The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Association seeks 30 per cent mushroom content

    The President, National Mushroom Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NAM-GP-MAN) Chief Michael Awunor, said a mandatory 30 per cent per cent local content inclusion of mushroom in confectioneries produced  across the country  will  create jobs and boost growth.

    Awunor made the appeal during the inauguration of the association’s executives to the management of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, led by the Permanent Secretary (PS), Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan.

    He urged ministry to work towards increased mushroom productivity using local content inclusion action plan to ensure nutritional security with proactive government policy.

    His words:  ”We will work with the ministry, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment and the pharmaceutical stakeholders to ensure eating a plate of mushroom a day against hypertension, diabetics and cancer”

    ”The government must help us with policy that will drive this action. Your mushroom on the shelves must have 30% local content. Hotels must include 30%mushroom content in all confectionaries that are served to customers and there will be task force to ensure the implementation from the association. We will strike deal with Indomie Noodles to ensure mushroom inclusion as nutritional addictive into the flour for children and adults”

    One of the mushroom executives,  Mr. Alaya Hammed Funsho enjoined youths to seize the opportunities in the cultivation of the crop to empower themselves and also create jobs for others, saying this was the only way unemployment caould be eradicated.

    Akpan, who conducted the inauguration, however, advised members to work as a team to boost productivity.

    He said more people should be recruited and that the Federation of Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) should support the association.

  • Cross River partners Zenith Bank to boost agricultural value chain policy

    The efforts of Governor Ben Ayade to industrialise Cross River State through its agricultural value chain policy got a major boost with the announcement of a partnership between the state government and Zenith Bank.

    This followed a visit by the management of the bank led by its Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu to the various agricultural-processing factories located at the Ayade Industrial Park in Calabar.

    Speaking to newsmen after touring the factories, Onyeagwu said Ayade deserves commendation for his foresight, initiative and determination to create an economy for the state through industrialization.

    According to him: “The essence of all of these factories is what we have been talking about in this country.

    “What I have seen here are factories that are not just integrated but are also properly linked with the ecosystem.”

    He said beyond partnering with the state to deepen the agricultural value chain efforts of the government, his bank is willing to also provide advisory support services to the government.

    Read Also: Cross River to recover N700m debt from cocoa farmers

    “When the projects grow and get into incubation level, we could start looking at providing and supporting the government with advisory services to diversify and expand the ownership and move it to private sector that would manage it,” he said.

    On economic impact of the Ayade industrialisation policy, the Zenith bank boss expressed optimism the projects would create jobs, put food on the table and help raise the people’s standard of living.

    “It would help change the economic narrative of Cross River and Nigeria as a country. I think Governor Ayade deserves commendation,” Onyeagwu stated

    While expressing his joy at the collaboration between his state and the bank, Governor Ayade used the occasion to disclose he had signed a contractual deal with John Del of USA via Tata to supply the state with equipment for land clearing and soil preparation in furtherance of his Agro- Industrialisation drive.

  • Solidaridad partners Kogi on palm oil production

    Kogi State Government is partnering with Solidaridad, a global non-governmental organisation (NGO) to improve oil palm production and the livelihood of smallholder oil palm farmers in the state.

    The project is aimed at building farmer’s capacity to implement best management practices, intensification and rehabilitation efforts.

    In a statement, Solidaridad said the project would teach the farmers sustainable climate-smart practices for increased productivity.

    The NGO will also introduce innovation for improved downstream processing to increase palm oil extraction rate and quality, create a competitive oil palm sector through policy and institutional dialogue and influencing, and improve access to finance, inputs and markets for oil palm smallholder farmers and SMEs.

    The government recently showed its commitment to the laudable initiatives of the company through an intent letter expressing its readiness to partner with Solidaridad in its capacity building initiatives of smallholder farmers in the state.

    According to Senior Climate Specialist for Africa Solidaridad, Samuel Ogallah, the intent letter from the state shows the willingness of the governor to revitalise agricultural practices in the state for the benefit of the people.

    To him, the state stands to benefit from the expertise of Solidaridad in the area of climate-friendly agriculture, which the NGO has demonstrated around the world in the last 50 years of its existence.

    Read Also: Palm oil: Treatment of poison, skincare

    “The capacity of farmers will be enhanced through increased productivity and better livelihood, the project will build adaptive capacity and resilience to the impact of climate change, and with the adoption of climate-smart technology, the emission of Green House Gas, (GHG), will be reduced in their practices both at the farm and milling level,” he said.

