The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Agric

  • Firm invests in agric value chain to support farmers 

    Firm invests in agric value chain to support farmers 

    Fish farmers in Nigeria have lauded Olam Agri for the recent improvement in productivity levels in the aquaculture segment, attributing this to the company’s investments in the value chain. Speaking during a recent value chain review exercise, the farmers attested to the business’ efforts at raising operating capacity in the aquaculture sector.

    Olam Agri in Nigeria, an agribusiness in food, feed and fibre started investing in the aquaculture value chain in 2017 through its feed milling unit. Before then, the sector was bedevilled with different challenges among which were poor knowledge of modern fish farming practices, inaccessibility of high-quality feed, high mortalities in hatcheries, slow growth in nursery phase and irregular sizes during harvest. This led the agribusiness to immediately set machinery in motion to address the challenges.

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    The agribusiness flew in one of its global aqua experts, Mr Matthew Tan, who trained and introduced local farmers to trendy fish farming practices. He also trained over 40 Olam Agri technical experts who continued to work with the farmers.

    Approximately 7,500 Nigerian fish farmers, among whom were women fish farmers, were equipped with the best aquaculture practices by the business’s team of experts. In addition, the agribusiness located a state-of-the-art feed mill in Ilorin to ensure a steady supply of quality and affordable fish feed to fish farmers. 

    Attesting to the business’ value chain impact, Vice President of the Lagos State Catfish and Allied Farmers Association, Olatoye Fajimi  said, “Olam agri employs technical experts who go around to visit farms to work with the farmers to improve farm clusters’ productivity.”

    Owner of Odafi Fish Farm located within the Asejere Fish Farms cluster in Odogbolu, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State,  Lazarus Odafi,  affirmed, “Olam Agri came to our farm cluster and trained us on pond water management techniques, how to test PH level in the pond, and ways to curb feed waste. They helped us understand the science of catfish farming, especially how to create the right environment for the fish to thrive. These efforts have really impacted our businesses.”

    He explained, “Since feed is one of the most important inputs in fish farming, Olam Agri increased the availability of feed to farmers. They help farmers gain access to feed in an instant by localizing their production in key hubs here in Nigeria. They also employ technical experts as salespeople who go around to visit farms to interact with the farmers to improve farm clusters’ productivity.”

    Mrs Ogundeyi Dorcas of Tripple T Farms located in Ipaja said, “ The conversion rates of Olam Agri feed brands have been superb. An Olam Agri’s technical expert taught me how to manage disease in my pond and how to measure water quality. These inputs have made some impacts on my farm productivity level.”

    Mrs Okpapi Lucy whose farm is in Alagbado, Lagos, said she struggled until she met an Olam Agri technical expert who introduced her to new methods of farming. She emphasised the business’ attention to customer improvement, ‘’Anytime I have issues on the farm and call them, they would show up almost instantly. They are hands-on. In fact, they would go into my pond to address any challenge I complained about. Olam Agri is one of the reasons I am still in business.’

    Speaking about the business’ approach to raising productivity in the aquaculture value chain, Mr Ankit Puri, Vice President of the Animal Feed and Protein Unit, Olam Agri in Nigeria, said, “A crucial aspect of our success story is that we keep the fish farmers at the heart of our strategy. Apart from deploying experts to work with the fish farmers, we introduced best-in-class feed formulation processes, strong procurement systems, wide-reaching logistics and operational excellence into the industry.”

    “We are the largest procurer of soy and corn locally. We move over 1 million metric tons of raw materials and animal feed across Nigeria to ensure the availability of feed to fish farmers. Our state-of-the-art feed mill is equipped with world-class tech such as vacuum cutting technology. Our fish feed brands are formulated and processed in line with international standards.”

     the Country Head of Olam Agri in Nigeria, Ashish Pande explained, “Our rising investment in the fish farming value chain is part of our pursuit of a food & nutrition-secure and sustainable Nigeria under the Seeds for The Future (SFTF) initiative.  The Seeds for the Future initiative is our social sustainability investment vehicle with five levers, namely, supporting farms and farmers, enabling wider education and skill development for young people, empowering indigent women, promoting health and nutrition across the country and reducing carbon emissions in our business operations.”

