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Tag: Agric

  • Dickson vows to improve security, agric as he takes second term oath

    Dickson vows to improve security, agric as he takes second term oath

    At about 1pm, yesterday, the Valentine’s Day, Bayelsa State Governor. Seriake Dickson took the Oath of allegiance and the Oath of Office to begin his second term.

    Dickson said his new term would focus on economic diversification, rural electrification scheme, massive investment in power to drive industrialization, youth empowerment and investment in agriculture.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, who recently attended a thanksgiving ceremony organised in Port Harcourt by Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, were absent at Dickson’s swearing-in and thanksgiving service.

    But governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), members of the National Assembly, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), the party’s Board of Trustee (BoT) members, traditional rulers and many stalwarts of the party witnessed the event at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa.

    Some of the PDP governors in attendance were Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Dairus Ishaku (Taraba) and Dankwambo Ibrahim (Gombe).

    The 2015 PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje; Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogori and a host of other dignitaries attended.

    Chief Judge Justice Kate Abiri administered the oaths on the governor and his deputy John Jonah

    Speaking after the traditional parade by the Police, Dickson said his victory was a testimony that the Ijaw nation had never been conquered.

    “My victorious people of the Ijaw Nation who like our fathers before us have shown that this great and proud land of good and great people can never be conquered.

    “The electoral contest for the governorship of our state will undoubtedly go into the annals of Nigerian political history as a reference point both for study and inspiration on how a people can rise to defend their democratic rights and dignity against forces of desperation and oppression”, he said.

    He said having roundly defeated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, it would be foolhardy for some persons to think they could upturn his victory through the back door at the court.

    He said: “This should send a clear message to those who think that a man who lost in seven out of eight LGAs in full glare of the world can somehow snatch victory through the back door by hoping to manipulate the judicial process just because his party controls the central government.

    “The recent posture and pronouncements of the highest court of the land gives us confidence that such antics and schemes would not succeed.

    “Politicians who seek authority to govern people in our democracy must derive power from the people’s vote freely expressed through the supremacy of the ballot box and not through subterfuge, intimidation, blackmail or manipulation. That is subversion of the constitution itself”.

    The governor said he would not play politics with the security of lives and properties and vowed to consolidate on his administration’s gains on security.

    He said his administration would work with the Federal Government to tackle kidnappers, cultists and other criminals who vandalised national economic assets.

    He said the terms of the partnership should hing on the principles that no government officials should use their position to encourage or facilitate crimes.

    “Similarly, security officials at federal or state levels should not be intimidated from executing their statutory functions for fear of retribution. Nobody, regardless of political persuasion should be allowed to subvert national institutions or undermine the security and stability of the State or the Nation.

    “Our experience in Bayelsa State in the recent past has shown a tendency to misconstrue membership of the political party at the center as cover and license to kill, maim and destroy while security officials look on helplessly. Let us not allow partisanship to slide our country into anarchy. The consequences will be too grave”, he said.

    He called on opposition party members to sheathe their swords and join hands with him to move the state forward.

     

  • How shipment delays cripple agric exports

    How shipment delays cripple agric exports

    Exporters of agricultural products are losing millions of naira to delays in shipment. To remain competitive on the world stage, stakeholders are asking shipping companies to address agro export transit challenges. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The past year was tough  for agricultural products shippers – no thanks to delays in shipment.

    One group that was badly hit was cashew exporters, many of who could not get their produce shipped in time to Vietnam and India through the seaports.

    President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Pastor Tola Faseru, recalled that last year, cashew exports at the seaports  were  delayed  for  weeks — if not months.

    Faseru added that cashew cargo were left sitting, undelivered at the ports for months. He recalled that there were cases cashew cargo, remained in transit for 90 days.

    By the time the produce arrived their destinations, Faseru said they had lost their usefulness. Ultimately, that means farmers and exporters receive a lower price for their produce or had them rejected by importers. He criticised the shipping lines for making cargoes undergo longer waits before moving them abroad.

    As they prepare to harvest cashew and ship to their destinations in Asia and Europe, he maintained that shippers have dramatically lowered their expectations for the shipping lines. They fear that residual delays plaguing the shipping system will worsen as farmers and exporters prepare cashew for export from next month. He called the transit issue affecting cashew shippers a “serious situation.”

    To this end, he announced that the association was going to keep an eye on the situation and put pressure on shipping companies to make sure that they are ready, willing and able to handle what is a very profitable export crop.

    Consequently, he said they were planning, by taking steps to minimise disruptions where possible, by moving more of the commodity at the same time by containers. If shipments fail to arrive their destinations on time this year, Faseru said the shipping lines will be held responsible and made to pay for such delays.

