The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • 2019 polls: Farmers set agenda for politicians

    Ahead of the forthcoming polls, farmers, at an event organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre and Voices for Food Security (VFS), presented their expectations to some politicians in Lagos, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Farmers  organisations, especially those producing the raw ingredients and their suppliers from across the country, have united to set agenda for politicians aimed at addressing key principles that can help ensure Nigeria’s success in the supply of food.

    The manifesto emphasised the importance of the food production and supply sectors.

    The initiative, which is part of a national food security campaign supported by Oxfam, comes under the auspices of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre.

    The farmers’ group, which comprised All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA), Voices for Food Security Campaign (VFS), presented the expectations to some politicians at a Meat Farmers Forum in Lagos.

    In the manifesto, the groups  noted that allocation to the sector have over the five years not exceeded two per cent, whereas there is a Malabo Declaration, which provides for at least 10 per cent of the yearly budgetary allocation to the sector. Nigeria is a signatory to the declaration.

    They observed that farmers are trapped in poverty due to the combined effects of poor policy implementation, poor markets and infrastructure provision for value addition, lack of credit as well as high cost of business environment which reduce their gross margins and therefore keep them within the poverty trap.

    The farmers observed that growth in gross domestic product for the agriculture sector was 13 per cent in 2015; 4.69 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 and 5.3 per cent in 2017.

    They said the overall sector’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution is about 24 percent, making it one of the largest contributors to the economy. To this end, they noted that the sector needs to be given increased and adequate attention.

    According to the farmers, incessant dwindling of the budgetary allocation to the sector has continued with debilitating consequences on the funding of key projects and programmes under the various government policies including the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP).

    The farmers said access to land for agriculture is still a challenge for them, especially their female colleagues because of the cost of and access to opening land for expansion.

    The groups noted that agricultural growth could lead to high rates of investment and gains in productivity throughout the economy.

    According to them,reforms would lead to growth in employment and income, improved income distribution, poverty alleviation, and stronger food demand.

    The farmers called for increased budgetary allocation to agriculture, especially for small scale farmers.

    The groups said if Lagos desires to make agriculture a major contributor to her GDP,then adopting the Maputo 10 per cent recommendation is a good starting point.

    HEDA Resource Centre Management Team Chairman, Suraju Olanrewaju, said the dream of farmers is to make the agricultural sector more competitive.

    According to him, Nigeria’s food security depends on increasing production to meet the demand of a growing population with rising income. To do so, he said a productive, competitive, diversified and sustainable agricultural sector will need to emerge at an accelerated pace.

    He said the group launched the ‘Farmers Manifesto’ as part of measures to boost economic development and food security in the country.

    He said that the group is tired of policy failures in the agriculture sector due to the non-commitment of politicians saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the policies are implemented to the letter and in the interest of farmers.

    The Executive Secretary, HEDA, Sulaiman Arigbabu, said farmers face challenge  of having inputs such as fertiliser, provided in time; hence   because of this, he noted farm incomes remain poor.

    According to him, infrastructure bottlenecks are the main obstacle to Nigerian agriculture’s capacity to supply domestic market.

    He explained that poor roads impose high costs on farmers in the agricultural frontier.

    He said the farmers only ask for increase in budgetary allocation to agriculture, dedication of at least 10 percent of agriculture funding to the small-scale farmers (SSFs) and road map for the resolution of herdsmen-farmers crisis.

    He said the view of farmers is that they have been continuously short-changed over the years by politicians who only remember them when votes are needed.

    He said the idea behind the manifesto is to highlight the needs of farmers, for the endorsement of the political class and candidates of various political parties that seek their votes.

    He decried the continuous neglect by politicians across the country, saying that electioneering manifesto that capture farmers interests would henceforth earn their votes.

    Responding to the farmers request, the Lagos State Deputy Governorship candidate, All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, said his party will ensure that agricultural reform stays on the front burner.

    He   said the nation’s future growth in agriculture could slow down if efforts are not made to address constraints for farmers,including infrastructure along the food supply chain, and concerns about limited land access.

    He stressed that large investments in maintenance and expansion of transport infrastructure are needed to keep up with the expected growth in demand, to lower delivery times and costs and to maintain product quality.

    Hamzat said his party would ensure increasing productivity and expansion of land devoted to agriculture to enable Lagos become a major food supplier.