  • Zamfara partners Russia on agric, health, others

    Zamfara  State Government is to partner the Russian Government to develop critical sectors of its economy.

    This was discussed at a meeting between the Zamfara State Governor, Dr. Bello Matawalle, and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mr Alexey Shebarshin, at the Russian Embassy in Abuja.

    The meeting focused on improving the agriculture, education and health sectors as well as solid minerals development and exploration.

    Shebarshin said Russia was ready to work with Zamfara to improve its economy.

    He added that his country, which specialised in minerals exploration and excavation, will provide Zamfara State with expertise to enhance its economy for global marketing .

    He also extended an invitation to the governor for the upcoming first Russia/African Union  Summit on October 24 and 25, which will focus on fostering economic, political and cultural cooperations

    He further said during the summit, the governor would be invited to visit one of the biggest Russian gold mining companies transformed by high technology mining equipment.

    Earlier in his address, Matawalle said he was at the Russian Federation Embassy to seek for a partnership on how best to develop his state’s critical sectors of the economy and to have foreign investors, especially in agriculture and solid minerals.

    Matawalle said his decision to visit the Russian embassy is to make Zamfara benefit from the expertise of Russia which it is known for in developing countries by extending same to Zamfara through transfer of technology.

    This according to the governor has made Russia a formidable ally of all nations that desire true and meaningful development.

    Matawalle solicited the partnership of the Russian government in transforming Zamfara State Agricultural sector to make it an all year round activity, with greater benefit to the farmers through the deployment of modern farming technology.

     

    On the solid minerals, the Governor informed the Russian Ambassador that various minerals are available in the State in a commercial quantities which include gold, uranium, manganese, kaolin, granite, tantalite and Zinc and requested the Russian Government to come and invest in the State solid minerals Exploration.

    He further said that on Education his Government wishes to partner with the Russian Government to provide scholarship for the indigenes of the State considering Russia’s reputation of academic excellence globally.

  • Empowering youths in agric

    The British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation and the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a new project to create jobs and promote youth agriculture, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    MOST youths do not like agriculture. They prefer white collar jobs.

    To stop them from running away from the farms, the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation and the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos.

    The programme entitled: Wealth is Here is aimed at attracting and empowering the youth in rural areas. It will cover both the youth with some land holding and those without land.

    Speaking at the signing of the MoU in Lagos, BATNF Executive Director, Ms Abimbola  Okoya said rural transformation could not be accomplished in Nigeria  without encouraging and empowering the youth in agriculture and value chains and entrepreneurship.

    She  noted that investing in the future of the youth and encouraging them to grow their own businesses was key in dealing with the unemployment situation.

    She underscored the need for motivation through linkage to financial services that do not require collaterals the youth cannot provide, rural infrastructure and services to facilitate market linkages and enterprise development and partnerships.

    She said BATNF, since its establishment in 2002, has invested N1.5 billion and implemented 200 projects.

    “In 2018, we reiterated our commitment to support sustainable agriculture development through the unveiling our development assistance framework-the 2022 country programmes and the investment of N750 million towards the achievement of the mandate,” she said.

    She said the new project would support rural enterprise development and creation of value chains.

    BATN Foundation General Manager Ololade Johnson-Agiri said  the firm’s ‘Wealth is Here’ campaign is aimed at redeeming Nigeria’s glorious past, which was built on the pillar of a thriving agriculture.

    She noted that the BATNF would take advantage of BoA’s technical strength to develop and promote the campaign initiative.