    Oil Palm Programme Manager SWA Nigeria, Kenechukwu Onukwube, the recent buy-in of Solidaridad’s NISCOPS programme by the government is the right step towards revitalisation of the oil palm sector, as the state is vital in the production of the commodity in the country.

    According to him, the initiatives of Solidaridad are important because “Kogi is one of the states in Nigeria with rich oil palm belt”.

    Onukwube praised the government of Kogi for being the first among other states like Enugu, Cross River and Akwa Ibom to express interest and commitment through an official letter to Solidaridad.

    He noted that NI-SCOPS’ objectives align with the state’s ‘New Direction Blueprint Agenda for the Agricultural Sector.’

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture Idenyi Emmanuel suggested that Solidaridad should look inwards to other commodities such as cotton, cassava, cashew, soya beans, as well as minerals like gold, iron ore, coal, which are in abundance in the state.

     

  • Creating conditions to empower women, youths

    For many women and youths, agri-entrepreneurship can be a pathway to decent work and income opportunities. However, many are faced with challenges, including limited skills to farm and process crops and financial resources. The Federal Government, through the World Bank-assisted agro-processing, productivity enhancement and livelihood improvement support project (APPEALS), is working with selected states to ensure farmers reach their full potential through value chain development, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    AGRICULTURE  has created opportunities for women and youths to participate in the various value chain of food production. Still wide gaps persist.  Many of them  face challenges in the bid to contribute to economic growth through agriculture, including limited skills to farm and process crops and financial resources.                              To address this, the Federal Government launched the World Bank assisted agro processing, productivity enhancement and livelihood improvement support project (APPEALS) to offer opportunities to farmers.

    So far, the  government is upbeat as the programme has the potential to deliver a great deal to the economy because of its capacity to drive the structural transformation of selected states, from low productivity to higher agro industrial activities.

    The states are Lagos, Enugu, Kogi, Kaduna, Cross River and Kano.

    Addressing an interactive project facilitation training in Lagos, the Project Operations Manager, Dr Salisu Garba, said the project was expected to offer substantial opportunities for small-scale food processing and create more jobs that are desperately needed in rural areas.

    He explained that the challenge of value addition features prominently in agriculture, which is linked to low level of investment in agribusiness and agro industrialisation.

    To help bridge the gap, he said APPEALS  has provided an approach which offers economies of scale support to farmers and a shared knowledge and investment platform. The project wants to ensure long term food security and improvement of livelihood of farmers through sharing information through training on production, stocks and utilisation of food reserve.

    He stressed that to increase capacities of Nigerians in the rural areas to make a living from agriculture, there is  a need for the various officers from  state APPEALS offices  to understand the technicalities of the project and how to help farmers in their areas learn modern food production practices.

    The state Project Coordinator, Lagos APPEALS, Mrs. Oluranti Oviebo, said the goal of the project in the state is to empower farmers to produce value added goods that are competitive and better able to reach growth targets.

    Mrs.  Oviebo said the project was receiving the support of the government to increase food production.

    She said the project recognises small holder agricultural development as an excellent way to reduce poverty and hunger and that it is working through cluster groups towards a diversified food production.

    She said the number of the project direct beneficiaries for Lagos is estimated at 10,000 while 50,000 farm household members are indirect beneficiaries.

    She said the value chains supported by APPEALS in Lagos are aquaculture, poultry and rice.

    The State Project Coordinator, Cross River State, Dr Agim Marcel, said the project has all the ingredients to promote diverse food production that play a vital role for nutrition and food security.

    According to him, Cross River State is already experiencing increasing agro production activities generated by APPEALS impact on the cultivation of crops such as cocoa, rice among others.

    The APPEALS’ Women & Youth/Livelihood Specialist, Ms. Heather Akanni said for local women entrusted with the task of feeding their families the project offered an opportunity to produce crops and earn income.

     

  • Firm unveils platform

    A digital  farming investment company, Farmcrowdy platform, has introduced Crowdyvest, an impact-driven platform that connects individuals and organisations, funds  farming and other activities that reduce food insecurity, youth unemployment.

    Speaking in Lagos, the Chairman, Farmcrowdy, Mr Onyeka Akumah, said the group was implementing a road map which focuses on creating wealth while fostering value addition to a variety of sectors.

    Through Farmcrowdy, he said the group has been able to shape the future of farming in Nigeria via a platform which helps small-scale farmers’ access market, capital and resources.

    He said the launch of Crowdyvest would see a successful migration of existing sponsors under the Farmcrowdy platform to the Crowdyvest platform without any need to create a fresh account.