    Faseru expects robust demand from India and Vietnam this year.This year, he said the group intends  to export at least 6,400 40-feet containers of cashew. The aim is to increase it to 20,000 40-feet containers by 2020. Faseru said  the government and all stakeholders in the cashew value chain were making efforts to raise the production from 180,000 metric tonnes yearly to 500,000 metric tonnes by 2020.

    The country is targeting a yearly income of over $700 million (N138 billion) from the export of cashew nuts by that year.

    According to him, “Cashew is Nigeria’s second largest non-oil foreign exchange earner, with a production volume of 180,000MT and an annual income of $250 million.” The crop has been earmarked as one of the five agro-industrial products among 13 products for diversification and it accounts for 200,000 jobs, he added.

    Some exporters suffered so much losses having to withdrawn their shipments from being exports because they stayed longer in the ports. One of them was the Country Manager, 3F Nigeria IPEX Limited, Karamvir Singh,who  said his organisation had many containers of cashew withdrawn from the ports when the shipping line couldn’t move them in time.

    Shipping delays, according to him, cost agricultural  shippers  million in lost revenue between February through August  and there is the potential for more  losses this year, if they  are not able to move the produce in time to their destinations in Asia.

    Fortunately, the demand for cashew is rising because of increasing consumption in Europe.

    Besides, there is  supply shortage in Asia.

    This is an opportunity for exporters from Nigeria to make money.

    However, he fears that without better transit service, exporters won’t be able to get their commodities to market. The risk is that importers of cashew, including India, Vietnam and Europe, could turn to producers in other countries. Asia producers traditionally have had a competitive advantage over Nigeria because of the reliability and cost-effectiveness of their freight network.

    But the shipping firms, however, assured agriculture shippers they have taken steps to prepare for such shipments, citing knowledge gained from last year’s delays.

    On the state of the industry, the General Manager, Pil Nigeria, Mr. Vernaert Mathias, however, said many shipping firms were going through difficult times and were taking hard measures just to remain afloat. While carriers are, mulling cut costs, he said they faced the challenge of delivering the service their customers demanded.

    Since productivity is a crucial metric, he noted that shipping firms are deploying bigger ships in to reap the benefits of economies of scale.

    He explained, however that the small channels provided by Nigeria’s ports made it difficult for shipping companies to deploy large vessels. In his view, however, the Commercial Manager, Transcap, Mr Paulinus Effiong maintained that addressing the causes of transit delay was important since cashew exporters are facing a lot of challenges.

    The most prominent of which is the difficulty of transferring products to export markets in an appropriate period.

    According to him, clearance delays seriously affect the competitiveness of exporters.

    He has called on the industry and regulators to work together in order to avoid any future crises by ensuring better scenario planning and that sufficient supply chain contingency strategies are in place.

    Commercial Manager, CMA COM Delmas Nigeria Limited, Mr Augustine Obagidi observed that export difficulties have to be considered in a larger framework from the moment the goods leave the exporter premises until their shipment. Obagidi said the delays in moving cashew shipments are rippling through supply chains. In the context of the ports in Apapa, he explained, the disadvantage multiplies, in that agro exporters also suffer from delays and extra costs due to Apapa road traffic and trucking.

    According to him, the congestion on the ports’ link roads has been significant. A large factor in the current backups is high numbers in trucks and cargo volume currently going to the ports.

    Trucks, he explained, are stalled for hours in a miles-long line to gain entry to the terminal at Apapa.

    He said several truck drivers are fed up with the congestion. Many truckers are independent operators, meaning they only make money when they complete a delivery. These days, they’re lucky to make two hauls a day, compared with four or five several years ago. The resulting shortage is contributing to increased freight costs.

    He warned about the impact on shipping and the economy if there is insufficient road and rail infrastructure, port capacity and systems in place. He explained that shipping lines cannot be blamed for the congestion happening on the link roads.

    According to him, there is the need for cashew exporters, shipping firms and terminal operators to work more together to the problem. Export Manager, Safmarine, Maureen Okojie said shippers are also part of the problem.

    Okojie said last minutes changes made by shippers on the final destination of the cargoes sometimes make things difficult for the shipping companies due to planned schedules.

    Once the schedule has been published, she explained that it is difficult to change it because of the need to ensure reliability. Shippers, according to her, are not justified to complain in such instances, taking into account the need to ensure reliability in vessel schedule performance.

    Though it is understandable that shippers try to take advantage of  when it suits them operationally and financially, Okojie noted  scheduling is most times sacrosanct  since it would costs them operational efficiency or money to change direction that has been scheduled in the interest of shippers.

    For this reason, she advised cashew exporters to indicate the popular destinations they will like their cargo delivers ahead of time.