    “The campaign is a reminder of Nigeria’s glorious past in agriculture. It is a call to Nigerians to seek out opportunities in the agricultural sector. In this initiative we have identified some solutions to bridge the gap mitigating their involvement in this sector. In the campaign, for example, we have identified the World Food Day Lagos Farm Fair to create access to market for agricultural products; the Farmers for the Future to give young people the opportunity to access grant for their enterprises. We have partnered with government’s institutions to identify programmes that the public can take advantage of, and soon we will launch a digital campaign to revive hope and optimism in Nigeria.

    ‘’We see a future where we will all thrive and survive. The Bank of Agriculture believes in this future too. In our partnership, BATN Foundation will leverage on BOA’s technical strength to fully develop and promote the Wealth is Here initiative. BoA will provide linkage to credit facilities for farmers or groups who emerge successful in our projects.”

    BoA Executive Director Mr. Olabode Abikoye described BATNF said: ‘’We are honoured to be a part of this initiative. We are humbled that you deemed us fit as a worthy partner to take this step with you. BATN Foundation is a huge partner for any corporate engagement. I am happy that BATN Foundation is identifying what the critical need is and is stepping into the gap to feel that need. I am impressed that the ‘Wealth is Health’ concept by BATN Foundation has a lot of thought-out initiative.”

  • ‘Agric contributed 40% to GDP in 2018’

    The National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) has said the agricultural sector contributed 40 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year and employed 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

    The institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Aliyu Umar stated this during the yearly research review meeting held at NCRI Badeggi in Niger State.

    He said: “Statistical profile of agricultural sector contribution to the  economy growth and sustainable development is impressive, reflecting that the sector has contributed 40 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product and has employed about 60 per cent of the population of Nigeria.”

    Umar declared that with this statistics, the sector plays a significant role in the growth and development of the country.

    He advocated that  diversification through agriculture should be approached frontally, emphasising on more effort from governments at all level.

    In her keynote address, the  Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Executive Director, Dr. Patricia Pessu, called for more investment in research to sustain the economy, adding that new technologies, input and techniques that lead to increased agricultural productivity and food security were developed through research.

    She stressed that the country should not only make agricultural development a priority, but also make it a reality.

    “Apart from putting in place the right policies, the government needs to invest in agricultural research and provide basic infrastructures for its growth and development, “ she said.

    She suggested more effective collaboration among government, academia and industry.

     

     

  • NLC resolves 11 years old agric union dispute

    The eleven-year-old crisis that has fractured the nation’s argic sector union has finally been laid to rest with both factions agreeing to adopt one union and work together for their common good under a new name.

    The Agric sector union has been factionalised into Agricultural and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) and Agricultural and Allied Workers Union of Nigeria (AAWUN), with both claiming to be the recognised union in the sector.

    The crisis led the Registrar of Trade unions domicile in the Ministry of Labour and Employment withdrawing their certificate of registration when all efforts to resolve the crisis failed.

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    At its last National Delegates Conference, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) put in place a conciliatory committee headed by the Deputy President of Congress, Comrade Najeem Yasin to resolve the crisis.

    Comrade Yasin told newsmen that after series of meetings, both contending factions resolved the dispute and adopt a new name, while a 33 man caretaker committee headed by Comrade Simon Anchaver to run the affair of the new body for six months before elections is conducted.

    He said the new union will now be called Nigeria Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees, adding that similar caretaker committees are to be put in place at all levels of the union and positions shared at an agreed formula among the two unions.

  • Osun, China to collaborate on mining, agric, others

    China has pledged to assist in lifting the socio-economic growth of Osun State through collaboration in infrastructural growth, education, agriculture, mining and commerce.

    Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Dr. Zhou Pingjian gave the indication of his country’s readiness to work with the state government during his visit to Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the weekend in Osogbo.

    Members of the Chinese delegation on the visit are: Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria Mr. Zhou Xikang; Chinese Embassy Political Officer Mr. Huang Shumsing and officials of the CCECC Construction Firm, Mr. Zhao Kang and Mr. Zhao Sicong.

