The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • NYSC, Anambra to set up agribusiness

    The National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) is partnering the Anambra State Government to establish agribusiness ventures.

    Its Coordinator, Mr. Kehinde Aremu, in an interview in Awka, the state capital, said the agribusiness venture would start with poultry before expanding to aquaculture and other aspects, such as livestock and crop production.

    “The NYSC agribusiness venture will begin with poultry because Anambra State is already doing well with the establishment of the largest poultry project in Africa, realising that market for poultry products is large.

    “There is huge demand for protein and eggs; so, venturing into this sector will even boost the home-grown school feeding programme of the Federal Government.’’

    The coordinator said interested NYSC members and youths who enrolled into the programme would gain practical experiences in animal husbandry as they would be adequately trained on ways to make agriculture a profitable business.

    He explained that those to benefit would also easily access loans to finance their ventures as NYSC had a financing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Industry, Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and Bank of Agriculture (BoA) on zero per cent interest rate.

    Aremu, who said he participated in many agro workshops within and outside the country, noted that his office was waiting for action by the technical committee set up by the state Ministry of Agriculture for the take-off on the venture.

    He said: “We are waiting for a more visible action from the Anambra State government to enable the agribusiness venture to fully take-off.

    “Everything needed to drive the venture had been put in place, realising that one of the best ways to take youths out of the streets is to introduce them to agriculture as both wealth and job creation windows.’’

    He noted that what before now had discouraged Nigerians from embarking on agriculture was convincing them to do it with machete and hoe after they had gone to school.

    Aremu said studies had shown that in other countries, agriculture ran the economy and prospered the people, adding that such practice could be replicated in the country.

    According to him, agriculture is one of the cardinal activities of the NYSC as the corps had farm settlements in Kwali (FCT), Ezillo (Ebonyi), and Bauchi.

    “In Anambra we are looking in that direction because the state has agriculture as a cardinal policy and NYSC wants to introduce the youths and corps members to agriculture in a symbiotic way.’’

    Aremu observed that because land was a challenge for large-scale farming in the state most of the youths went into trading.

    He,  however, added that if the youth were trained on modern agriculture, which did not require large expanse of land, they could make more prospects.

    “Under the skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), I was in China alongside other Africans in 2017, where we studied how China feeds its large population in spite of inclement weather and other natural factors.

    “The take home is that you don’t need much land to make it in agriculture this time, and your collar doesn’t necessarily have to be black; all you need is good knowledge of the science of farming,’’ he said.

  • Branding Nigeria with sustainable agri tourism

    Globally, farm tourism is opening up new perspectives for sustainable agricultural and rural development. Stakeholders believe agro tourism can play a major role in reflecting the nation’s values and giving visitors a glimpse into what agriculture really means for people and business. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The Federal Government has taken steps towards building a more sustainable agriculture industry.

    These include  ensuring  food  security, establishing high-quality  products, improving post-harvest  techniques,  investing  in  advanced  processing facilities, enhancing  marketing and information  systems,  protecting natural resources, and continuing to reform institutions and policies as necessary.

    The government believes fostering agricultural growth will lead to poverty reduction.

    However, experts say tourism and agriculture should be top most priorities of the government‘s development plan.

    One of them, a consultant to the British Department For International Development (DFID), Richard Ogundele, said  Nigeria  can create new jobs by improving the agric and tourism sectors.

    Ogundele said agriculture should be at the forefront of generating foreign exchange, if the government is ready to be committed to maximising the monumental opportunities in the industry through agro-tourism.

    He cited the Songhaï Centre in Porto-Novo, Benin Republic, used as an experimental farm, research centre and  for training in sustainable agriculture.

    The centre has significant water resources, favourable for crop and fish production on a large scale. The operation of the centre enables  people to stay in touch with the realities of profitable agriculture and  environment.

    With an abundance of natural resources, biological diversity and a strong cultural heritage, Ogundele, who is the Managing Director, JMSF Agribusiness, said the Nigeria is well-positioned for agri-tourism, saying using the land for agri-tourism would help the government to achieve a balance in tourism and agricultural development between urban and rural areas; in contributing to poverty alleviation.