    He said new sponsors would be able to sign up to a safe, secure and trusted platform. His words: “Every sponsor will continue to safely sponsor farms on the farms on the Farmcrowdy platform as well as other portfolio products and sponsorship opportunities to be launched via the Crowdyvest platform in the future.”

    He added: “We have been able to successfully implement a business model in one of the most challenging sectors in the world, driving agriculture. With our model, we have connected over 25,000 farmers to funding, technical expertise and market access.”

    Following the support the project has received from the national and global start-ups ecosystem investors, Akumah said the group decided to promote Crowdyvest to provide funding for other opportunities in other sectors in the bid to achieve the United Nations Development goals.

    According to him, it makes sense to invest in improving the livelihoods of Nigerians.

    He said there is a scope for the organisation to offer effective services by linking data platform, since the company has recorded success in crowd farming investment platform.

    He said there is a lot of space to make impact in agriculture, including crops and livestock production.

    Akumah, the Founder and Chief Executive of Crowdyvest, said the group is distinct from Farmcrowdy but it connects members of the group to multiple sponsored opportunities that are safe and trusted.

    He said the group will work with sponsors to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

    As influx of new technologies has transformed the agricultural sector, Akumah said the group intends to deploy it to ensure farmers earn better income.

    He said Farmcrowdy wants to get into impact investments that help in the battle to end hunger, poverty and promote social development.

    The Managing Director, Farmcrowdy, Mr. Kenneth Obiajulu, said: “It has been an amazing opportunity to lead a brand like Farmgate Africa and achieving a great amount of traction in such a short period of time.

    He said the plan is now to consolidate on the traction from both Farmcrowdy and Farmgate Africa to build a more robust Farmcrowdy that can create more value points across the African agricultural value chain.

    He said the plan is ensure enough beef supply for Nigerians, by proving 100 bulls per day and increasing the number of restaurants they supply.

  • Combating post-harvest losses

    Post-harvest management is closely related to United Nations Sustainable goal of ending hunger by 2030. The World Food programme has implemented a strategy to help Nigerian farmers reduce post-harvest loss, DANIEL ESSIET writes.

    A third of the global food wastage happens during post-harvest according to international reports.

    According to figures by the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Nigeria loses some $9 billion yearly due to poor post-harvest management. More than 30 per cent of staple food grains, such as maize, sorghum, millet, are lost due to poor storage, while 60 percent of vegetables perish.

    For this reason, there have been worldwide efforts to reduce post-harvest losses against the backdrop of an increasing world population.

    One goal of the World Food Programme (WFP) is to support a post-harvest system in Nigeria that ensures farmers take delivery of a crop from the farm, at harvest, with minimum loss, maximum efficiency and returns for all involved.

    For instance, WFP has played a key role in minimising post-harvest loss of cowpea and increasing supply.  Training carried out in Yobe State has improved methods of food storage after the harvest season. WFP, in collaboration with the Agricultural Development Project (ADP) and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), trained 300 farmers on post-harvest best practices – using hermetic storage technology. Hermetic storage bags are airtight and waterproof, allowing farmers to store and save grains from infestations or destruction by insects, rodents, mold and moisture, thus preserving them for long periods of time.

    After the training, each of the farmers received eight (8) specially made airtight 50 kg bags to store their grains for six months until the prices of grains rose in the market. The farmers stored cowpeas in the new airtight bags, while others stored theirs in the traditional ways.  “When the bags were opened in Gashua, the results were astonishing,” Ms. Eden Guizaw, the WFP officer leading the Post-Harvest Loss Management Programme said. “90 percent of the grains stored in the traditional way were lost, while 100 percent of those stored in the hermetic (airtight) bags were intact. It was amazing; indeed, beyond my imagination”.

    One of the farmers, Hajia Taannabi, recorded a huge profit in her sales by using the hermetic storage bags to preserve her grains.

    “I stored my grain with the hermetic bags, without losing any to infestation or rodents. I sold each mudu (measure for grains) for N400 and gained N300 on each mudu and was able to feed my family and pay my children’s school fees”, Hajia Taanabi said. Building on the success of the pilot project, WFP will train more farmers nationwide in the use of the hermetic storage technology in the next phase of the programme – depending on the availability of funds. “Investments in this type of training and technology are critical to making progress in reducing food insecurity over time,” Acting Country Director for WFP Nigeria, Sarah Longford said. WFP is also encouraging local businesses by supporting the production in Nigeria of the hermetic storage bags by some Nigerian private enterprises.

    By promoting hermetic storage in Nigeria, WFP aims to contribute to post-harvest loss reduction and boost food security to achieve zero hunger.