    Officials of the state government, who joined the governor to receive the visitors include Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi, Secretary to the State Government Mr. Oluwole Oyebamiji, Head of Service Dr. Olowogboyega Oyebade, Chief of Staff Dr. Charles Diji Akinola, Supervisor for Finance Mr. Bola Oyebamiji and Deputy Chief of Staff Mr. Abdullah Adeyanju Binuyo.

    Oyetola noted that the partnership with the Chinese government would help the state to actualise her dreams on Public Private Partnership (PPP) and open windows of opportunities for investors to thrive.

    The governor said the state is endowed with mineral resources available for investment, adding that the climate is conducive for investors, especially the friendly government policies and stable power supply of up to 18 hours daily.

    He also spoke of the reign of peace in the state, the availability of arable land and the policy on land bank, which enables investors to access land with ease for their operations.

    He appealed to the Chinese Embassy to collaborate with the state to facilitate the completion of the MKO Abiola International Airport in Ido-Osun.

    Oyetola hailed the Republic of China for being a reliable partner to the Federal Government.

    Oyetola said: “We are satisfied with the cooperation that China is extending to Nigeria. China has become an economic power

    “China is always the best in the area of construction and infrastructure development. Since government has no business in business, our administration is ready to partner with you to drive our investment in all sectors.

    “We have specific interest in mining, Information and Communication Technology, education, agriculture, infrastructure development among others.”

    Chinese Ambassador Pingjian said: “The visit to Osun is intended to strengthen the existing cordial relations between China and Nigeria and promote cooperation and exchanges at sub-national level.

    “Osun is doing well in all areas of the economy, particular in the education sector. I have seen the quality of the schools built around the state and I have seen so many reasons to invest in this state.”

  • Make agric a viable business, Fed Govt advised

    The Executive Chairman, Foundation for Economic Research and Training (FERT), Prof. Akpan Ekpo, has advised the Federal Government to create an environment that will make agriculture a viable business.

    According to him, this would make people start seeing agric as a profitable business rather than just agriculture.

    Ekpo, a Professor of Economics & Public Policy, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, gave this advice in his keynote speech during the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) breakfast meeting held in Lagos.

    The meeting, organised by NACC, was sponsored by the EB5 Capital and Specjobs Limited.

    EB5 Capital helps foreign investors to gain permanent residency in the United States through investments within the guidelines of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Programme–a United States government effort that encourages investment in job-creating ventures.

    NACC has been advocating the diversification of the nation’s economy using agriculture as vehicle.

    Ekpo noted that although agriculture has done well, not on a sustainable basis. “Are we producing and exporting to earn foreign exchange; have we changed the structure of production from being a consuming economy?” he asked, noting that the country has not done these.

    He said agric has not been modernised. “If you see an increase in agric production or output, it’s still due to rainfall. We need to modernise agriculture and make it a large scale that will depend on technology, not on nature to move the economy forward,” he said.

    Ekpo added that if agric is modernised and made to operate as a viable and profitable business, more Nigerians will be attracted into the venture and agric will contribute more to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    He also said with more people involved in agric because of its commercial viability, they would feed all Nigerians and export.

    NACC President Mr. Oluwatoyin Akomolafe noted that Nigeria’s GDP growth had remained largely unimpressive and still exhibits the same pattern of the pre-crisis period of 2017.

    According to him, as at the third quarter of last year, unemployment and underemployment rates were high. An estimated 49.1 percent of the country’s population was also below the poverty line.

    He, however, maintained that the Chamber was committed to promoting the development of trade, commerce, investment and industrial/technology between Nigeria and the US.

     

  • ‘Agric can stimulate growth’

    FEderal College of Agriculture (FECA), Provost, Dr. Samson Adeola Odedina  said Nigeria needs   agriculture  to achieve the ambitious goal of  a functional food system.

    Odedina, who was  guest lecturer at the 20th Annual Lecture Series of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta,  (FUNAAB) Alumni Convention, said:  “’Business as usual’ is no longer an option for the sector, adding  that change is vital to  ensure the future of agricultural growth, and that it  better meets the expectations and aspirations of Nigerians.