    Similarly, the Lagos State governorship  candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Jimi Agbaje, said the nation’s agricultural system still has much potential to supply more agricultural products if it can address financial constraints for farmers, infrastructure challenges along the food supply chain, and environmental concerns about land expansion.

    The Lagos governorshipl candidate, Action Democratic Party(ADP), Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi, said the state’s  rising food consumption will require continued increases in food supplies. The challenge for the farm sector, according to him, is to sustain productivity growth to meet increasing domestic demand and, at the same time, maintain its position as a major supplier of agricultural commodities to world markets.

    The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party,Dr Adetokunbo Pearse said his party is ready to implement reforms that will restore steady economic growth.

     

  • FACAN targets 10m jobs through rural agric

    Federation of Agricultural Commodities Associations of Nigeria (FACAN) said it is targeting 10 million jobs yearly with its planned rural agricultural revival campaign.

    The initiative aims to benefit up to 200,000 households in some communities, with special attention being given to ensure that women and youth are included in the scheme.

    Speaking with The Nation, its President Dr Victor Iyama said FACAN is determined to boost farm productivity nationwide to arrest   gross underemployment in rural communities.

    He stressed that agriculture offers great opportunities to drive development and raise living standards for millions of people.

    Since over 70 percent of Nigerians  live in rural area and depend on agriculture for their livelihood, he said FACAN is seeking grants from donors to promote farm economic opportunities to slow social mobility out of agricultural occupations.

    He said the association is seeking funds to enable it provide affordable finance for tractors, threshers, combine harvesters and other equipment to thousands of farmers across the country.

    He said the national rural agriculture renewal campaign will involve the development of farm settlements, alongside implementing various skill development initiatives to cater for the requirements of the sector.

    Iyama said it was important farmers   continue to grow diversity of markets.

    He said the association is going to work with farmers in the rural communities to create a gateway for them connect with the huge opportunities emerging in the market.

     

    He noted that, despite remaining challenges, the Government had taken huge strides in recent years to improve rice production.

    He added, however, that the government needs to join forces with the private sector to enhance rice productivity, by providing equipment and processing machines to improve food security and farmers’ livelihoods.

    According to him, the rice sector needs to increase plant capacity and establish a new position as a rice exporter in the world.

    For this to be achieved, he said farmers must be empowered with processing machines, such as paddy huskers and rice milling machines.

    He said FACAN would help producers, processors and exporters improve their productivity, quality of production, and capacity to biosecurity requirements.

    According to him, export opportunities make an important contribution to the economic growth and the livelihoods of people.

     

     

  • ‘Fishes smuggling threat to food security’

    A fisheries expert, Prof Udeme Enin, has warned that smuggling foreign fishes, which may threaten native species,pose danger to food safety.

    Enin of the Institute of Oceanography of the University of Calabar, said too many invasive alien species have been introduced in the name of food production and improving livelihoods, but these has often led to ecological imbalance.

    He  noted that introducing foreign tilapia without clean bill of health from the fisheries department could lead to introduction of invasive alien species with potential adverse impact to the natural ecosystem.

    He warned against unreported breeding or introduction of fishes, adding that the authorities need to be strict in issuing import permits.

    According to him, the proliferation of invasive alien species, may affect the country’s food-production capacity, as well, citing its potential impact in water bodies.

    Enin urged the government to intensify the campaign against smuggling of fish and prevent the entry of potentially invasive alien species that may adversely affect the environment.

    He  implored law enforcers manning airports and seaports to  improve surveillance nationwide.

    He said monitoring in airports and seaports should be tightened to prevent smugglers from bringing in smuggled food products.

    He appealed for caution in the importation and introduction of non-native species for commercial propagation as they pose a threat to the country’s rich biodiversity.

  •  Fears over policy somersault

    While developments in the sector have shown signs of hope, rising interest rate and constraints in credit expansion remain major concerns to players, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    For analysts, this year is likely to be challenging; one that would test the resilience of economy. This is because of the delays in projects spending, weak credit extension and political uncertainty.

    According to the analyst, the  uncertain political    outlook   would prove  that  purposeful      leadership is  a factor in reducing regulatory burdens on farmers.

    For months, businesses held their breath, awaiting the outcome of the forhhcoming presidential election.

    Experts said the policy goals would go a long way in improving the outlook for agriculture.

    Stakeholders are watching with keen interest the two major political parties – People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) – that are expected to produce the next president. Presidential and gubernatorial/assembly elections are scheduled for February.

