The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Agric

  • I’ll focus on agric, tourism, says Amosun

    I’ll focus on agric, tourism, says Amosun

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has promised to pay more attention to agriculture and tourism as both have the potential to generate wealth and jobs to assist the state achieve self-sustenance.

    Amosun said the need to diversify the economy was imperative, following the dwindling drop in prices of oil at the international market.

    The governor spoke at the weekend in Maun, Ipokia Local Government Area while addressing All Progressives Congress (APC) members, supporters and residents during his re-election campaign tour.

    He said before the discovery of oil in commercial quantity, Nigeria survived mainly on agriculture.

    According to him, Nigeria should cease taking oil as the mainstay of its economy as the reality in the global oil market has shown that revenue from crude oil could neither be predicted nor relied upon.

    The governor said: “Oil has continued to fall in the international market. That is bad news for Nigeria because as we all know, oil is our mainstay. We are compelled now to shift focus from oil to agriculture where we have comparative advantage.

    “Before oil came, Nigeria survived mainly on revenue from agriculture. All the economic wonders performed in Nigeria before Independence were products of agriculture. We must go back to it.”

    Amosun said agriculture and tourism potential abound in Ipokia Local Government Area and assured that his administration would accord them priority.

    But he reiterated his commitment to ensuring that the exploration on the oil-rich Tongeji Island takes off.

    “The falling price of oil will, however, not discourage us from exploring the oil reserve we have here on Tongeji Island. We are committed to its exploration and we shall do it in due course.”

  • ‘Fast-track title deeds issuance to aid agric growth’

    ‘Fast-track title deeds issuance to aid agric growth’

    The  Federal Government has been urged  to hasten the process of issuing of title deeds and formulate regulations to promote agricultural   investments and economic growth.

    The  Director, Africa Region,  Cassava Adding Value to Africa, Prof Kola  Adebayo, said there was  need  to  restore   sanity within  the  system  to activate agro  business growth.

    He   said delays in the issuance of titles led  to loss of business opportunities for citizens and private sector players.

    According to him,  mega food  processing  investment projects, within  the  sector   need to be guided by investment regulations, adding  that  delays in issuance of land title deeds  result in delays   in the execution of  such  projects.

    He said land owners of large companies and farms suffer a lot   owing to the incessant disputes between such  organisations  and the  communities, urging  the  government  to step into the  situation in the interest  of  agriculture.

    He  stressed that land is the chief, primary input in all agricultural production.

    With  the demands the  population is placing on land resources, the  expert  said  there  is  need  for  the  government  to think about the most effective ways to organise land ownership and use  to  boost food security.

    When land users feel secure that their land will belong to them as long as they wish to keep it, that it will not be arbitrarily seized by other land-using groups, or forced out of agricultural use by encroaching development, then, they   more likely to invest in the long-term development .

    For the  government ‘s  agricultural expansion  dream   to become a reality,he  emphasised  that smallholders’ rights to own and transfer land must be secured so that they can either be officially incorporated into agricultural development schemes .

    He blamed the emergence of the cartels on past poor regulation and lack of awareness by the farmers.

    Adebayo  said the need to ensure the interests of the  farmers are well protected against exploitation by middlemen and brokers as   trade malpractices,  have   led to price distortion and market segmentation thus barring entry of new players who are ready to offer  prices.

    He said the majority of the cartel groups are to blame for the rampant smuggling of the commodities across the borders, leading to loss of billions of money to the government and farmers.

    Also, in some industries the cartel groups are cheating farmers to enter into dubious contracts a few months after planting and before harvesting. Through the suspicious contracts, he said growers were cheated to dispose of their produce.

    The farmers, he added, were forced to grow the crops on behalf of the traders and after harvest, the grower had nothing to celebrate.

    This, according to him, has denied the growers full ownership of the crop and equally limit his chances of earning more from produce, thus leading to grinding poverty and under development.