    Stakeholders reiterated that the crisis at the oil market has shown the importance of having efficient exporting sectors. Therefore, authorities need to introduce new rules requiring customs to clear the goods aimed to be exported. International customers, they noted, would likely to prefer more secure suppliers, which will affect the competitiveness of the cashew industry.

    Exporters complained about bureaucratic corruption and red tape. Operators also complained about demands for irregular fees.

  • Invest in agric, don urges govt

    Director, Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moreplantation, Apata Ibadan, Prof James Adediran, has urged the Federal Government to invest in agriculture and educate Nigerians on the usefulness of the new vitamin A cassava products.

    He spoke a seminar by the college to empower farmers in Ibarapa land.

    Adediran, who was represented by the Deputy Director of the college, Dr. Ayodele Adegbite, noted that agriculture is the only means to eradicate poverty in the society.

    He said: “We can only reduce poverty with our involvement in agricultural products. Before now, there are limited things we can do with cassava, but now, researchers are not sleeping in their quest to discover more things that can be done with cassava, especially Vitamin A cassava. I want to assure you that it is a means to improve the level of unemployment in Nigeria. We want full involvement of Government in agricultural sector.”

    He said cassava can rid the nation of poverty and boost the nation’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) if properly managed like oil.

    Researchers, he noted, have discovered many things that could be done with cassava, especially the vitamin A cassava.

    The facilitator of the seminar, Mrs Bisi Adeyemo, who resigned as a branch manager in one of the new generation banks in 2000 to seek for greener pasture in agricultural sector, said the sector is viable enough to address the high level of unemployment.

    She told the forum that she had employed more than 100 workers in her farms, including graduates, saying more are still longing to be part of the project.

    Adeyemo urged the government to support the agriculture sector and encourage Nigerians to patronise the Vitamin A cassava.

  • How agric can boost youth employment

    How agric can boost youth employment

    How can youth unemployment be addressed? It is by massive investments in agriculture, say experts. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The youth population is the largest in history. An estimated 87 per cent of the world’s young people live in developing countries and in rural areas.

    However, opportunities for youths in these areas are limited or non-existent, leaving them marginalised economically. In the rural areas, most youths are without work. The rate is increasing  daily.

    Following the impact of high rates of poverty, young people are migrating from rural areas in search of opportunities in towns, where they face an uncertain future. But in places, such as Ogbomosho in Oyo State, however, a lot of youths have already become agro entrepreneurs out of necessity.

    Yet, as they try to create their opportunities, they face problems. Agric real estate expert, Debo Thomas, said they have few opportunities to access affordable financial services, adding that without funds, they would continue to have the odds stacked against them. To help solve these barriers, he urged the government to take steps to develop economic and employment opportunities.

    According to him, the government needs to support local governments and private organisations with empowerment programmes aimed at helping rural young people create employment opportunities through agriculture.

    With the right business advisory services specifically tailored for their needs, he maintained that young people will be able to create their own employment opportunities and improve agricultural productivity in their areas.

    Without such opportunities, experts say young people will continue to migrate from rural areas and from agriculture, which would have major implication for food security and political stability. The Managing Director, Niji Group, Kolawole Adeniji sees young people living in rural areas with the potential of becoming farmers and producers of tomorrow. Young rural people, he observed, represented a significant portion of the agricultural workforce, and they can play a major role in the development of rural areas. But a range of access gaps, such as to land, financial services, technology, and markets is limiting their potential.

    For him, the ability of rural youth to engage in productive agricultural and non-agricultural activities has great social and economic benefits for the economy.

    According to him, a lot of unemployed youths  can be empowered to depend on agriculture for their livelihoods if the government provides the enabling environment for establishment of various  micro agric processing  opportunities, adding that such investments would help to create the conditions them  to live in such areas with dignity.

    To this end, he said investing in agriculture could help increase social protection for youths in the rural areas.

    He said boosting investments in agriculture for youths in the rural areas requires innovative financing instruments.

    He called on the government to support young people in overcoming barriers to agricultural production, especially, facilitating access to productive land.

    To support rural youth in finding employment, he said his organisation is creating a farm settlement to boost agroentre-preneurship and to help increase the employment and self-employment opportunities of young people.

    He said his organisation is facilitating an on-farm apprenticeship system where young people will  receive practical, on-the-job agro business training, learn skills in  areas, including agricultural tool-making, farming and gain experience  in managing small-scale enterprises.

    Project Coordinator, Techno-serve, an international organisation, Olorunfemi Toyin, said rural youths are critical in the society, even in agriculture.

    Toyin, who has coordinated several projects on the agricultural value chain and coordinating Technoserve’s Promoting cashew farmer livelihood programme in Nigeria, said it is high time the government  strengthened the programme on youths in agriculture.

