The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Council raises the alarm over adulterated seeds

    National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) Director-General Dr. Philip Ojo has raised the alarm over proliferation of adulterated seeds in the country.

    Speaking in Abuja during a rally to promote adoption of improved seeds, Ojo said except such act is checked, it might hinder the Federal Government’s drive to attain food sufficiency.

    He, however, noted that the  campaign for rural farmers became imperative to adopt improved and high quality seeds.  The campaign, which  took  place   at the Eagles Square, Abuja, was witnessed by stakeholders in the seed sector, including seed firms and representatives from the National Bio-safety Management Agency (NBMA), National Biotechnology Agricultural Development Agency (NABDA), Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Voices for Food Security, Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), among others.

    Ojo said: “Let’s walk together and tell the story that only quality improved seed is the way out of food security.”

    According to him, the rally was part of activities to celebrate the  National Seed Fair and Farmers’ Field Day.

    Some of the participants carried placards with inscriptions, such as, “Don’t plant grains as seeds”, “We are marching against seed adulteration and sale of fake seeds”, and Fake seed dealers are economic saboteurs and criminals”.

    “It is in pursuant to its vision that the NASC is organising this march for improved seed adoption to create awareness for enhanced adoption and use of improved seed to increase demand and drive production of adequate quantities of improved that are accessible and affordable,” he added.

    OFAB Country Director, Dr. Rose Gidado said the use of improved quality seeds remain the only solution to addressing hunger and increasing agricultural productivity. She noted that the seeds are capable of providing farmers with bountiful harvests and should be well adopted.

    The rally is expected to be carried out across the six geo-political zones of the country.

     

  • African Swine Fever threat to food security, says expert

    An animal production specialist, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has called for more effective control and increased surveillance in the piggery industry to curtail the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF).

    ASF is a highly contagious haemorrhagic disease of pigs, warthogs, European wild boar and American wild pigs. All age groups are susceptible.

    The disease, which spreads across international borders, has crippled the livelihood of pig producers as production systems rely on agro-industrial by-products to create their quality animal products.

    Adeloye said the rapid spread of the disease throughout Africa was also a threat to operators of piggery in Nigeria.

    He said the disease had serious financial implications, particularly for small pig farmers where outbreaks occurred.

    Adeloye, a former dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, said there was a need for the continuous improvement of best practices across all levels of the dairy supply chain.

    He urged for a national effort to assist in developing disease-control strategies for pig farmers, including stricter on-farm biosecurity.

    With high virulence forms of the virus, ASF is characterised by high fever, loss of appetite, hemorrhages in the skin and internal organs, and death in 2-10 days on average. Mortality rates may be as high as 100per cent. The organism which causes ASF is a DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family.

    ASF is a disease listed in the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

  • Growing food wisely

    Experts have introduced greenhouses to boost farming, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Nigeria’s population is growing rapidly. According to a forecast, it will hit about 250 million in 2050. This means the agricultural sector will face new challenges.

    Among food producers, the challenge is to counter the effects of erratic rainfall, raise productivity and use water efficiently. They have deployed old technologies to tackle the threat of pests, diseases and climate change. Farmers have learnt new skills to make the most of their crops.

    Added to these is the rise in the demand for produce in Europe, which has increased its African tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper and herbs imports.

    With small-scale farmers hit by the European Union’s (EU’s) stringent food safety rules, arising from high agrochemical residue levels, they have turned to using greenhouses that do not require the use of chemicals and offer better vegetable yields.

    The Executive Secretary, Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN), Mr. Akin Sawyerr, said greenhouse is the answer to the challenges facing farmers in growing vegetables in the open field.

    This is because there are fewer requirements for chemicals, manure and that the crops are shielded from rain and sunlight, he said.

    According to him, insects destroy vegetable crops but that their threat in a greenhouse is minimal.

    Sawyerr said greenhouses are ventilated, and the crops grown inside them enjoy controlled temperature, humidity, light intensity, and irrigation.

    The method, he noted, is also efficient in protecting plants against adverse climatic conditions, such as wind and cold.

    Since greenhouse production began, farmers have made major advancements in agribusiness; tomatoes and sweet peppers grown without soil are for sale in local groceries, such as Shoprite.

    Dizengoff Nigeria has entered into partnership with Best Food Global to promote production of quality vegetables and crops that will be harvested all-round the year, using an emerging technology.