    The cartels, he  noted,  trigger artificial shortage of commodities in the local market so that they can exploit  farmers through inflated prices and force government and other value chain players to import.

    He  called  on the government to improve the distribution and storage structure  and  to set up marketing  boards  to  assist farmers buy up their produce.

  • Fed Govt plans strategies to boost agric

    Fed Govt plans strategies to boost agric

    the federal Government may unveil some strategies to boost agriculture this year, it has been learnt.

    A source told The Nation that the government would improve funding to agriculture to enhance productivity, market linkages and access to e-extension technology.

    According to the source, there are plans to improve the private sector distribution of seeds and fertiliser, expand irrigation farming, and introduce crop and livestock insurance policies. The mechanisation policy under the agricultural transformation agenda, which began last year with Zamfara State, is expected to extend to more states this year. It will provide subsidised services to poor farmers to cultivate more land and produce more food. The move, the source maintained, is necessary to stimulate investments in agricultural transformation and food security and strengthen the country’s ability to achieve sustainable production following the falling oil price.

    The  source  expressed the  concern of  the  government about high cost of production in agriculture sector, that the needs to be reduced, erratic rains, a rapidly expanding population to feed, low commodity prices, competition from other sectors, unethical trade practices and poor management, ensuring  that  these bottlenecks would be addressed and growth attained as an all-inclusive approach will be employed in the  year to fully exploit the sector’s potential and maximise farmers’ earnings.

    Despite the setbacks faced last year, the source disclosed, the sector still recorded growth, food price stability resulting from increase in the quantum of food produced, adding that this year’s key tactic would be to ensure farmers spend less to produce more.

    This, he said, would be driven through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework and continued efforts at working with the state governments to confront the challenges facing farmers. The implementation of Staple Crops Processing Zones will create more farm jobs, attract more rural infrastructure and ensure easier aggregation of farm produce at less cost per unit.

    Focusing on youth, government will build on the launch of Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) to reach more educated youth within the set target of 740,000 to 750,000 all across the country, to entrench the transformation of the sector by supporting the youth to establish and run viable agribusiness enterprises that will add significantly to food production in Nigeria.

  • Agric Ministry, OSGF sign MoU on farming

    Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Office of the Survey-General of the Federation (OSGF) have signed a  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the provision of auto-photo imageries that would enable farmers to know the type of crops to plant as well as manage climate change.

    The Surveyor – General of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo said yesterday in Abuja at the signing ceremony.

    Nwilo explained that  auto-photo imageries were critical to agricultural production, as the imageries would assist farmers to know the type of crops to plant and areas suitable for agricultural activities.

    He said that the Federal Government had procured 25 of these auto-photo imageries, adding that various ministries have indicated interests to acquire them.

    Nwilo said: “This MoU is essentially to provide this information to the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    “And to say that the use of this imageries have its own condition to be specifically given to the ministry of agric. It is not transferable, you cannot sell it but if you add value to it you can do whatever you like.

    “We should be able to have access to that information. The ministry is willing and ready to partner wit all sector.”

    He pledged to effect the transfer of a Deputy   Director from his office to the ministry of Agriculture to enable the it to realise its objectives in this regard.

    Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Sunday Echono, said that the MoU would enable the Ministry to provide land information and management of climate change for farmers.

    He said: “Today’s event is primarily for us to sign a MoU to enable us to acquire some of these multi-spacial imageries and the use of multi-user licence we have been discussing with the OSGF.

  • Youth advice to invest in agric

    The Branch Manager, Ikeja, Bank of Agriculture, Mrs. Afolabi Oluwafemi has advise young people to embrace agricultural practice as it remain the way out of poverty and unemployment in Nigeria.

    Oluwafemi said this at a one day empowerment programmer organized by he Foursquare Gospel Church, Baruwa District Youth Ministry in collaboration with Project RAYS held at the church in Baruwa, Lagos.