    The theme was: Agriculture and national development:scaling agricultural solution for stutainable national development.

    Odedina stressed the importance of scaling up agriculture as a compulsory vehicle to drive economic diversification of Nigeria’.

    He said more innovation was needed to generate new drivers for growth to ensure macroeconomic stability. Such an ambitious agenda can be achieved only if the sector embraces agricultural innovation.

    He said Nigerians require access to safe, quality food than ever before  and to  achieve  this, efforts  have to be made  to  increase the competitiveness of farmers as well as ensure the future investment in innovation.

    He said high quality training and education will ensure that farmers continue to produce safe, affordable and nutritious food for the community and export.

    Odedina said the academia must  take its responsibility seriously and offers its commitment and support to help the government achieve its food safety objectives. This includes continuing to research to boost competitiveness of the nation’s  agriculture.

    Highlight of the event was the presentation of an outstanding award of recognition to Dr Odedina.

    The event had in attendance the Vice Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof Felix Salako; Pro Chancellor/Chairman, Barrister AbokiZhawa;Ebi of Idena, Iperu Remo ,HRM Oba Omosanya Akinyemi, , the Chairman of the occasion, Aare Abiola Salau ;Deputy Vice- ChancellorDevelopment , ProfLateef Sanni

    Project Director CAVA II,Prof Kolawole Adebayo National President of FUNAAB Alumni,Olusola  Tobun and other dignitaries.

     

  • ‘Manufacturing, agric hold key to economic growth’

    The Executive Director, Dangote Group, Hajiya Halima Aliko-Dangote, has urged youths in Nigeria and across Africa to diversify from service-oriented enterprises to manufacturing and agriculture.

    She said both sectors hold immense potential to fast-track the development of the continent and better the lives of its nationals.

    Halima Dangote said the economic realities around the world have shown that the way to go is agriculture and that the youths must take the lead more when most African countries are still grappling with low economic growth.

    Speaking at a forum in Abuja, during the week, Halima Dangote said African countries have groped in the dark for too long and it was high time the millennials stood up to be counted as the future of the continent.

    In her paper titled: Roles of Millennials in transition and institution building, the Dangote Group Director explained that the youth have the potentials to turn around the fortunes of the African continent.

    She said: “Millennials are young ones born between 1980 and the mid-2000s, who account for 27 per cent of the global population (about two billion people), and Sub-Saharan Africa alone is home to 13 per cent of the entire millennial population, ranking second to Asia.”

    According to her, statistics have also revealed that by 2025, 75 per cent of the global workforce will be millennials, large enough to influence consumer spending patterns, change consumer business models and impact the global economy.

    She said most members of this generation are at the beginning of their careers and so will be an important engine for economic growth in the decades to come.

    Halima Dangote stated that the theme of the conference, which is “Transition, Transformation, and Sustainable Institutions”, could not have come at a better time than now. She, therefore, lauded the association for coming up with a subject that Nigeria and Africa needed to discuss.

    The Executive Director also urged millennials and other relevant stakeholders to exercise restraint in the face of common desperation for wealth by their contemporaries, adding that “Success in entrepreneurship takes time, dedication and hard work.”

    She said there was the need for youths to disabuse their minds from the concept of overnight success. “Industrialisation requires patience and perseverance,” she stated.

    Halima Dangote also spoke extensively on the successes recorded by the Dangote Group, founded by her father, Aliko Dangote, in creating numerous jobs and establishing value-adding industries and contemporary businesses.

    According to her, the company did these through importation, manufacturing and backward integration to generate and highlight local content for overall development.

    While noting that the group’s achievements did not come easy, Halima Dangote said “the Millennials should see these opportunities and diversify from service-oriented enterprises to manufacturing enterprises.

    “Manufacturing has the capacity to create numerous jobs, develop an economy, sustain jobs and open other linkages.”