    At a Farmers Field Day, organised by the duo at Epe, Lagos, the Managing Director, Best Foods Fresh Farms, Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, said with the evolution of greenhouse technology, many farmers would produce more.

    Ijewere regretted that though the country has about 4,000 greenhouses, 50 per cent of them is comatose because of lack of management on the part of the government.

    “We are also working with banks and government institutions to find how to finance farmers to use this technology. We must all work together to come up with solutions to make finance available to get this technology.”

    Ijewere said Dizengoff provided 20 greenhouse kits to his firm, Best Foods Fresh Farms.

    The kits, he added, has helped to strengthen its production capacity.

    Ijewere added that the greenhouse was one of the best in Lagos with a production capacity of 30 metric tonnes per season.

    He added that this would enable the firm to meet the huge demand for fresh vegetables in Lagos and other parts of the country.

    “Clearly, our capacity to produce more high quality vegetables will be greatly enhanced. And if you do the calculations, it means we will be able to do more for our customers,” he said.

    “With greenhouse technology, you can get your return on investment in 18 months and growing vegetables with greenhouses is definitely profitable and a healthy business.’’

    He disclosed that the partnership would unveil 100 greenhouse tents before the end of the year in Lagos, to boost tomato and vegetable production to meet domestic demand

    “We have just scratched the surface and you already know that about 70 per cent of the tomatoes are imported. There is a huge market for greenhouse in Nigeria. There is actually a huge market for quality vegetables. Tomato is a highly sensitive product that if you need to transport it from one place to another it will not be presentable to the final consumers. Lagos is Africa’s biggest city with about 24.5 million people, so there is so much opportunity for Greenhouse farming,” Ijewere said.

    Ijewere said the kits contain everything that farmers need, from seeds to greenhouses to fertiliser. It offers farmers monthly checkups from an agronomist.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Dizengoff, Mr. Antti Ritvonen, said its greenhouse technology is aimed at providing farmers with an all-year round technique to increase greenhouse crop yields, such as tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and sweet-melon as well as provide steady incomes for the farmers.

    “It also involves transfer of knowledge to farmers to improve the quality of their produce, reduce field losses and ensure higher profits,” he noted.

    He expressed optimism about the future of agriculture in Nigeria and the country’s potential to become self-sufficient in food production within a short time.

    Ritvonen, explained at the field day that farming was a special technique, profitable and a one-stop shop to achieve food security

    He therefore called on banks and government institutions to provide access to farmers to invest in greenhouses, adding that there is a huge opportunity for greenhouse technology investments to meet the ever-growing demand for Nigeria’s agriculture needs.

    He disclosed that Dizengoff has built over 4000 greenhouses, representing about 80 per cent of the total greenhouse projects in the country.

    He assured investors that with greenhouse technology, return on Investment was in 18 months while also growing quality and healthy vegetable crops.

    He stressed the need for Nigeria to be abreast with global trends, saying that the number of greenhouses in Nigeria is a far cry from what  obtains in the global market.

    Ritvonen stated that Nigeria has all it takes to feed itself, Africa and other regions of the world, provided mechanisation is combined with knowledge-based best practices in modern agriculture.

    He added that farmers need to realise that agricultural business is good, if people could do it right, seeing it as a serious investment that has the potential to bring great returns.

    He reiterated the readiness of the Dizengoff to partner the state governments, agencies, corporate and individual farmers on modern technologies, equipment and input for a more prosperous Nigeria.

    The Integrated Country Project Manager, Dizengoff, Oscar Walumbe, said greenhouses users should ensure they have the right ingredients, such as certified seeds, clean water, pests and diseases-free farms.

     

  • Daniel Egerson: A seasoned researcher unveiling new insights of displaced farming communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region

    Daniel Egerson: A seasoned researcher unveiling new insights of displaced farming communities in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region

    A detailed study conducted by Daniel Egerson, an experienced researcher from the University of Ibadan, has brought to light the significant environmental impact caused by displaced farming households along the Tombia-Amassoma highway in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The study provides key insights into how the interaction between displaced communities and their environment is worsening deforestation and contributing to long-term ecological decline.

    Egerson’s research investigates the socio-environmental conditions of these displaced populations, many of whom have been uprooted due to oil spills, insurgencies, and ethno-religious conflicts. Deprived of basic services such as clean water, healthcare, and education, these communities have turned to subsistence farming and the exploitation of forest resources for survival. This increased dependence on firewood and forest materials for construction has led to rapid deforestation, with significant repercussions for the region’s biodiversity.