    Although citizens saw mild protests last year, the experts expect relative stability and growth to pick up from early March.

    Speaking with The Nation, a World Bank Consultant, Prof Martins Anetekhai said stakeholders were awaiting the outcome of the elections before making business decisions. The uncertainty following the prolonged electioneering is expected to continue hanging over the economy, stifling private sector activity. In addition to the political outcome, watchers expect a drought or late rains which could weigh down agricultural output.

    In most agricultural areas of the North, short rains could be below average. However, long rains in some areas will sustain high agricultural labour demand and facilitate food production.  As a result, deterioration in food security is most likely to be gradual.

    The interest rate also remains a concern amid reported constraints in credit expansion, leading to reduced private sector investment. Although government development spending has increased considerably over the past two years, slow implementation of public infrastructure projects could limit growth, according to analysts.

    Despite this, Anetekhai sees a promising economic outlook.

    He expects the government to continue with its pro-business and pro-international investment approach.

    The Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) President, Dr. Victor Iyama, said the sector would do well given the recent increased emphasis on increasing the sector’s share of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in the coming years.

    Iyama said infrastructural constraints weren’t the only obstacles in the sector.  He said there was an urgent need for the government to improve the productivity of the agriculture to foster inclusive GDP growth.

     

    Budget for Agric

    The Federal Government proposed N138 billion as the 2019 budget for the sector, representing 1.56 per cent as against 10 per cent recommended by the Maputo Declaration of 2003. If approved, the ministry would get N80, 290,007,947 as its capital budget with total recurrent expenditure pegged at N57, 677,415,129.

    President Muhammadu Buhari during his budget presentation at the National Assembly in Abuja restated his commitment to developing the sector by refinancing the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and the Bank of Industry (BoI) with N15 billion and another N10 billion.

    Last year, the ministry proposed N53.8 billion as recurrent expenditure and N149.19 billion as capital budget as against N31.75 billion recurrent and N103.79 capital expenditure in 2017.

    But the N80.29 billion proposed for the capital projects in the agriculture ministry is much lower than the proposed budget in 2018 (N149.19 billion), representing 2.2 per cent and N103.79 billion in 2017 representing 1.38 per cent.

    Moreover, the budget for more than a decade has been marginal, indicating the government’s seriousness to feed its growing population projected by the United Nations to hit 398 million by  2050.

    Anetekhai said Nigeria needs to enforce good agric practices that would ensure the long-term sustainability of the production systems for food security. He noted, however, that agriculture reform and development would form a major part of the government’s efforts.

    Anetekhai said so much had been achieved on the continent towards formulating polices on addressing  food security challenge in Africa.

    Iyama expects farmers to make efforts in growing crops, such as yams, cassava, citrus fruits and rice.  A key plank of his recommendations is ensuring farmers’access better input, notably seeds and fertiliser.

     

    Coming of younger farmers

    Farmers, who are younger and business- and tech-savvy, are transforming the shrinking agriculture sector with cutting-edge techniques and marketing strategies, giving new hope to an industry  that was in slow decline. They are bonding to improve the  sector.

    Iyama said the federation has priorities, including working with youths this year, to push farmers to go high-tech, setting standards among farms, boosting productivity and lowering costs, building capacity and developing manpower.

    On boosting productivity and building capacity, he said the federation hopes infrastructure could be built to help farms share resources, such as cold rooms or packaging areas, and to conduct technology-sourcing trips abroad. The sharing of resources will help to reduce capital investments for individual farms and lower operating costs.

    He said the federation also wants to use young farmers to boost local demand for home-grown produce.

    Low crop prices are here to stay as traders see gluts hiting bumper cassava harvests, which may make it harder for small farmers  to make money buying and selling   such  produce.  Gluts may push crop prices to near the lowest.

     

    Value chain devt

    Iyama said there would be huge efforts towards developing food and agriculture value chains. Companies, such as Transcorp, Honeywell, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Dangote, and Bua Group, are expected to make investments spanning multiple points along the food and agriculture value chain.

    Iyama stressed the need for focus on market opportunities for food crops and engaging private sector towards promoting sustainability and resilience in food value chains.

     

    Food export

    Nigeria is expected to export food and earn foreign exchange of about $10 billion yearly over the next four years.

    Iyama said there would be concerted efforts to reduce dependence on oil and increase income from the sector.