    Ogundele noted that agri-tourism involves an agriculturally-based activity that draws visitors to a farm, ranch or any natural site.

    He said agro-tourism would present visitors a chance to enjoy native food and purchase fabrics as well as other artefacts. The experience garnered during such expeditions, he emphasised, would be a great avenue for encouraging cultural exchange and transmission between visiting local tourists and the indigenes of host communities.

    To provide a model for Nigerians to emulate, Ogundele said his organisation is establishing a 50- acre farm resort within the Federal Capital Territory(FCT),which would provide an opportunity for both Nigerians and foreigners looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life to get back to nature.

    The resort, according to him, wouldhost various events, including farmers’field days and agricultural fairs.

    The itinerary for visitors will include a tour of the farms where they would sit down to a meal of food contributed by various local farmers. He said emphasis would be on renewable energy.

    He said his organisation is ready to work with farmers to create farm businesses that can attract Eco tourists, particularly those seeking life-enriching vacations that involve culture, nature, the outdoors and learning.

    He wants the agricultural and tourism sectors to come together to talk about the opportunities and for the government to support the discussion.

    For Niji Group Managing Director, Kolawole Adeniji, a successful agricultural-tourism sector will be a great benefit for the economy, with potential for farmers.

    Through agro tourism, tourists will have the opportunity to visit local farms and to taste traditional recipes.

    Niji Farms reputed to be the largest cassava farm in Nigeria, covering over 4000 hectares of land in Ilero, Oyo State.

    He has maize, plantain and yam farm covering several acres of land with huge potential for expansion.

    For him, there is a great demand for agricultural-tourism and it would be a missed opportunity if Nigerians don’t work together to build the industry.

    Adeniji is building an agro tourism resort in Oyo State. The project is an ecotourism site, integrated with farm sites to lure more tourists and help boost farm income. The dream is to provide Nigerians peaceful and happy living among the farm full of trees, select seasonal crops and vegetables and a lot of wild tree varieties.

    The resort has processing units   across the farm estate. He has provided storage facilities, infrastructure and services.

    The resort will be open to students to explore and interact with nature and crops.

  • Experts seek end to EU ban on Nigerian produce

    Founding President, Mycotoxicology Society of Nigeria, Prof. Dele Fapohunda, has urged the Federal Government to address the ban placed on some Nigerian produce by the European Union (EU).

    The EU in June, 2015 suspended Nigerian food items like beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, Dry fish, meat, and peanut chips, among others, from entering Europe till June 2016. However, the ban has been further extended to June 2019 following the country’s inability to meet the prescribed food safety standards by the EU.

    According to the European Food Safety Authority, the rejected beans were found to contain between 0.03mg per kg to 4.6mg/kg of dichlorvos pesticide. The acceptable maximum residue limit is 0.01mg/kg.The excess chemical in the produce are said to be harmful to health.

    Fapohunda, who is the dean, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Babcock University, Ilishan, Ogun State,  said it was imperative for the government to resolve the issue before the deadline given by the EU to correct the anomaly.

    His words: “2019 is the one of great expectations for Nigeria and the European countries. The second leg of the back to back ban on the export of dried beans from Nigeria will be due for a review. It will be recalled that a one year ban was slammed on Nigeria for repeatedly sending beans that were laden with a pesticide called dichlorvos at levels alarmingly higher than the EU and global limits. Not comfortable with any sign of progress aimed at addressing the contaminant issue, Nigeria received a second and heavier penalty of three years that will now terminate in 2019.”

    He urged the government to take significant steps to tackle issues involved as serious gaps remain and require urgent action.

    According to him, there must be a comprehensive system to ensure regulatory compliance to protect consumers from food safety hazards.

    These include surveillance, education, monitoring and regulating use of pesticides in agro exports preparation.

    He observed: “The zero reject initiative is laudable effort but one hopes that all factors that could contribute to the presence of contaminants in agricultural produce will have been taken care of. The storage time and delay at point of exit, vis-a-vis the  extant viability of such crops are a few non-regulated factors that may account for possible failure in achieving delivery of wholesome crop.