    To him, rural youths makes up a  proportion of the population in the rural areas are disproportionately affected by poverty, food insecurity and poverty.

    According to him, there is a broad agreement about the challenges faced by youths and the importance of having multi-stakeholder partnerships to empower them in agriculture and supply chains.

    To achieve rural transformation, he stressed the need to create opportunities for them to participate in productive and lucrative agro business ventures.

    He called for the creation of agro-hubs in rural places where youths can raise nurseries, provide agro-services, such as pesticides applications, grafting, among others, as a source of income.

    According to him, Technoserve has made enormous effort to empower youths and women by provide them with resources, capacity building and access to information, to participate in agriculture.

    He noted that by supporting youths in agriculture to access the right tools and technology, the government could can make significant gains toward ending extreme poverty and hunger.

    He said: “I think the need for government to go the way of agriculture is now, especially considering two current happenings; thee less value on oil and depletion rate or incidences rocking the Nigeria oil and gas sector, and the fact that very few youths are seen and are rare to come-by farming.”

    He urged the government to promote rural youth involvement in agriculture through creating awareness on employment opportunities.

  • AfDB, Fed Govt to spend $300m on agric

    The African Development Bank (AfDB), said it would spend about $300 million on the ‘Enable Youth Empowerment Agribusiness Programme.

    The project is to be implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development within 18 months.

    The bank’s Director, Agricultural and Agro- Allied Industries, Dr. Chudi Ojukwu, said the three-year project would enable training and funding of young graduates, who are interested in farming across the country.

    The programme is expected to encourage youths into agriculture, thereby increasing food sufficiency, reducing unemployment with each recipient to benefit to the tune $75, 000.

    In a statement yesterday, the Agriculture Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh,  said the project would commence from the three Federal Universities of Agriculture in the country. According to the release by the Director of Information, Tony Ohaeri, Dgbe said “a total of $300 million would be accessed to cover the three year project which would bring young graduates together and train them for 18 months as entrepreneur farmers.

    “The initiative would create 250,000 jobs; the beneficiaries would be trained at various incubation centres on all aspects of value chains, with each beneficiary  supported with about $75,000. The project would cover the 36 states including the FCT, while the Agricultural Aransformation Agenda (ATA) would be expanded through the processing zones.”

    The Minister emphasised the need for the three Universities of Agriculture in Umudike, Makurdi and Abeokuta respectively to revert back to the provisions of the Act that established them.

    Ogbeh advised the country to re- invent her own economic strategy to revive its economy.

    He stated that the strength of a nation lies in the population of the youth and expressed concern on the rate of youth unemployment in the country saying, “We need to take care of them before they take care of us”.

    He promised to collaborate with representatives of AfDB and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), who came to present him the concept note on the youth agriculture scheme.

    However, the Minister tasked IITA to intensify efforts towards researching into the conversion of cassava leaves into animal feeds, while some components of the Labour Intensive Family Enterprise (LIFE) of the ministry could be built into the youth empowerment initiative.

    IITA Director-General, Dr. Nterayana Saginga, called for a change in the mindset of the young graduates, saying that the IITA’s experiment in the past on young unemployed graduates revealed that they could make good turn over on their investments.

    He pledged the readiness of IITA to provide necessary support to the ministry.

     

  • Turning agric to forex earner

    Turning agric to forex earner

    Nigeria’s earnings from oil keep on tumbling, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicting the price could go down to $20 per barrel this year. Agriculture experts are divided on how to redress the situation. To some, more money can come in through agro exports mix. But others argue that there are impediments to using such a step to improve the nation’s balance sheet, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    The falling oil price is affecting the nation’s export revenues significantly. For the most part of last year, nothing much came from oil to reduce budget deficits,  increase investments, and build foreign exchange reserves. This, to experts, signals the need for greater diversification of the exports mix.

    At present, oil accounts for 70 per cent of foreign exchange earnings while agriculture and other resource sectors together account for as much as 35 percent. But  this, according to experts, has to change  in the face of  the impending crisis in the oil market and International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting the price could go down to $20 per a barrel next year. Expectedly, the government and investors must heed the warning.

    Despite the concerns about the effect of slide in oil price on the economy, Cassava Adding Value to Africa (CAVA) Project Director, Prof Kola Adebayo, said the government should capitalise on the opportunities the revenue shift presents, to do something to improve the economic pulse by infusing the agric sector with a new commercial vibrancy to help increase foreign earnings.

    Obviously to him, the agriculture is set to become increasingly relevant and important as it plays a bigger role in addressing food security issues and diversifying the economy.

    Domestically, he sees agriculture helping the economy maintain and boost its high growth rates, creating more jobs, significantly reducing poverty, and growing enough cheap, nutritious food to feed the nation and export of surplus crops.