    A critical finding of the study reveals that economic necessity is driving this environmental degradation. Despite being subjected to fines and fees imposed by local authorities for land use and resource extraction, many displaced families continue to engage in farming and fishing as their primary means of survival. However, these activities are accelerating forest loss and soil degradation at an alarming rate. Egerson also highlights the gendered dimension of this environmental damage, noting that many of the displaced households are headed by women, often widows, who rely heavily on forest resources to support their families. The intensification of farming practices in these fragile ecosystems, combined with unsustainable agricultural methods, is contributing to severe land erosion and depletion of natural resources.

    The researcher calls for urgent intervention, recommending the adoption of sustainable land-use policies and the introduction of alternative livelihood programs to reduce the reliance on forest exploitation. Without such measures, Egerson warns, both the displaced communities and the environment face irreversible damage.

    This study underscores the pressing environmental challenges in the Niger Delta, particularly where displacement and ecological fragility intersect. Egerson’s findings stress the need for comprehensive solutions that address both the social and environmental aspects of displacement in Bayelsa State.

  • Kano Govt partners with BUK to boost Large-Scale Agriculture

    The Acting Governor of Kano state, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna has urged the Centre for Drylands Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano (BUK) to partner with relevant ministries and agencies of the state government in order to boost food sufficiency through the expansion of large scale farming in the state.

    Dr. Gawuna who is also the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, in his remarks during the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Conference on Drylands organized by CDA in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, said that moving agriculture from subsistence to large-scale commercial enterprise should be taken seriously at this point of the nation’s history.

    He, however, noted that the theme of the Conference entitled, “Resource Constraints, Conflicts and Changing Climate in the Drylands: Options for Attaining SDGs,” remained timely considering the lingering conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, which has posed serious threat to the development of agriculture in some parts of the country.

    Describing Kano as one of the agricultural cornerstone of the country, Dr. Gawuna recalled the once booming groundnut pyramid in the ancient commercial city, but regretted that the coming of oil boom almost killed agriculture which was once the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

    According to him, the state government was committed, not only to regain the lost glory of agriculture, but to also ensure partnership with centres like the CDA and other development partners, so as to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Also speaking during the event, the Vice Chancellor, BUK, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, noted that the theme of the Conference, “hs in many ways, extended the themes of the two previous conferences on drylands held in 2014 and 2016.

    “I am particularly delighted that the theme for the 2018 conference stands out in the way it challenges speakers and presenters to seek solutions or give insights into understanding the serious challenges posed by climate change, competition for natural resources and conflicts in dryland areas.”

    The Vice Chancellor added that, “I have no doubt that universities have important roles to play in helping governments and other stakeholders to implement the noble objectives of the SDGs by sharing their knowledge and experiences.”

    In his welcome address, CDA Director, Prof. Jibrin M. Jibrin, decried what he described as serious shortage of skilled manpower in sub-Saharan Africa, saying that it has continued to retard the development of agricultural technology in the region.

    According to him, the biennial international conference on drylands is one of the programmes of the CDA that provides a platform for dissemination of research findings, networking and sharing of experiences between scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders.

    He said the theme of the Conference was timely, “because attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the drylands requires concerted efforts towards addressing myriads of problems related to climate change, high population pressure, and unsustainable land use practices. These are the underlining issues that lead to further degradation of land, low agricultural productivity, food and nutrition insecurity, severe poverty, conflicts and civil unrest.”

    The Speakers in the Conference include Dr. Peter Craufurd, Strategic Research Team Leader for Sustainable Intensification in Africa at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT); Bernard Vanlauwe, IITA, Kenya; Mr. Suffyan Koroma, FAO Representative to Nigeria; Raffaello Cervini, Lead Environmental Economist with the World Bank’s Environmental and Natural Resources Global Practice.

  • ‘Why agric should be mainstay of economy’

    Wells Hosa Green House Farms Limited in Benin City, the Edo State capital, has inaugurated its farm. In this interview, Managing Director Bright Okunbor, a graduate of Crop Science from the University of Benin, tells OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE why the farm is exporting fresh tomatoes, how it will satisfy the local market and boost local content.

    Wells Hosa harvested its first fruits last month. What is the turnover of the farm?

    We have harvested over 10 tonnes of tomatoes from only four greenhouses.This is just the beginning because the production is staggered and also it’s not the peak of production. So only the first four greenhouses are producing now. The next four will start producing in about six  weeks and the fruits will be ready for harvest.