     

     Boosting rice production

    Kano-based Amarava Rice Mill is targeting 500 tonnes production daily by June, just as it hits 250 tonnes to boost local self-sufficiency.

    Many states will continue their programmes to encourage local rice farmers.

    Agitation will be sustained to get the government to give farmer credit at five percent interest rate as part of the strategy to increase food production and self- sustainability in the country.

     

    Farmers-herders crisis

    Stakeholders will expect the conversation to continue on the anti-open grazing and cattle colony as states refused to let go of their lands.

     

    GES Programme

    Stakeholders expect the government to re-design the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) programme to boost farmers’access to farming input across Nigeria.

     

    Investors coming for  agrifood start-ups

    This year will witness the coming of more investors seeking  agrifood start-ups. Many  stage start-ups in agrifood technology have emerged promoting innovations that  will improve the efficiency and sustainability of the food supply chain. Founder of Tech Circle, Oo. Nwoye expects investors to provide hands-on assistance for early-stage startups to commercialise as well as mentor and connect them to potential clients.

     

    Tackling weather problems

    Torrential rains could destroy farms. The rains in some areas  struck fruit and vegetable production sites, leaving farmers devastated. Torrential rains could cause  heavy damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries.  The government should plan how to ameliorate the effects of such disasters.

    These should include the provision of interest-free loans to agriculture, forestry and fisheries enterprises for five years, and requests to financial institutions for a moratorium on debt payments by disaster victims. A crippling drought have ravaged  vast tracts of  pastorallands, decimating herds and putting desperate farmers under intense financial and emotional strain, with little relief in sight.

     

    Govt’s  devt plan

    Experts remain skeptical of the government’s agric development plan. An expert told The Nation that he was not confident of such a plan given the lack of consistency in government policies.

     

    Ban maize import

    Farmers, through Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), want the government to ban maize importation to encourage local production.

    The association’s National President Alhaji Bello Abubakar, reacting to a recent publication by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) on a request by Grand Cereals Limited to import maize, said the move was ‘unpatriotic’and targeted at thwarting the efforts of farmers and the government toward achieving self-sufficiency in maize production.

    According to him, farmers produce enough and better maize to feed the country than what is being imported.

    “Our last year’s production was 15 million tonnes and this year, we produced 20 million tonnes of maize and the required quantity for all maize processors in Nigeria is about eight million tonnes.

    “The government intervention in the agricultural sector has put in place the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) to encourage local production of agricultural commodities, including maize.

    “MAAN is executing the ABP in 19 states which has empowered about 100,000 on and off farm employment. “This contribution of MAAN, if complemented by other large-scale maize grain users, will create more than one million on and off farm employment in the maize value chain.

    “Therefore, we request that the importation of maize grain in any form is considered counter-productive to agricultural development in Nigeria and should be discouraged in its entirety,’’ he said.

     

    Late distribution of input

    Farmers have identified late distribution of input to beneficiaries as a major challenge to the Nigerian government’s Anchor Borrowers Programme.

    Last year, farmers lamented that seeds, chemicals and fertiliser were distributed late to beneficiaries while some of the input were substandard and had expired by the time they got them.

    They identified provision of input, credit facility at single digit interest rate and good market prices for farmers as critical factors that government must consider if agriculture was expected to drive the economy.

    Repayment of ABP loans

    So many rice farmers defaulted in repaying the first phase of the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

  • Extension agents get 220 vehicles, motorcycles

    The Northeast Commodity Association (NECAS) has procured 220 motorcycles and distributed to extension agents in the region.

    NECAS also distributed utility vehicles to the all the zonal supervisors for easy accessibility to over 20,000 farmers.

    The states are Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Yobe, while Borno was not included because of  insecurity.

    The  NECAS National President Mallam Sadiq Daware said in Abuja that earlier N14.9 billion loan was distributed to the NECAS farmers under the platform of Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

    He said input were also given to farmers on loan basis and they were expected to pay back in three phases.

    “Starting with first payment of 40 per cent after the first farming cycle, then they would pay the remaining two cycles of 30 per cent making a total of 100 per cent.

    “Before now, the size of each farm had been captured and an identity card was issued to each of the beneficiaries of the project for easy identification and documentation to enable them to access the required support.

    “The agents are to oversee all the farms in the Northeast that are producing rice, maize, millet, sorghum and even small ruminants amongst others.”