    The workshop tagged exploring and maximizing opportunities within which witness over 50 youths from across the state. It feature empowerment, money grants, micro loans opportunities for small businesses, writing of business plan, preparing for loan application, marketing strategy and exhibiting of products and services.

    According to her, there are countless opportunities and possibilities for young people in the agricultural sector because from farming to marketing of the farm produce are values that can generate income.

    She noted that the need for Nigeria to diversify our economy from oil to agric economy is very apt, timely and urgent and young people must see it as an opportunity to tap into the various opportunities in the agricultural value chain.

    She noted that young people must see agriculture as a business and not just a hobby for them to succeed in any agricultural scheme they are engage in.

    She stated that there are various grants and loan for people who want to engage in agricultural practices; youth people can access the youth agricultural revolution scheme of the bank of agricultural which has no collateral.

    “YARN target youth between the ages of 18-35 years. The sum of 250, 000 to 1million loan with no collateral but two guarantors are needed for young people in agricultural business”, she said.

    Although she noted that young people are always ambitions and want to start big, she said to succeed in agric business, you must start small especially on projects they have not done before and then grow big.

  • Gates Foundation spends bulk of agric grants in rich countries

    Most of the $3billionb (£1.8billion) that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given to benefit hungry people in the world’s poorest countries has been spent in the United States, Britain and other rich countries, with only around 10 per cent  spent in Africa, new research suggests.

    Analysis of grants made by the foundation shows that nearly half the money awarded over the past decade went to global agriculture research networks, as well as organisations, including the World Bank and United Nation agencies, and groups that work in Africa to promote hi-tech farming.

    The other $1.5billion went to hundreds of research and development organisations across the world, according to Grain, a research group based in Barcelona.

    “Here, over 80 per cent of the grants were given to organisations in the US and Europe, and only 10 per cent  to groups in Africa. By far the main recipient country is the US, followed by the UK, Germany and the Netherlands,” it says in a report.

    Of the $678million given to universities and national research centres, 79 per cent  went to the US and Europe, and only 12 per cent  to Africa.

    “The north-south divide is most shocking, however, when we look at the $669million given to non-government groups for agriculture work.

  • ‘Agric revolution in Africa could increase global carbon emissions’

    Productivity-boosting agricultural innovations in Africa could lead to an increase in global deforestation rates and carbon emissions, a Purdue University study finds.

    Historically, improvements in agricultural technology have conserved land and decreased carbon emissions at the global level: Gaining better yields in one area lessens the need to clear other areas for crops, sidestepping a land conversion process that can significantly raise the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

    Agricultural advances in Africa, however, could have the reverse effect, increasing globally the amount of undeveloped land converted to cropland and raising greenhouse gas emissions, said Thomas Hertel, a distinguished professor of agricultural economics.

    “Increasing productivity in Africa – a carbon-rich region with low agricultural yields – could have negative effects on the environment, especially if agricultural markets are highly integrated,” he said. “This study highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between globalization and the environmental impacts of agricultural technology. They are deeply intertwined.”

    Debate surrounds the effects of agricultural innovation on the environment, Hertel noted. Some researchers suggest that increasing the profitability of farming will amplify its negative environmental effects, raising greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating tropical deforestation. Others argue that intensifying agricultural production is better for the environment overall because more land can be spared for nature if the same amount of crops can be produced using less land.

    “We set out to determine who was right,” Hertel said.

  • Cross River agric programmes excellent, says minister

    Cross River agric programmes excellent, says minister

    The Federal Government has promised to partner Cross River State to reposition the Agricultural sector and stimulate its value chain.

    Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina addressed reporters in Calabar, the state capital, after inspecting facilities at the Songhai Integrated Farm, an initiative of the state government.

    Adesina said: “What (Governor Liyel) Imoke is doing is impressive. We have plans to support it because it is excellent and visionary. In Niger Delta, where Cross River is, nobody drinks oil, nobody smokes gas but everybody eats what comes from agriculture.