    The present interventions will be test- run over time before ascertaining that Nigeria has complied and now ready to be trusted with her exports.

    It will be a disaster if, after all the resources in time , funds and effort over the last three  years, Nigeria still finds herself unqualified for clean bill of health. It is hoped that at the point of review of the penalty next year, Nigeria will be eligible once more to embrace international agricultural trade, particularly dried beans.”

    He called on the government to make sustained commitment across all sectors to strengthen services essential to help all stakeholders contribute to controlling the threat posed by herbicides and pesticides.

    Since then many interventions involving the Federal Ministry of agriculture, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the EU, UNIDO and other partners have come on board to see to the enhancement of the quality of exported crops, all in an attempt to attain a fair intercontinental trade.

  • Harvest Plus increases cassava farmers to 2.3 million

    Harvest Plus Nigeria, an international agricultural agency, has increased the number of farmers in Vitamin A cassava production to more than 2.3 million in different parts of the country.

    Youths and women were also trained on how to turn cassava by-products into confectioneries and food.

    He said the training provided recipes for producing varietries of Vitamin ‘A’-fortified cassava by-products, such as Combobits, Casmoi, and Casarita, Vitamin A’ Gari, Fufu, Custard and Caschin

    He said the essence of the training was to tackle malnutrition among the rural populace by injecting vitamin fortified cassava by-products into their daily food consumption.

    The farmers reached cut across 24 states, including Benue, Abia, Ondo, Cross River, Imo and Oyo.

    Ilona said the target is to ensure that every farmer who deserves to plant more nutritious varieties, such as vitamin A cassava, have access to them.

    He stressed the need for Nigerians to eat more nutritious food for good health and urged the government and the private sector to support farmers to produce more.

    HarvestPlus leads a global effort to improve nutrition and public health by developing and disseminating staple food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals. It is part of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research’s (CGIAR)  Research Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health.

    Its principal sponsors are the United Kingdom Government, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Feed the Future Initiative of the U.S. Government and the European Commission, among others.

  • FAO Food Price Index posts sharp drop in July

    Global agricultural food commodity prices fell sharply last month as all the major traded items posted notable declines, led by dairy and sugar.

    The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said its Food Price Index averaged 168.8 points, 3.7 percent below their June level, the biggest monthly drop since late last year.

    The index had been steadily rising this year, but declined in June.

    The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of commodities.

    The FAO Dairy Price Index led the slide, declining 6.6 percent, with butter and cheese quotations dropping faster than those for whole and skim milk powders.

    The FAO Sugar Price Index fell 6 percent to a nearly three-year low, largely driven by improved production prospects in India and Thailand, both important sugar-producing countries. Expectations of lower output in Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter, limited the fall in international sugar prices.

    The FAO Cereal Price Index declined 3.6 percent from June and is now below its year-ago level. Export quotations for wheat, maize and rice all declined, although wheat and maize values edged higher towards the end of July.

    The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index was 2.9 percent lower, its sixth consecutive monthly decline, and is now at its lowest level since January 2016. Part of the July slide was driven by spill-over weakness from the soybean market, which is affected by the trade dispute between China and the United States of America. Rapeseed oil values trended upwards, however, buoyed by improved demand from biodiesel producers and negative crop prospects in the European Union.

    The FAO Meat Price Index declined 1.9 percent from its June value, which was revised up in the wake of higher beef export prices from Brazil due to a truck drivers’ strike.

  • Farmers, groups urge action on climate friendly farming

    Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), and Ibarapa Northeast Local Government Development Association have called on the government to intensify action on climate-friendly measures to boost agriculture.

    The pleas were made during an awareness and sensitisation rally organised by JDPC of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan in collaboration with Ibarapa Northeast LCDA.

    The event highlighted the need for investments in agricultural research, grower technical assistance and financial incentives to support agricultural solutions to climate change.