  • Cocoa prices continue slide as global demand remains soft

    International cocoa prices have continued to plunge, despite increasing demand in the world market.

    The downward trend, has affected the profitability of the industry, which is heavily dependent on export markets.

    Since January 2016, according to the World Bank Commodities Price Data, cocoa sold at $2.89 per kilogram and fell to $2.03 in December 2017. It sold at $2.29 in January 2018 and $2.18 in December.

    Between January and March this year, according to the World Bank price data, cocoa sold at $2.24 and $2.20, while in April, cocoa sold for $2.33 and $2.32 in May.

    According to data from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) cocoa sold for $ 1770.50 per tonne on June 11 and $1782.47 on June 12.

    In an interview with The Nation, the President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama said the prices of agro commodities have witnessed highs and low prices this year.

    He attributed this to over production and earlier weather concerns about the West African cocoa bean crop.

    Read Also: NIRSAL guarantees N2b facility for cocoa

    Cocoa bean supplies are coming off a major global surplus estimated at 300,000 tonnes in 2016-17 after record production in the Ivory Coast.

    Despite, he called for increased distribution of hybrid seedlings and other advanced technologies that help cocoa farmers improve yields.

    In Nigeria, some international companies working with organisations such as Farmers Development Union (FADU) have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into certified and sustainable cocoa production in places such as Oyo State.

    The programmes are designed to improve quality and yields through good agricultural practices free from pesticides, chemicals and child labour.

  • Tackling tilapia deficit

    Though tilapia is key to feeding a growing population like Nigeria’s, only a few farmers go into its production . The farmers complain of low yields and low profits, among others. How to reverse the trend was the focus of a workshop organised by the Lagos State Government, under the World Bank-assisted Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement, Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

    Tilapia is one of the popular fish in the market. It is key to feeding a growing population like Nigeria’s, which  eats mainly animal protein.

    Despite that tilapia farming is lucrative, many farmers complain of low yields and low profits. Poor supply chain practices also affect the quality of farmed fish available to consumers, they added.

    To solve the problems, stakeholders are pressing for support to increase the production of inexpensive, nutritious and safe tilapia.

    These issues came at a workshop on tilapia cage culture held in Lagos. The event was organised by the Lagos State Government under World Bank-assisted Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement, Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project.

    The aim was to empower fish farmers to use cage culture to produce tilapia efficiently and sustainably. Specifically, it involved having good site management, working conditions for labourers, registering data and using good feed methods.

    The Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, said the state government would continue to seek new ways of utilising its water bodies to develop aquaculture and also improve residents’nutrition.

    He said the government was  working out ways of improving farmers’ standard of living via utilising natural endowments.

    “We have to improve the nutrition of our people, as well as increase the income of farmers and their standard of living by having more fishes to cultivate to improve their income.

    “With the ecology of Lagos State being a coastal state and endowed with water bodies, we, therefore, need to utilise those water bodies to improve fish production.

    “From the Federal Government to all the states in the country, agriculture is the key to development,’’ the permanent secretary said.

    He noted that Nigeria needed to reduce its foreign exchange spending on imported agricultural products.

    “When you look at the funds expended in importing agriculture commodities and other food products, it is a lot. We can save the country some foreign exchange by improving our agriculture.By doing so, importation of food products will reduce, and there will be enough money to do other things like road construction,’’ Onasanya said.

    The State Project Coordinator (SPC), Lagos APPEALS project, Mrs Oluranti Oviebo,  said it had identified three water bodies as safe for tilapia cage culture in the state.

    Mrs Oviebo noted that an analysis had been conducted on the water bodies in Afowo in Badagry; Agbowa in Ikorodu and Ebute-Afuye in Epe.

    She explained: ”Cage culture is practiced in the open water.You  grow fish but confined in a cage; but the earthen pond is the aquaculture, where you have your pond and there is water seepage.

    “The project has carried out thorough investigations on these areas – Afowo in Badagry; Agbowa in Ikorodu-Epe and also Ebute-Afuye in Epe.

    “It is not enough to say you are going into tilapia farming and then you will go and find any water body to start using. We took the samples of these water bodies and the soils so that it doesn’t look like a mere experiment.

    “We have to be sure of the composition of these sites to ascertain their suitability to culture Tilapia,’’ the coordinator said.

    Mrs Oviebo noted that fish farmers must have a minimum of three years’ experience in the business, with a very good business plan to access grants.

    The coordinator said there was need to leverage on the country’s huge water bodies and diverse fish species.