    Dware said for the successful implementation of the exercise, the extension workers had been taught the working systems of modern technologies in service delivery and they were optimistic that the training would be beneficial to the farmers.

    According to him, the efforts are geared toward encouraging increased agricultural production in line with the drive to diversify the economy.

    “NECAS has 128 retired extension agents recruited privately for the programme in Adamawa, the programme is in other five states and they are re-trained on modern technologies in enhancing their job performance.

    “For example, they are supervising 11,525 farmers that are cultivating 38,678 hectares of land for maize, sorghum, soya beans, rice and cotton in Adamawa, while the nearest to it Yobe where farmers are cultivating 14,666 hectares of land by 5,676,’’ he said.

  • Only agric can tackle youth unemployment, says Ortom

    BENUE State Governor Samuel Ortom has said agriculture can provide employment for the youth.

    He urged Nigerians to take advantage of the Federal Government’s facilities, policies and programmes to embrace agric.

    In an interview, Ortom said: “I tell you, we have taken advantage of the facilities provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to improve agriculture in Benue State. As you go out from our premises, you will see 50 tractors with implements that were bought from the Central Bank facility, which we secured. We secured N2 billion from the bank and with part of it, we were able to attract Bank of Industry(BOI) to come here and help our people with a counterpart funding of N1 billion and they also brought in N1 billion and we have N2 billion in that account.

    “The whole thing is to encourage Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially in agricultural processing, for people to access these loans and process.Though I am no longer chairman of the company I established because of the position I hold today, I encourage them and several other Benue people to secure a N1.5 billion facility from the CBN.

    ‘Today, if you go to the Industrial Layout, you will see a feed mill that is being constructed by this facility; you’ll see a rice mill that is being constructed by this facility; you will see a cassava and yam processing mill that is being sponsored by this facility and you’ll also see a maize flour mill that is being constructed. All the raw materials that I am talking about are home-based. You need just some little additives to complete the process, otherwise more than 90 per  cent of these raw materials are home-based.

    “Take, for instance, the cassava and yam mill produces 23 tonnes per day and that is massive. If you multiply that by 22 days in a month, you can imagine the amount of yams and cassava that will be coming in. The rice mill is 100 tonnes per day. The corn flour is 100 tonnes per day and then the feed mill is 50 tons per day. So, you can imagine the benefit for our rural farmers and our people. And there are several companies that have indicated interest through my education to assess this loan because when we got this, it was the  Minister of Agriculture that introduced it to us here.

    Ortom said about N500 million is available in the Central Bank-Agriculture Development Fund, which the Federal Government provided, adding that it has worked very well.

    The governor urged farmers to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the fund to boost their farming.

    He added: ‘’With what is happening, if yams are processed into powder form, you can take them the Asian market, the United States of America, to Europe and other parts of the world. You can imagine the number of jobs that will be created along the line and the economic impact on this state if these things are happening and if you have about 50 of the enterprises like this working for Benue State.’’

  • More investment, less yields

    With the government’s support in 2018, which included credit, agriculture made a strong showing resulting in a rise in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), DANIEL ESSIET reports

    The dwindling oil price led to a renewed focus on agriculture as the engine for economic growth in 2018.

    Compared to other sectors, there were attempts to boost agriculture productivity to enable the sector  play a major role in raising real incomes of the rural poor, thereby reducing poverty.

    Experts said increased opportunities in the sector could boost income for the rural population through better livestock production, rural cottage industries, and high value crops, among others.

    Speaking with The Nation, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) President Dr. Victor Iyama said the agriculture sector recorded growth due to commercialisation, expansion of irrigation, and availability of fertiliser and seeds.

    Iyama said rice was by far the most important agricultural commodity last year.

    According to him, efforts to support small-scale famers through training and improved access to credit helped boost domestic rice production and the overall performance of the agriculture industry.

    The Anchor Borrower’s Programme (ABP), a scheme created by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has helped to improve the commercial sustainability of smallholder rice farmers.

    By far the most important agricultural activity inNigeria, according to him, was the production of ricepaddy, largely under irrigation in north, andupland areas elsewhere in the country.

    Over all, rice production increased by about 10 per cent.

    Iyama noted that with changes in government polices, the  production of rice and yeilds have increased.

    Grown year round in major parts of the country, he said rice is the main staple food. In most cases, its processing is carried on small-scale mills.

    The challenge, according to rice farmer, Rotimi Williams, was that some mills have not been upgraded. The causes are capital and credit constraints, lack of spare parts, and inefficient management.