    Addressing representatives of the communities at the council secretariat, the Acting Head of Programme, Integrated Development Programme, JDPC Ibadan, Mrs Olorode Bolanle, pointed out that climate change has caused unprecedented impact on agriculture.

    The effect, she explained, included irregular rainfall pattern, flooding, disruption on planting seasons and livestock production.

    Other consequences, she added,   were threats to food security, environmental degradation among many others.

    She stressed that the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers are, intimately, tied to weather and the environment. But they may not be able to adapt to climate change as they face extreme swings in temperature and precipitation.

    According to her, the sector needs solutions to bring food security, jobs, improved air and water quality, and healthy communities.

    Given the scope of the problem, she said the search for novel ways to adapt to a changing climate should drive agricultural research.

    She called for support to encourage widespread transition to sustainable agricultural systems that are increasingly resilient, environmentally sound and healthy, and that provide climate benefits, protect natural resources, sustain food security and provide for economically vibrant agricultural communities.

    Ibarapa Northeast LCDA  Chairman, Hon. Yunus Olaosegba, lauded farmers for  ensuring Nigeria is food secure.

    He enjoined them to imbibe the culture of planting new trees in replacement for every tree that is cut to ensure environmental sustainability.

     

     

  • 3000 women get 35,000 Noiler Birds in Ogun

    Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Limited has lauded the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration’s approach to alleviating poverty, improving the living standards of rural women and making them economically independent through Noiler Birds Empowerment Programme.

    Speaking during the  second  phase of Noiler Birds activation and distribution in Ogun State, the Group Managing Director, Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, said the programme, which witnessed the distribution of 35,000 Noiler Birds to 3,000 rural women across the three Senatorial Districts of the state, showed the commitment of the  government to developing agriculture.

    Oduntan, who spoke of his company’s commitment to rural empowerment and the success story in Ogun State, said the programme was an expansion on the first phase where 1,000 rural women got 10,000 Noiler Birds in partnership with British American Tobacco Nigeria.

    He said: “Noiler can significantly reduce childhood stunting, infant mortality, maternal mortality as it tackles poverty and malnutrition.

    The testimonies of previous beneficiaries (small holder farms) attested to the fact that Noiler Bird, a dual purpose breed, is suitable for backyard rearing. The Noiler Project’s objectives, among others, are to increase rural women’s income, improve households’ nutrition and increase women’s productivity. This, ultimately, reduces poverty among rural dwellers by improving quality of life through meat and egg production.”

    According to him, it has taken 15 years of work and investment to develop Noiler.

    He added: “Its uniqueness as a Nigerian product resulted in it being named Noiler to celebrate Nigeria.

    “The Noiler Bird is a dual purpose bird that grows quickly and bigger than the native birds, lays more than the native birds, but most importantly, it would survive in rural backyard environment with fewer resources,” Oduntan said.

    He noted that the Noiler Birds are easy and cheap to rear because of their ability to feed on remnants from the kitchen and farms and have been successful in diverse backgrounds from Maiduguri to Yenagoa.

    “It can lay four times the number of eggs the local birds lay and can grow two and half times bigger. Poultry feed constitutes 70 per cent of farmers’ expenses in running a poultry business in the country but with the Noiler initiative, farmers spend less on feed as Noiler birds can feed and survive on household remnants”.

    According to Oduntan, the Noiler Breed is resistant to common diseases like the local birds and the beef is tasty and tough. They can be reared with no antibiotics and chemicals and they can be raised as ‘organic chickens.

     

     

     

  • 3.7m Nigerians are currently faced with food insecurity

    Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, says 3.7 million people in 16 out of the 36 states and FCT are currently faced with food insecurity.

    Abdullahi made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the Second Conference of the “Feed the future Nigeria agricultural policy project organised by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

    He noted that several factors drove the nations challenging food and nutrition outlook.

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    He said it includes civic conflicts, climate change, and large scale of displacement, others are high food prices, poverty and high population amongst others.

    Abdullahi commended President Muhammadu Buhari for establishing  the National Food Security Council to address the challenges in the sector.

    He said to ensure sustainable food and nutrition security, there is need to maintain and strengthen the multi-sectoral approach to food security and nutritional policy.