    Are these tomatoes meant for local distribution, processing or  export?

    We want to satisfy the local market first before thinking of export. There is  scarcity of tomatoes, especially in the South. Almost all the tomatoes  consumed here  come from the northern part of the country.

    We are trying to inject a new trend into the market; our target markets are hotels, cafeterias, major retail outlets and the open market. This is because we will be producing the best variety of tomatoes with a shelf life of 10 to 14 days without refrigeration. In three grade and sizes ,the premium grades weigh over 150gramme per tomato fruit.

    Right now we  have our products in the open market in Benin, Warri, Sapele and Port Harcourt. We have tested Habanero Pepper on a few lines in our greenhouse and they have proven successful. When we start full production of Habanero peppers, it will be for exports.

     Are there things you are sourcing locally for the green house farms?

    It is a mix, some materials were sourced locally and there were some that could not be sourced locally. I will give examples, the greenhouse structures that you see comprises about 70 percent galvanised steel and 30 per cent plastics, mesh, substrates, circulatory fans and so on. All these components were all imported.

    All the materials we used for the construction of the green houses were imported from various countries such as Isreal, Mexico, Spain, Sri Lanka.We are getting the best quality materials.

    In the long run, we  want to source most  essential greenhouse  production materials in Nigeria, especially the galvanised steel.

    We are scouting currently for where we can get the right gauge and percentage of  galvanised steel. This is one of the major challenges we have  because the local steel are not 90 per cent galvanised.

    Other things  used in the land preparation, road and drainage construction, buildings and structures were all done locally, using local companies and the labour.

    What are some of the challenges in running your farm business?

    They are majorly structural problems. We started land preparation  in October 2015.It was during the dry season, however in April 2016, when the rain season started, we discovered that the 10 hectares where the  greenhouses were  already erected were flooded. This was  because substandard greenhouse materials  were used for the gutters.

    A report by groups of consultants from both Mexico and Israel after extensive studies on the quality and durability of the greenhouses advised that the greenhouses were  sub standard.

    With this information of sub standard quality from our initial partners, I had to go in search for new partners to rescue us from this failing greenhouse situation.

    To get new partners I had to travel to Israel, Mexico and the United States of America.  This was one of the most challenging parts of this project because we had to dissolve the Joint Venture (J.V) entered into with our previous partners while searching for new technical partners.

    In addition to that, we had to dismantle all existing 10 hectares green houses already in place, this cost the company a lot of money in labour, tools, machineries, manpower, revenue losses and so on.

    Furthermore, I did courses on fresh produce and marketing, visiting different greenhouse manufacturers.

    We finally chose our new partners, brought them to Nigeria.After extensive study of the weather conditions in Edo State, they designed and patented a new greenhouse model specifically for the tropical region. That is how we started  fresh construction in October last year. That is two years after we first started land preparations. The first set of containers of the newly designed greenhouses started arriving in October last year.  Between then and now, we have had 10 greenhouses installed, eight greenhouses in production while construction is ongoing for the remaining greenhouses.

    What are some of the value additions you have created directly and indirectly?

    One of our primary objectives is to serve and empower our community. We have employed over 250 construction workers , both permanent and contract staff. We  have over 160 production workers for the eight green houses. We have employed a lot of young  people currently undergoing training on greenhouse crop production.These include young graduates.

    By the time we achieve full operating capability with all 28 greenhouses, we would have created over 500 direct and 4000 indirect employment. Conservatively, we have created a lot of jobs directly and we already have association of market men and women from Edo, Sapele, Warri and Port Harcourt coming to us for distribution of our products. So indirectly, people are already getting the benefits from the proceeds from Wells Hosa Green House farms and this is just in a span of two weeks of production.

    In the near future, the company’s vision is to partner with the government and private sector to replicate this model across Nigeria.

    We are not just going to build greenhouses and abandon them with the investors; we will manage their production and marketing with our team of experts to guarantee success.

    Do you think Nigeria can achieve self-sufficiency in tomato production?

    Nigeria produces between 1.6 to 1.8 million metric tonnes of tomatoes annually and majority of this is done in the open field.

    Italy for instance has about 20,000 acres of green house for tomato production, Spain is a huge tomato producer with over 25,000 acres of greenhouse. Mexico has over 25,000 hectares of green houses for vegetables. They started just the way we are starting now, they failed, and they learnt and improved and made progress. Before us a lot of people have tried it but it has not been as successful as what you see here today in terms of yield, quality, management and technology.