    Among the most important individual crops were  onions and plantains. An upward trend was seen for vegetables and fruits, and miscellaneous crops.

    IFAD-CASP Projects for states

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh at Makasauro village in Katsina State performed the flag off of erosion prone, farm-connected market roads and rehabilitation of degraded rangeland, cutting across  seven states in the Savannah Belt of the country.

    The benefiting communities implemented under the IFAD-Climate Change Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Programme (CASP) are spread across Borno, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states. The project rehabilitated 22 rural roads with support structures, such as drainages, culverts, rails and drifts covering a distance of 59.09km across the participating states.

    Ogbeh declared that the Federal Government is giving impetus to rural development because of the critical role that rural infrastructure play in unlocking the vast and enormous potential of the rural areas.

    Appeals

    World Bank-Assisted programme, the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement & Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) held its second project implementation support mission with teams from the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development( FMARD), relevant agencies and partners, State Project Coordinators and key stakeholders are in attendance.

    The ministry’s Ministry Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abdulkadir Mu’azu said the Federal Government is committed to the project, which aims to develop all the value chains of the smallholder farmers, who represent the predominant number in food production, adding that the APPEALS programme can help tackle food insecurity, poverty and unemployment and should, therefore, be of strategic importance to us all.

    Crop Insurance

    So much was not achieved in this area as much was not done to evaluate the performance of insurance companies. Farmers believe a lot has to be done to establish a functional crop insurance scheme and to enable companies provide effective services and enough coverage for crop losses during the farming seasons.

    Electronic market place

    Startups got support to establish e-agriculture markets. E-platforms saw lot of improvement during the year, including payment facility by traders, mobile payment facility by traders, enhanced features on mobile app, such as gate entry and payment through mobile, integration of farmer’s database.

    Challenges

    The agriculture sector, which employs about half the population, has been roiled by what economists call “downside shocks”. It’s been a problem of output.

    While the prices farmers receive for cassava crashed because of glut. Farmers in the rural economy had to contend with higher rural wage growth. Due to intensive involvement of labour in different farm operations, the cost of production of many crops is quite high.

    At present, not enough n farmers are adapting farm mechanisation. Although the sale of tractors in cannot be taken as the only measure of farm mechanisation but to a great extent it reflects the level of mechanisation.

    The Group Managing Director, Niji Group, Kola Adeniji, said there was a need to enhance farm mechanisation.

    The sector also witnessed some of the worst times, as input prices increased. This makes the majority of growers miserable, as they faced problems in dealing with the situation.

    Most farmers said they needed help on some fronts. Iyama said farmers needed lower input costs, better irrigation, direct market access and cold chains to reduce waste.

    At the farm gate, crop farmers face high costs of production, with higher variable input costs due to higher innate soil fertility. Farmers usemore fertiliseron their land in most places to generate comparable yields. Also the cost of transporting crops to markets, primarily by truck, was higher on a per tonne basis formost farmers across the country because of bad roads.

    Northeast

    According to reports, agricultural activities in the Northeast  were disrupted by insecurity and displacement. It kept many from engaging fully in cultivation. Conflicts continue to impact the region as fatal attacks by Boko Haram insurgents led to continued displacement and disruption in economic activity. The conflicts affected cultivation activities and pastoralists’herd movements.

  • Saving Nigeria’s dwindling tilapia fishing sector

    Nigeria’s tilapia fish industry is facing some challenges, a scenario that makes it fail to register meaningful and sustainable growth. Stakeholders suggest ways to save the industry, DANIELESSIET reports.

    Nigeria has always been a major consumer of fish, and demand for fisheries products has increased in recent years due to health-consciousness of the citizens. With the population expected to exceed 250 million in 2050, demand is likely to increase even more. However, fisheries resources are limited. Even now, many fish are already on the brink of extinction due to overfishing. For this reason, the production of fisheries products through aqua farming has become important to the challenge of securing food resources. One area that offers prospect is tilapia fish farming.Globally, large-scale commercial tilapia farming operations are profitable and international companies are investing in both local and foreign species.

    While countries such as Egypt have continued to record successes in tilapia farming, Nigeria’s ailing tilapia fish sector has continued to register drastic falls in production.

    Experts said despite government policies  to boost tilapia production smugglingfrom  from China and other constraints have made it impossible  to realise the dream.