    For all these to happen, according to him, structural changes are needed  that  are capable of helping to fuel agricultural productivity revolution by assisting farmers and companies to accomplish greater economies of scale, increase investment, and become more competitive.

    With the slide in oil earning, trends indicate that the nation’s economic prospects are not strong as such the government must take steps to address the challenges. This, Adebayo noted, would entail lifting agro exports.

    While price of oil is expected to nosedive to less than $20 a barrel, next year, to its price in 1999, grain and other agro commodities will soar on rising global demand. To him, agro exports will remain a primary means for the nation to earn the hard currency, if the government is ready to pursue export-led growth.

    His concern, nevertheless, is overreliance on few primary commodities to generate export revenues. Traditionally, apart from crude oil, Nigeria makes money from exporting a few agro commodities such as cocoa beans, cashew nuts and cotton. For example, however, 90 per cent of the total income from cashew and cocoa and others, calculated as the average retail price of a pound of these commodities goes to consuming countries.

    This clearly underscores the fact that continued dependence on the export of unprocessed soft commodities – as opposed to a focus on increased value addition – would likely adversely affect future growth. Besides, the sluggish demand for few primary agricultural commodities and the recurring conditions of boom and slump in their exports, Adebayo said would continue to create problems for few commodity-dependent economies such as Nigeria. In his view, the overall export performance of the nation is inevitably tied to trends and fluctuations in the revenues from such commodities. Consequently, he stressed the need for having more commodities in the nation’s export basket to deal with unstable prices that generate adverse short-term effects on export earnings. According to him, there are several key agro commodities export opportunities within reach of entrepreneurs in agribusinesses rather than dependence on single or a few commodity exports.

    Investment in infrastructure, he noted, would help overcome the current challenges between farm-level production and downstream activities, such as processing and marketing. This, he added, also, would open the door to increasing the production of higher agricultural value-added products while continuing to produce popular commodities such as cocoa, cotton, livestock products, fresh vegetables and fruits.

    There are other challenges to increasing the agro exports volume which include climate change, fast becoming a greater inhibitor of yields, as incidents of widespread droughts and floods play an ever-increasing role in crop choices and planting decisions of farmers.

    Last year, for instance, farmers underlined the damage severe weather events  inflicted upon the agriculture industry. Across, the North and Southwest parts of the country, farmers witnessed an increase in extreme weather, consistent with the climate change impacts predicted by scientists. There were remarkable changes in rainfall patterns, increase in storms, gales or high winds.

    In an interview, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Provost Prof Gbemiga Adewale confirmed that farmers and farm businesses in the Southwest have actually been affected by severe weather events, reflected in low rainfall. The news came as a stark reminder that agriculture is on the front line of climate change impacts.

    For Farmers Development Union (FADU) Programme Coordinator, Mr Victor  Olowe, the  financial and emotional cost that changing weather patterns had on farmers reinforced the need for  the government to address the issue squarely if agriculture is to take a front seat in rearranging the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

    Consequently, farmers had presented to government several challenges they face, which include fiscal incentives that will enable farm businesses to manage volatility and promote capital investment. Though farmers have always battled with the weather when it comes to producing food, projections on climate change projections globally, portend that the battle is going to get more challenging.

    Premier Seeds Limited Managing Director, Dr Matthew Omidiji, said the government must empower farmers to enable access to water adequately so they can prepare for times of drought. The farmers, he added, need to be trained to respond to the changes in the weather and longer-term climate that they are experiencing. This means the government must work with farmers to develop an ambitious food and farming strategy with substantial production potential for an increasingly uncertain future.

    Omidiji said Nigeria needs a resilient agricultural sector to ensure  secure, sustainable and affordable supply of food to its citizens.

    He urged the government to ensure farmers that they have the financial security they need to carry on in what can be a difficult and unpredictable industry.

    At a time weather-related events, geopolitical developments and market fluctuations that impact on agriculture are likely to be ever more common, he noted that farmers need to be assured they have the appropriate support to manage risk.

    According to him, the reform in the sector carried out by the government should provide an opportunity for these issues to be addressed.

    In some areas of the country, post-harvest losses run from 20 to 40 per cent for cereals and are higher for perishable products due to poor storage and other farm infrastructure. This point to the need for significant investment in infrastructure.

    Omidiji believes farmers and agribusinesses can help the government increase foreign exchange earnings if they have access to more capital, electricity, better technology and irrigated land to grow high-value nutritious foods.

    Natural Nutrient Limited Chief Executive Sola Bunmi Adeniyi said the two areas the economy has incurred high import bills were rice and poultry businesses.

    To reduce this, Adeniyi urged the government to extend a stimulus package to rice and poultry farmers to boost their production capacity, to meet the demands of the domestic market.

