agege, Ikorodu, and Yaba, where its personnel would spend time with the people.

“We believe that a healthy population is an asset to a nation; hence we are at the fore in driving the conversation on the need to eat right and cook right – with Terra Seasoning Cubes and Big Bull Rice. Terra seasoning cubes are a source of Iodine, while Big Bull Rice is rich in fibres and vitamins. The importance of good nutrition in raising a healthy family cannot be overemphasised so we aim to lock in joy, smiles and good health in the lives of beloved Nigerians,”  Agarwal added.

 

 

 

“Terra Seasoning Cubes are a true cooking seasoning sensation allowing everybody to enjoy great taste. Terra Seasoning Cubes have particularly been designed to meet the palate requirements of all Nigerians especially in terms of aroma and flavor. It is available in two variants: Beef and Chicken, in sizes of single cubes of 4gm. They are also designed to preserve the aroma of meals during and after cooking. On the other hand, Big Bull Rice is sourced locally from the bountiful rice producing areas of Nigeria and processed at the state of the art rice milling plant at Kebbi, with the latest machinery to retain the natural goodness and rich taste. It is presently available in sizes ranging from 5kg to 50kg.”, he added.

TGI Distri Limited is one of the leading distribution, sales and Marketing companies in Nigeria. Presently, they market and distribute all products of Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group companies such as Terra seasoning cubes, Renew Starch, Shine All Dishwashing Liquid, Shine All Scouring Powder and many other notable brands. TGI Distri is also the fulcrum and catalyst for Innovation and New Product Development for the TGI Group.