    With increase in  population and pressure on the nation’s fisheries resources, experts say  the sector may be doomed unless certain actions are taken to stimulate increased production.

    Addressing a Food and Agriculture Writers Association of Nigeria (FAWON) forum in Lagos, the stakeholders noted that the Nigerian tilapia industry would have expanded rapidly in the past few years, if serious efforts were made to change from a small-scale concern to  a large one capable of feeding the entire population .

    One of them was the National President, Tilapia and Aquaculture Developers Association of Nigeria (TADAN) Mr. Remi Ahmed.

    Addressing the forum where the speakers focused on the current and future challenges and opportunities facing the industry, Ahmed said tilapia provides a nutritious and inexpensive protein, which plays a key role in alleviating nutrient deficiency.

    But over the past few years, competition from tilapia smuggled from China into the country has intensified.

    Despite higher production costs stemming from harsh operating conditions, he said cheap imports from Asia are making investment not worthwhile.

    He said the Nigerian Tilapia farming model was currently being appreciated globally and this would mean unregulated importation of the commodity to retard local production. “This is coming when the international community is happy with the level of work done in Nigeria’s tilapia sub-sector. Within the short period tilapia was introduced to Nigeria, we have been able to develop and produce Tilapia feed that is better than the ones used in most African countries. Let government stop importation of Tilapia into the country because afterwards, the smuggled Tilapia will not allow local producers to get ready-made markets. Restriction of Tilapia importation is not even enough, we want an outright ban because we are producing a lot and we can meet the Tilapia deficit if given the right playing field, ” Ahmed said.

    He said importers of the commodity are enjoying grants and other incentives from their countries which is why when the fish is brought here, it is very cheap.

    He said cost of power and others are serious challenges, so this is not encouraging.

    Ahmed canvassed ban on imported tilapia to protect local aquaculture producers. Although Customs often seize fish and poultry products that are smuggled into Nigeria, the wide availability of imported products show that their efforts are not working.

    The fish farmers would like the government to close down those outlets that sell black market fish and argue that foreign tilapia is only so cheap because the smugglers do not pay taxes on them.

    He said substantial amounts of foreign tilapia are available on the market, in spite of the ban on imports, which was intended to protect the local industry

    He said the potential exists to increase tilapia production significantly. However, for this to be achieved, the local production system needs to be improved and greater emphasis placed on establishing best-practices. Such a move would help to bring greater market credibility, improve margins, and ensure that a more consistent quality product is available.

    Global Technical Head-Fish – Triton Group, Edna Dionisio said the most effective way to support advancement of the sector is to provide a consistent supply of high-quality fish feed products, along with technical support to the industry.

    She noted that ensuring Nigeria-raised tilapia meet the highest quality standards will not only open the door for local farmers but that the products will command much better prices. According to her, feeding accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of the total cost of aquaculture. Moreover, it is often done by unskilled workers, which in many cases, leads to overfeeding or uneven distribution. This means that larger, more aggressive fish tend to get most of the food while the rest go hungry.

    She said feeding makes the business less profitable, uncontrollable — because the biggest cost is just spread on the water.

    In order to improve the sustainability of tilapia production, she observed that it’s essential to improve feed efficiency – the ratio between the feed given to the fish and their weight gain.

    Many of the small fish farmers, she noted, have no prior professional training. She said farmers must track weather conditions and water temperature, which affect fish health. And the farmers must keep records of the feed and the medicine they use.

    Edna Dionisio said her dream is to solve the problem, by making feeding more efficient and controllable.

    She said tilapia farming could be a more viable option in addressing household protein deficiencies and economic security if attempts were made to improve production of fish feeds and fingerlings.

    She said empowering small-scale farmers to run productive and profitable farms is vital if the nation is to feed the future in a sustainable way.

    She said there was need to speed up research and implementation of new innovations and technologies such as genetic improvement of local species and formulation of low cost improved fish feed.

    She said her organisation is at the forefront of commercial tilapia research, with University of Ibadan and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), dedicating resources to progress tilapia feed, nutrition and technology research and development.

    Together with the local industry association, she said her organisation is sponsoring training and offering incentives to a few model farms that invest in improvements.  The idea is that others will follow suit if they see it makes financial sense.

    She said the industry facesthe challenge of approved and certified hatcheries to supply fingerlings and brood stock to farmers.

    She said Triton Group is ready to help local small-scale farmers increase their livelihoods and income by sustainably producing tilapia.