    In view of this, he said special support should be made available to these sectors of agriculture, to increase production, drastically reduce importation of those commodities, and create sufficient jobs for people who would be engaged in their production.

    He said government should be committed to building the capacity of local industries to advance their production levels, to discourage over-reliance on importation of similar products at higher costs.

    According to him, the nation spends millions of dollars on the importation of rice and poultry respectively, in spite of the capacity of the country to produce such products.

  • Wanted: Investments in agric infrastructure

    Wanted: Investments in agric infrastructure

    A consultant to the World Bank, Prof Abel Ogunwale, has advised the government to invest in infrastructure and value-added production.

    Ogunwale, a lecturer in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, noted that growth in agriculture would require an increase in infrastructural  investments.

    He said farmers expected state governments and organisations to help boost production, noting that the sector would be attractive to investors because of favourable political and legal environment, and freehold ownership, among others.

    While some investors are well-established in commodities markets, Ogunwale noted that poor infrastructure and volatility were scaring others away.

    He said investors focus on agriculture’s assets and explore opportunities in areas, such as land, grain elevators and food processing plants.

    He observed that Nigeria is lagging in agric infrastructure, citing irrigation system and other facilities which need renovation and investment.

    Ogunwale bemoaned the sector’s low capacity, urging the government to open up the industry for investments.

    He urged the government to support commercial aquaculture, breeding, monitoring and warning systems and epidemic surveillance systems.

    He implored the government to encourage free trade to unlock its agriculture capability by implementing reforms, deregulation nd easing rules for investors.

    He said improving the environment for agriculture would bring  benefits, and contribute to stronger economic growth.

    According to him, improved barge, rail and port facilities could boost food production, adding that improving infrastructure will attract capital into the agribusiness sectors.

  • The best of agric on display

    The best of agric on display

    The innovations and achievements of farmers and food producers were showcased at this year’s Nigeria Agriculture Awards in Lagos. Key agro-industrialists, experts and academics attended the show. It was a rare show for a unique industry. Stakeholders – farmers, industrialists, academics and many more – were brought together under one roof to celebrate a worthy trade –agriculture. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Welcome to the Nigeria Agriculture Awards (NAA) which celebrates the best of food and the companies and individuals who grow, make and supply it.

    In its second year, the event was held last week at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos as part of the Agra Innovate Exhibition, which brings together international suppliers and local buyers to discuss opportunities. It featured a conference that attracted policymakers,  farmers and technologists.

    Launched last year, under ex-Minister Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Agra Innovate was supported by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development and the Nigeria Agribusiness Group.

    The awards began about 6pm on Wednesday, last week. The guest of honour was the Chairman, Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), Alhaji Sani Dangote, while the keynote speaker was the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, Prof Eustace Ayemere Iyayi.

    The host and chairman of the Awards Committee, Emmanuel Ikani, a professor of Agric Extension at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, welcomed the recipients.

    Ikani said the awards was a platform to recognise individuals and institutions in agriculture.

    He said the award was meant to honour men and women who demonstrated progressive, leading-edge thinking in the agriculture sector.

    Iyayi urged the government to enhance agri-productivity in farms and drive prosperity among farmers.

    According to him, agric prosperity is key to strengthening the nation’s growth on the world map.

    Iyayi said supporting the agribusinesses – many of which include small businesses –is backing solutions for agricultural challenges. Such support, according to him, will help create new jobs, open up new markets and drive productivity.

    He reiterated that investing in agriculture is vital, not only for future food supply but also to help build innovative approaches for modern farming.

    This year, the awards featured 15 categories, including Achievers in Agriculture, Nagropreneur of the Year, Agric Bank of the Year, Agro-brand of the Year, Agro-Innovator of the Year, Agro-journalist of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility award, Agriculture Destination of the Year, Agro-investor of the Year, Development Partner of the Year, R&D award, Input company of the Year, agro ambassador of the year.

    There were Farmers’ Governor of the Year, Pillars of Agriculture, Agro Commissioner of the Year and Farmer of the Year.

    As the event progressed, winners were announced and handed their trophies; this marked the finale  to reward the values, determination and adaptability of the farming community.

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received the Farmer’s Governor of the Year for his  contributions to the sector, as evidenced by his response to the Tuta Absoluta scourge, which threatened to wipe out tomato crops.

    Honoured with the Pillars of Agriculture awards were Governors Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.

    El-Rufai was recognised for the rapid strides in land reforms, which resulted in land title ownership in few  days. The Kebbi State governor was recognised for his investment in dry season farming, which ensured that farmers have multiple production windows- this has enhanced the income of smallholder farmers in state.

    Other awardees were the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, for being a pillar in agriculture through his policy initiatives as well as economic support to the sector.