    “The N2.2 billion Songhai facility is to encourage young people to go into agriculture. The Federal Government is ready to support the state to diversify its economy and add value. This project will also allow young entrepreneurs to have skills in practical agriculture as well as assist youths to get jobs in agriculture.

    “The Federal Government, under its Agriculture Transformation Agenda, intends to put in place a programme, called: Young Employment in Agriculture Programme. Its focus is to create a new cadre of young commercial farmers for Nigeria to replace the present generation of farmers many of whom are getting old.

    “So, we are going to work with the state using this facility. In fact, with this programme, we are doing roughly 750,000 young farmers for Nigeria in five years.”

    The minister explained that 100 people, who had been trained by the state government to run the facility, would be incorporated into the new initiative to make them more productive.

  • Increase budgetary allocation to agric, govt urged

    The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has  called  for   increased budgetary allocation to agriculture to boost food security in the country.

    Its National Vice President, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, who spoke on the sidelines of the National Agricultural Show organised by the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), made the call in Tudun Wada, Nasarawa State.

    “The government should increase budgetary allocation to agriculture so that farmers can further get to the root of their entire problems.’’

    He launded the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) of the Federal Government, saying that it had brought a lot of modern ideas and techniques to develop agriculture in the country.

    He said the scheme had made agriculture work perfectly in Kano State, adding that he was proud of the programme.

    Alhaji Bello also lauded the government’s policy of deploying National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to agricultural organisations, saying that it would further attract youths to the profession.

    Bello, who is also the Chairman of AFAN, Kano State branch, said the major challenge confronting farmers in the state was access to funds.

    According to him, government has “pumped money’’ to the banks for farmers, but the banks are not releasing the funds.

    Kwara  State  AFAN Acting chairman, Mr Daniel Ajiboye, who also spoke, decried lack of cassava processing machines in the state, urging the government to provide at least one cassava processing machine in the state.

    He said the machine was necessary to minimise huge post-harvest losses by farmers.

    “As we all know, the state depends mainly on agriculture because we do not have oil like other states, so we put all our available resources into agriculture.

    “We engage in farming activities such as rice, groundnut, cocoa, cashew, kolanut, and cassava. In fact, recently, Kwara was rated as one of the best cassava producing states in Africa.

    “This is because of the fertile soil we are blessed with, but the problem is that there is no single processing centre in the whole state,” he said.

    He explained that farmers in the state transport their cassava tubers to as far as Anambra State for processing, adding that the cost of production was high, considering the bad roads in the country.

  • Oyo college hosts agric seminar

    Barring last minute hitch, the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology in Igboora (OYSCAI) will host academics from several schools in agricultural symposium.

    The 2014 edition of the event is being organised by the college in collaboration with Livelihoods Support and Development Centre. The event with the theme: Sustaining agricultural development: Whither Nigeria is to hold between November 10 and 14.

    The Deputy Provost and the chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Chief Isiaka Adekunle, said the programme was expected to draw farmers, agricultural experts and scholars from different parts of the country, especially from higher institutions to the campus.

    Some of the lead authors expected at the event include Prof A.B. Ayanwale from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof G.O. Adeoye of Agronomy Department of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof J.O. Okunlola from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof O.A. Babalola from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUUNAB), and Dr S.A. Yusuf of Agricultural Economics Department, UI, among others.

    The symposium, according to the organisers, will chat a way forward on how to sustain agricultural development in the country. It will, among others things, consider topics in soils, farming systems and environmental sustainability, farm management and sustainable agricultural finance as well as organic and low external sustainable agriculture.

    Other sub-themes to be examined include challenges of climate change and responsiveness, intervention projects in sustainable agricultural development, livestock, fisheries and wildlife management. The opening ceremony will hold on November 11. Other events to be done include exhibition of agricultural products, annual general meeting and excursion.