    If you have a green house that is not being run properly with the right growers and technology it will fail, so you have to synchronise and have a good fit both on the quality and construction of the green house and on the other hand, the best growers and best agronomists that can make it a success.

     Government is now focusing on non-oil economy. Should we have done it earlier?

    We should not have focused only on oil all these years and I am sure when the price of oil dropped to $30 per barrel, we felt the impact and this is something we should have prepared for by diversifying our economy for other sources of revenues.

    There is a need for us to diversify our sources of revenue generation and agriculture is one of the greatest means to do that because last year,  countries such  as Netherlands generated $2 billion while Mexico generated  $ 1.9 billon from export of tomatoes alone. Nigeria needs to key into this huge export opportunity because there are lots of commodities that we can grow in Nigeria to reduce our dependence on crude oil. The government needs to continuously support agricultural development as it’s already doing with various programmes and incentives for farmers. It should support  new and improved ways of crop production to help increase yields and produce the best quality products suitable for exports.

    This will boost and increase the foreign exchange earned by Nigeria from non oil sector, with all this in place and properly implemented, its never too late for us as a country to join other countries that have realised that moving towards a non- oil dependent economy is the best strategy for a country that wants to succeed and stay relevant in the nearest future.

  • ‘Information vital to food security’

    The Chief Executive Officer, Agro Nigeria, a pan-African information and communication technology (ICT) organisation, Mr. Richard Mark Mbaram, has said African countries need to do more to share agricultural knowledge and information if they are to drive the continent’s economic growth.

    Speaking in Lagos, Mbaram said farming information was critical to boosting food security, urging for improved farmers’ advisory services that would contribute to sustained productivity and profitable growth of agriculture.

    He lamented that Nigeria had one extension worker per 10,000 farmers, compared with one per to 200 farmers in developed countries.

    The gap, according to him, could be narrowed through the use of broadcast media and ICT tools.

    He said his organisation was working towards using the media to deliver knowledge to farmers and agro businesses.

    To this end, Mbaram said his organisation was launching a continental communications project to tackle severe lack of extension workers in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

    To this end, he said his organisation had secured the services of Nollywood and the creative industry actors to produce movies and a television progrmmes to encourage youths to take to farming.

    Mbaram said there was the need to demonstrate to the youth the attractiveness, benefits and wealth in the agriculture sector through movies and television series.

    He said the television series would showcase Nigeria’s agric potential as capable of driving Africa’s economic development if properly harnessed.

    “We want to use the screen to demystify the notion that agriculture is a complex sector, hence collaborating with some renowned figures in the Nollywood industry to showcase the agric sector.

    “The first phase in Nigeria will gulp N350 million while the N350 million will be spent at the continental level.’’

    He said the project will help farmers increase production, discover new markets for their produce and gain access to new knowledge and technologies.

    Agro Nigeria is the organiser and driver of Feed Nigeria Summit, a yearly gathering of stakeholders in agribusiness.

    He cautioned that it would be a big risk for governments to continue neglecting recruitment of extension services workers.

  • Expert decries shortage of skilled manpower

    Despite some progress in agriculture, shortage of skills remains a barrier for development in the sector,the Director, Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Jibrin  M. Jibrin has said.

    Decrying  serious shortage of skilled manpower, Jibrin said  it has continued to retard agricultural   development across the country.

    He stated this in kano while briefing reporters on activities lined up for the third International Conference on Drylands to be hosted by CDA between September 24 and 27,  in the university.

    According to him, the biennial international conference is one of CDA’s  programmes  that provides a platform for dissemination of research findings, networking and sharing of experiences between scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders.

    He said the theme of the Conference: Resource Constraints, Conflicts and Changing Climate in the Drylands: Options for Attaining SDGs, remains apt, “because attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the drylands requires concerted efforts towards addressing myriads of problems related to climate change, high population pressure, and unsustainable land use practices.

    “These are the underlining issues that lead to further degradation of land, low agricultural productivity, food and nutrition insecurity, severe poverty, conflicts and civil unrests.”

    Jubrin added that part of issues to be discussed at the conference include crops and animal improvement for adaptation to climate change; crop-livestock integration for improved income and food security.Others are  integrated soil fertility management in a changing environment; rangeland and pasture development: the future of pastoralism in sub-Saharan Africa and  ecosystem.