    Vice-President, TADAN, Mr. Nurudeen Tiamiu, said fish was an important source of protein. For this reason, the production of fisheries products through aqua farming has become important to the challenge of securing food resources.

    He observed that there are some obstacles that must be overcome in order to obtain a stable supply of fisheries products using aqua farming.

    For example, there is the problem of the need to obtain feed. Tiamiu said that the government should collaborate with real stakeholders in the sector to fashion out a roadmap to develop farmed fish in the country.

    He noted that tilapia farming has emerged as a significant component of global fish supplies.

    Tiamiu said that the aquaculture sector had been besieged by people who were not known fish farmers, making and taking decisions on behalf of the real time producers.

    Tiamiu said: “I see no reason why the Ministry of Finance is making policies on fish import, while the Ministry of Agriculture is not doing anything for stakeholders. We have a bunch of stakeholders, you have not met with them and have not seen their capabilities in production and that means the Nigerian government do not understand the issues to be addressed when it comes to food safety. We do not even know the quantity of Tilapia needed for consumption, we only know that we have 15 million metric tonnes of fish deficit. Let government meet with stakeholders and fashion out a roadmap to develop farmed fish and farmed fish is the only way aquaculture can survive in Nigeria.”

     

     

  • FAO, WFO to help farmers drive global agricultural agenda

    The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have reaffirmed their commitment to help farmers become the drivers of the global agricultural agenda.

    The new FAO-WFO agreement will focus on supporting and promoting the key role those farmers and their organisations play in efficient, inclusive and sustainable agriculture and food systems; reducing rural poverty; reaching food and nutrition security; and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    It will do so by building farmers’ capacity to lead decision-making processes on agricultural policies at all levels, based on best sustainable agricultural practices that farmers are already applying.

    “This agreement will help build a farmers-driven agricultural agenda to bolster global Zero Hunger efforts, and better support the interests of millions of farmers worldwide. Farmers can bring a range of innovative solutions to the complex challenges we face today,” said FAO Deputy Director-General for Climate and Natural Resources, Maria Helena Semedo.

    “We, as farmers, rely very much on the support of FAO for the creation of a global political environment in agriculture, which is favourable to our farming systems, our families and our communities. As economic actors, our expectation is to increase productivity, tackling climate change, and contribute to global sustainable development. We are ready to do our part and we are deeply grateful to organisations like FAO that support us in this ambitious agenda,” said WFO President, Theo De Jager.

    The agreement will support joint initiatives aimed at:  strengthening collaboration on tackling climate change, responsible management of natural resources, sustainable livestock production, and safe and effective use of antimicrobials; and    enhancing the capacities of farmers’ organisations that are inclusive of women and youth to deliver quality services to their members.

    Others  are  increasing farmers’ technical capacity and sharing of practical, workable solutions on climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable agriculture and responsible natural resource management;    enhancing farmers’ advocacy capacity and impact on global political dialogues on agriculture; supporting family farmers and their organisations to have better access to markets and services; and implement guidelines and principles such as Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) and Small-scale Fisheries (VG-SSF).

     

  • Jumia Food to support local producers

    A food ordering platform, Jumia Food, is mto support local producers to grow the online food retail market.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Guy Futi, said in Lagos that the company was in talks with some players to push restaurants for growth.

    He said food was crucial to the company’s business and that it was looking at ways to strengthen the e-commerce sector while safeguarding the interests of retailers in organised retail with increasing penetration of internet in the country.

    He said the market for food delivery was huge and that Jumia Food was promoting sales through restaurants and fast-food chains.

    According to him, the fast-paced trend of eating out  and experimenting with various cuisines has provided opportunities for  food service business, adding that Jumia Food is ready to deploy technology to play an enabler role  across various facets of the food service value chain, especially ordering and delivering at consumers’ doorsteps.

    Futi said the company has improved its app for a better user experience, allowing customers to slide across menu categories with improved designs. There are over 246 restaurants on the app.

    This year, he said the food segment of Jumai group grew by over 70 per cent and online sales mode constituted a major part of retail sales.

    The online food-delivery platform, he added, is expanding choice and convenience, allowing customers to order from a wide array of restaurants with their mobile phone.

    He said the company was looking to grow its network of food kitchens wirth the launch of an army of smaller brands.

    Jumia Food is in 11 countries in Africa, including Morocco and Uganda, and has 2,000 restaurants partners across the continent.