    “We need to examine the intricacies of livelihoods issues of our citizens to design workable policy frameworks.

    “We also need to discuss the role of governance in achieving food security, creating space for interaction between different actors linked by common discourse,’’ he said.

    Abdullahi disclosed that the Eight Senate has passed several bills that would support the Nations food and nutrition security efforts.

    He observed that the issue of food security and nutrition is an urgent and continuous theme that must be daily emergency for any government.

    “Food security and nutrition must be tagged urgent because people, population and environmental dynamics will continue to make it so.

    “It must be continuous because survival is a continuous issue and so long as humanity exist the subject remains stuck with us,’’ he said.

    He said the move has become imperative because food security has been identified as a huge problem in Nigeria, as the country ranked 84th out of 119 countries on the global hunger index.

    Abdullahi said Nigeria came in just below the Republic of Congo.

    The three day conference is being attended by 100 experts from various sectors of agriculture to work on collaborative research for agricultural policy in Nigeria.

  • ARMTI, AARDO partner on rural devt

    The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, is collaborating with the African Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) on  initiatives that will ensure greater rural  development and foster agriculture.

    AARDO Secretary General Wassfi Hassan El-Sreihin, who  was on visit to ARMTI to renew and strengthen co-operation and collaboration with the institute  as one of the Centres of Excellence in the African region, said he was impressed with ARMTI and ongoing trainings and programmes.

    According to him, AARDO is working on improving the critical role of agriculture and rural development.

    This includes identifying  strategies, which better enable people to reap the benefits of rural reconstruction, ensuring  and  fostering closer urban-rural linkages.

    He also  explained the collaborative arrangements between AARDO and ARMTI in capacity building programmes in rural development.

    El-Sreihin thanked ARMTI’s Executive Director Dr Olufemi Oladunni,  and expressed his desire to rekindle old partnerships, capacity building and exchange programmes to increase the productivity of both organisations.

    During his visit, he was taken on a tour of the institute and the facilities.

    He also visited one of ARMTI’s Village Alive Development Initiative (VADI) communities, (Fufu Village) and a cassava processing centre, which was built by the institute to help increase local farmers’ productivity.

    Oladunni said the institute’s programmes are aimed at accelerating rural employment.

    According to him, ARMTI aims to strengthen the research and decision capacity on food market analysis and urban/rural linkages of researchers, students, public officials, and private groups, adding that  the  overall objective is to foster the sustainability of food system.

    He explained that ARMTI  research activities consist in analysing, assessing and supporting innovations and transformations in agriculture.

    Particular attention is paid to the opportunities, challenges and changes introduced  as a result of value chains dynamics.

  • Summit seeks expansion of organic farming

    Expanding Nigeria’s interest in organic farming will have beneficial effects on the nation’s nutritional needs, the environment, farmers’ incomes, markets and employment, the 2018 National Organic Agriculture Business Summit communiqué has said. The summit, which held in Lagos, had its participants stressing that organic agriculture can offer an impressive array of food security, economic, environmental, and health benefits for Nigerians.

    The summit underscored the call for further strengthening of a comprehensive, integrated and co-ordinated approach to promotion of sustainable organic agriculture and inclusive development.

    It resolved  on  the need for adoption of organic living, which comprised consumption of organic food and products, concern for the environment for overall wellbeing and holistic engagement of youths and women in organic agriculture for job creation.

    The summit also stressed the importance of quality assurance of organic produce and products through appropriate certification; Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) for domestic market and thirdparty certification for the export markets.It urged the  government to strengthen the quality assurance processes of organicagriculture produce and products in Nigeria and to encourage the school feeding programme and care givers to adopt organic produce and products.It recognized   contribution of Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative towardthe development of organic agriculture systems in Nigeria,  as well as the  support ofSwiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) of Switzerland . wenty-one Asian economies have fully implemented national standards and regulations, while five are in the drafting process.The summit highlighted  that because of its major impact on the environment and ecology Nigeria has to  take policy initiatives to incentivize and promote it.