    “Even in the North, irrigation should not be the only use of our water bodies because you can still use the water of the cage to do your irrigation,’’ he said.

    The Managing Director, Latia Global Investment Limited, Mr Nurudeen Tiamiyu, in his presentation on ‘’Water quality management’’, said there were technologies that could ease the business of cage culture.

    He noted that farmers should take daily records of the water temperature, turbidity, water depth, movement, bottom type, cage size, shape, and mesh and happa net size among others.

    A tilapia cage culture farmer, Mr Remi Ahmed, said the APPEALS project had created an opportunity for farmers to harness technologies in the fisheries sub-sector.

    Ahmed said there were certain processes involved in cage culture, that would make tilapia cage culture easy and productive which farmers hitherto, took for granted.

    “This event is to promote the cage culture of tilapia. There are lots of water bodies that are underutilised. Let me be fair to the northerners who use them for irrigation; but in the West, we do not use them for anything.”

    “If you have the floater, the restriction, which is the cage you can put in the water, put your fish and start feeding it. It will reduce mortality because they are in their natural habitation,” Ahmed said.

    Another  cage culture practitioner Mrs Abeni Oshinlolu described the programme as an enlightening.

  • Farmcrowdy merges subsidiaries

    Farmcrowdy, the country’s first digital agriculture firm, has merged its subsidiaries – Farmgate Africa and Agricsquare. The firms will now be referred to as Farmcrowdy.

    In a statement, company said sponsorships available in  the subsidiaries’platforms would reflect on the Farmcrowdy platform.

    It explained that sponsorship options, such as beef processing, ginger farms, cattle farms, and poultry farms previously only available via Farmgate Africa and Farmcrowdy will now be open to sponsorship on the Farmcrowdy platform.

    The statement, noted, that Agricsquare will, however, continue to be run as a product of Farmcrowdy – the largest community of agriculture enthusiasts in the country with over 20,000 people engaging daily to discuss agriculture-related topics.

    In addition, the statement added that the Managing Director, Farmgate Africa, Kenneth Obiajulu, would oversee the trading aspect of the new entity and Temitope Omotolani, Chief Operations Officer for Farmcrowdy, would continue to oversee the production segment (Crop production, feedlot production, etc) of the company.

    According to Farmcrowdy Founder and CEO, Onyeka Akumah, this process had been in the plan to attract more talents, expand the company’s reach in the agriculture value chain and provide more options for sponsors on its platform.

    As a company, Farmcrowdy is operates in 14 states  and has signed up over 25,000 farmers into its programmes who have cultivated over 16,000 acres of farmland. Recently, Farmcrowdy partnered Livestock247, an online livestock marketplace and Best Foods Livestock and Poultry Limited, a leading name in the livestock and seafood processing industry in the country to grow its livestock chain.

    He said the new Farmcrowdy would  be looking for new partnerships to continue to grow more crops as it targets expansion into four new states and increasing its supply of over 50 cows fit for slaughter per day to a supply of 100 cows per day.

  • Experts seek ways to stop produce rejection

    A Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) consultant, Prof. Funso Sonaiya, has called for concerted efforts to stem  the rejection of the country’s agricultural produce abroad.

    Speaking with The Nation, Sonaiya stressed the need for improved post-harvest handling and packaging to meet standards set for export to regional and international markets.

    He explained that European Union (EU) expects countries wishing to export to the region to set up a similar system of food safety controls to ensure that European consumers have the same level of confidence in the safety of imported food products as they do with those from the EU.

    He said the measures must protect exports from diseases, pests, or contaminants.

    This is to ensure that importing countries can rely on Nigeria’s food safety system and that food imported from here  is safe, the dons said.

    Sonaiya said the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has set standards, which farmers must follow to avoid rejection if they are to tap into wider markets.

    Besides experts, such as the Executive Secretary/CEO, Institute of Export Operations and Management, (IEOM) Mr. Ofon Udofia, are canvassing investment in laboratories; sensitisation of farmers on good practices of production and post-harvest handling using extension services.

    They also said the high post-harvest losses, damage, bruising, rotting and lack of cold storage need strategic intervention by supporting fruit processing and encouraging cottage fruits and vegetables processors.

    Some Nigerians have lost alot of money to failure of food to meet to EU requirements. EU has some of the most comprehensive food safety standards in the world, and a well-established system of controls to make sure that those standards are met.

    Stakeholders believe clear policies that advance food safety, good production practices, strict hygienic and farming environment control, and regulations for proper animal medicinal drug use, science-based animal care and well-being practices that are consistent with globally recognised standards and best practices can help open the doors in the international markets.