    Others in this category were Emefiele; former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development( FMARD) now of Federal Ministry of Communication, Sonny Echono and National Project Coordinator, Rural Finance Building Programme (RUFIN), Alhaji Musibau Azeez.

    In the corporate category, Achiever in Agriculture are Popular Farms Ltd, for maintaining the largest rice processing business in Nigeria; Best Foods Global Ltd. for its foresight in establishing a proficient cold chain storage company; Dansa Agro-Allied Ltd for investments in tomato processing, with the transformation of the tomato value-chain and Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc for maintaining Nigeria’s most impressive palm plantation business.

    Others include Presco Nig. Plc for its outstanding Palm Refinery business and Teragro Nig. Limited for its indigenisation of citrus pulp extract production, which used to be imported.

    Individual category include Dr. Martins Fregene for his contribution to the cassava revolution; Dr. Muyiwa Osiname for  his works in rice production in Africa, Dr Niyi Odunlami,in recognition of the role he played in birthing the Staple Crop Processing Zones (SPCZ) policy.

    For excellence and resilience in the reportage of trends in agribusiness, particularly with respect to small and medium-scale businesses, Mr. Daniel Essiet of The Nation Newspaper, was given the award of Agro-Journalist of The Year.

    Another expert, Dr. Tony Bello, was honoured for his contributions towards private-public partnerships, which have resulted in the formation of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group, and Ada Osakwe (Investment).

    Director-General, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Nteranya Sangiga, was recognised for his research.

    Co-founder and CEO, Cellulant Nigeria, Bolaji Akinboro, receive the Achiever in Agriculture Award for the company’s E-wallet technology – a digital platform that has transformed the lives of more than 14 million farmers in Nigeria.

    Edo State Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr Abdul Oroh won the Agro Commissioner of the Year.

    Others are Dr. Ahmed Adekunle (mechanisation), Prof. Sule Ochai Due for his technical contributions to the New Nigeria Food and Agricultural Transformation Policy.

    Managing Partner, Sahel Capital, Mr. Mezuo Nwunelli, received an award for his contribution to the growth of agribusinesses, through  the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN).

    For using Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers & Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) to evolve a veritable structure for fresh produce export out of Nigeria, its Executive Secretary, Mr. Akin Sawyerr, received individual award.

    Interventions Manager GEMS4, Richard Ogundele got an award   hinged on his work in fostering Good Handling Practices (GHP) in Nigeria’s fresh produce business.

    Appreciating his 40-year history of financial investment in agriculture, and his top-notch, high-tech input in  tractor components and mechanised farming, the Managing Director, Dizengoff Nigeria, Mr. Richard Hargrave, got an award in the investment category.

    For bringing his innovations in cassava production, a local innovator, Mr. Kolawole Adeniji was honoured for demonstrating that agricultural engineering, fabrication technology, mechanised farming and food processing can be harnessed to promote agriculture.

    Dr Temitope Aroge was named Nagropreneur of the Year for making a mark in the sector, while TrustFund Microfinance Bank Ltd was honoured as Agric Bank of the Year (Microfinance) for recognising the bank’s bold efforts and the critical role played in dispensing financial services to smallholder farmers in Edo State.

    Union Bank Plc got the Agric Bank of The Year (Commercial) award. Others include Premium Aquaculture limited, Fish Farmer Of The Year; Niyya Farms Ltd. Kaduna, Crop Farmer Of The Year; Globus Resources Limited, Ibadan, livestock farmer of the year (poultry); L&Z Farms Ltd. Kano, livestock farmer of the year (dairy); Royal Stallion Shinkafa, agro-brand of the year; AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited, agro-innovator of the year; agriculture destination of the year, Ogun State, agro-investor of the year; Alhaji Sani Dangote, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), development partner of the year; National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), research award of the year and Innocent Idibia (aka TuFace), agro ambassador of the year and Ms. Wilma Aguele farmer of the year (female), was honoured for her brave exploits and gargantuan achievements in the cash crop and fresh produce farming sector.

    Others recognised were Mr. Kola Masha (Babban Gona Initiative), Comrade David Ehindero (the Agric Academy) and Mrs. Vero Igbe (Fisheries). Prominent industrialist and investor, Alhaji Sani Dangote, Prof. Ango Abdullahi.

    Chairman, Origin Group, Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel, was  recognised for boosting agricultural engineering, food production, fresh produce processing and export.

    Director-General, NAA, Richard-Mark Mbaram, said the sector would not have made outstanding strides in the past year without the input of these individuals and corporate bodies.

    He said the awards acknowledged the vital contributions agro companies make, thereby encouraging entrepreneurship and business excellence in the sector.