    The conference will also look at issues such as water use and conflicts; application of decision support systems in dryland resource management; millennial and agripreneureship for sustained economic growth; and agricultural financing and politics for sustainable development.

    He further stated that, “This year’s conference will bring together scientists, farmers, policy makers, civil society organisations and the private sector from across the globe to examine how the SDGs would be attained in the drylands in the face of resource scarcity, climate change and emerging conflicts.

    “The conference will examine how public policies, research and development programmes will contribute in ensuring food security and attainment of the SDGs. There will all be about 70 paper presentations and  a special session on the project Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA)”.

  • Agriculture: CDA Director decries shortage of manpower in Africa

    The Director, Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Jibrin Jibrin on Wednesday in Kano decried what he described as serious shortage of skilled manpower in sub-Saharan Africa, saying that it has continued to retard the development of agricultural technology in the region.

    Professor Jibrin stated this in BUK while briefing reporters on activities lined up for the third International Conference on Drylands to be hosted by CDA between September 24 and 27, 2018 in BUK.

    According to him, the biennial international conference on drylands is one of the programmes of the CDA that provides a platform for dissemination of research findings, networking and sharing of experiences between scientists, practitioners and other stakeholders.

    He said the theme of the Conference: “Resource Constraints, Conflicts and Changing Climate in the Drylands: Options for Attaining SDGs,” remains apt, “because attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the drylands requires concerted efforts towards addressing myriads of problems related to climate change, high population pressure, and unsustainable land use practices.”

    “These are the underlining issues that lead to further degradation of land, low agricultural productivity, food and nutrition insecurity, severe poverty, conflicts and civil unrests.”

    Jubrin added that part of issues to be discussed at the Conference include Crops and animal improvement for adaptation to climate change; crop-livestock integration for improved income and food security; integrated soil fertility management in a changing environment; range land and pasture development: the future of pastoralism in sub-Saharan Africa; ecosystem, water use and conflicts; application of decision support systems in dryland resource management; millennial and agripreneureship for sustained economic growth; and agricultural financing and politics for sustainable development.

    He further stated that, “this year’s conference will bring together scientists, farmers, policy makers, civil society organizations and the private sector from across the globe to examine how the SDGs would be attained in the drylands in the face of resource scarcity, climate change and emerging conflicts.”

    “The Conference will examine how public policies, research and development programmes will contribute in ensuring food security and attainment of the SDGs. There will also be about 70 paper presentations, a special session on the project ‘Taking Maize Agronomy to Scale in Africa (TAMASA).”

    Among those who are expected to speak at the Conference include Dr. Peter Craufurd, Strategic Research Team Leader for Sustainable Intensification in Africa at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT); Bernard Vanlauwe, IITA, Kenya; Mr. Suffyan Koroma, FAO Representative to Nigeria; Raffaello Cervini, Lead Environmental Economist with the World Bank’s Environmental and Natural Resources Global Practice.

  • Forex earnings from cashew threatened

    NIGERIA’s hope of exceeding earnings of $402 million from cashew exports this year is being threatened, National President, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria, Dr Victor Iyama, has said.

    Iyama said this was due to the plummeting of international prices and reduced demand for Nigeria’s cashew following massive production from other producers. He said international prices for cashew have dropped since March, following massive production by Tanzania, India, Vietnam and others.

    Global market prices for various grades of raw cashew are between $1,500 and $2,100 per tonne. However, the rates had come down to between $1,800 and $2,000 per tonne by May 2018 and declined further to between $1,600 and $1,800 by the end of June of this year.

    As a result, buyers have objected to high prices. Given the declining market, he said, exporters have also been buying limited volumes.

    He said cashew nut exporters are seeing a slump in sales as exporters try to get out of contracts because of the drop in world prices.

    He said the industry was concerned about unpredictable prices.

    He attributed this to Apapa Road gridlock, which makes trucks carrying cashew to spend close to a month on the road.

    Iyama said Nigeria produced 220,000 metric tonnes of cashew nuts out of World’s 2.1 million tonnes last year, adding that the country exported 120,000 metric tonnes this year.

    Farmers in the country earned N123 billion ($402 million) from the export of cashew last year. Export earnings from cashew nuts have witnessed a steady increase in the last two years, rising from $152, 000,000 in 2015, to $259,000,000 in 2016 and $402, 050,000 in 2017.

    Major importers include the US that accounts for 29 per cent of total cashew export value, the Netherlands with 17 per cent and China with 15 per cent.