    She noted that millennials are leaders in transition and are evolving. To her, “With smart phones and connections, the Millennials can exert much influence and swing the outcome of a situation. This confers on them great role and responsibility in shaping the outcome of policies and politics in a nation.

    “Economic sentiments have turned sharply since 2015. The general consensus across sub-Saharan Africa’s two largest economies is that lack of employment opportunities poses a very big problem amongst other key societal issues identified through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    She, however, stated that despite these concerns, there is considerable optimism about the future, and millennials are increasingly getting more active in influencing and energising public opinion through social networks and creating mass movements.

    Halima Dangote also said they are actively leveraging digital fluencies to improve public sector accountability; address global societal problems and drive civil society engagement.

    According to her, “Dangote Industries Limited is one of Nigeria’s foremost conglomerates with interests in cement, sugar, salt, flour, pasta, noodles, poly products, real estate, agriculture, logistics, telecommunications, steel, oil and gas, and beverages, among others.

    The group has over 15,000 direct employees. It provides indirect employment to tens of thousands of others who are engaged in activities relating to its businesses.

    Dangote Cement has presence in 18 African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Liberia, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Chad, Mali and Niger).

     

    Also, the Managing Director of Mojec Holdings, Chantelle Oluwabumi Abdul, said despite being a young person, her company controls about 80 per cent of metering in the power sector in West Africa.

    She said youths should look into creating ideas and as well executing the ideas promptly.

    “I believe in the Nigerian dream. I believe in Africa. Young people now look at creating real wealth in billions and not millions again,” she added.

    According to her, the sheer size of this demography, which is already about half the size of world population and the democratisation of information using technology, is a warning sign to future politicians and the future of politics.

     

  • CBN releases credit guidelines for manufacturing, agric

    • Pegs maximum loan at N10b

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday released new lending guidelines for manufacturing and agricultural sectors. The new guidelines also pegged maximum loan access to the sectors at N10 billion.

    The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at its meeting on July 23 and July 24 introduced revised guidelines for Accessing Real Sector Support Facility (RSSDF) through Cash Reserves Requirement (CRR) or Corporate Bonds (CBs).

    The CBN said that commercial banks would, henceforth, be incentivised to direct affordable, long-term bank credit to the real sector.

    It  said that priority sectors included the manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors considered by the CBN as employment and growth stimulating.

    CBN Spokesman, Isaac Okorafor said that Corporate/Triple-A rated companies would be encouraged to issue long-term Corporate Bonds (CBs), adding that a Corporate Bonds (CB) Funding Programme had been put in place.

    The programme, according to him, involves investment by the CBN and the general public in CBs issued by corporate organizations subject to the intensified transparency requirements for participating corporates.

    The apex bank said it will be refunding CRR to banks that fund projects in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, its Director of Banking Supervision, Abdullahi Ahmad, has said.

    The CRR is a portion of banks’ deposits kept with the CBN. He said the CBN has been very supportive to banks adding that banks should be able to lend to companies that are doing new capital expenditures and expansions to factories using some of their Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at nine per cent. These, he added, are not short term loans but long term loans of seven year loans, two year moratorium on principal.

    “It would probably be the first time in the history of this country where manufacturers would be able to take fixed interest rate loans for seven years which means they would be able to plan. The volatility that they fear for all kinds of risks would be taken out and I think these are very laudable steps in improving and growing the economy,” Ahmad said.

    For him, the idea is to have job creating activities in the economy and also to bring interest rate down. Although agric and manufacturing are the initial sectors that are being considered, later on or now, a bank can apply if there is a job creating sector that bank is operating in, it may be considered.

    “We can refund the CRR of a bank that has engaged in lending in a new project or an existing one in the agriculture or manufacturing sector as a way of utilising the CRR. So, anytime a bank lends to manufacturing or agric at the rate the CBN has prescribed, it would have its CRR refunded up to the amount it has lend. The guidelines are coming up any moment from now and once they do it take off,” he said.