    The surprise in this year was the number of agric businesses set up by people already successful in other careers: teachers, bankers, hi-tech executives, ad men (and women!), farmers – all changing their local economies, fulfilling themselves through great food, and thriving.

  • Union urges Buhari on agric workers’ plight

    Union urges Buhari on agric workers’ plight

    Nigeria’s dream of repositioning her economy through agriculture may suffer a setback if the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration fails to address issues on workers’  welfare.

    One of such issues is the agitation for the implementation of the hazard allowance for workers in the agricultural and allied sector. The agitation has been on for over 15 years.

    Speaking with reporters at the weekend, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurants, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Association (IUF), urged Buhari to, as a matter of priority, approve for implementation, the allowance for which a memorandum was forwarded to the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) in April, before the inauguration of this administration.

    Its Chairman, Leke Success, said the international body decided to intervene to make the Federal Government appreciate the importance of hazard allowance. He noted that the allowance is necessary because workers continue to suffer one form of injury, or the other in the course of doing their jobs.

    He said: “Our demand is against the backdrop of the determination of President Buhari to diversify our economy and make agriculture the pillar for national growth and development. We believe that for this to be realised, genuine efforts must be made to resolve all issues capable of hindering the smooth operation and administration of all the necessary policies being designed for the revival of  agric activities in the country.”

    Mr. Success lamented that all these years, agric workers had taken the line of dialogue instead of outright confrontation to demand for the implementation of the welfare package, whereas their counterparts in the livestock and veterinary sub-sector, categorised as health workers, have long been enjoying the benefit.

    He said the demand for the implementation of the allowance for workers, under the Agriculture and Allied Employees’ Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), is not on the basis of a penchant for allowances, but rather on a realistic appreciation of occupational dangers encounter on a day-to-day basis in the line of their duties.

    The IUF chief, submitted that both international and local research have validated that out of a total of 335,000 fatal workplace accidents that occur yearly globally, about 170,000, involve workers engaged in agricultural activities.

    He said even the advent of technology aimed at reducing stress and hardship associated with agriculture, has come with its risks which are related, not only to the operation of sophisticated machinery such as tractors and harvesters, but also exposure, resulting from intensive use of pesticides and a variety of agro-chemicals. According to him, these often account for  the high rate of illness, injury and even death of workers in the sector.

  • World Bank to assist Lagos to fund agric

    World Bank to assist Lagos to fund agric

    Senior Agricultural Economist, World Bank, Dr. Adetunji Adeleke Oredipe, said Lagos State may receive funding to repair farm infrastructure and expand the sector.

    He spoke during the bank’s  review mission in Lagos.

    Oredipe  said he was in town with other experts to review works accomplished under the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP).

    According to him, there is much need in Lagos, so the World Bank will support it financially for economic  diversification.

    Since the government is trying to diversify the economy, he said  building other sectors would strengthen the production system and facilitate access to markets for small and medium scale commercial farmers.

    Earlier, the  World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a $200 million credit for Lagos State to support some reforms, such as  budget planning and execution.

    This would help sustain the state’s recent economic growth and poverty reduction while continuing to deliver social services to the city’s expanding population, th ebank said.

    The credit from the International Development Association (IDA) supports the Third Lagos State Development Policy Operation. It is the last of the two development policy operations, aimed at improving public finances and the investment climate.

    Meanwhile, over 4000 farmers have benefited from Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) in Lagos. The beneficiaries received over N2.7 billion from the World Bank-assisted project, the State Project Coordinator, Kehinde Ogunyinka said.

    He spoke at the second CADP Post Restructured Implementation Support Mission in Lagos.

    He said the state CADP notable achievements, especially on productivity, value-addition and marketed surplus were made. The achievements, according to him, are attributable to increased adoption of improved technologies, increased access to improved infrastructure and enhanced capacity of the beneficiaries to effectively participate in project implementation.

    In rice production, he said CADP   made two million  metric tonnes for 2015/2016, an increase of 22.25  per cent. Fish production, juvenile production, smoked fish and fish feed increased by 59.51 per cent, 13.81 per cent, 35.44 per cent and over 100 per cent  during the period.

    According to him, the project implemented 25 demonstrations on improved technologies. On avian influenza, he said N7.4 million has   paid as compensation to affected farmers.

    Besides, he  said the  project has conducted awareness campaign on the outbreak.

    Since the restructuring of the CADP, he said the project has incorporated the development of women and youths in agriculture in line with both the state and federal government’s agriculture development plan.

    He  said  the project has  empowered  farmers through  input grants and service providers engaged to supply the inputs the beneficiaries need.

    He said  farm access roads have been constructed to open up inaccessible agrarian communities. A co- Task Team Leader Dr. Shehu Salau said  the World Bank is supporting Nigeria strategy options of diversifying into non-oil sources of growth  through CADP.