The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Agric

  • CBN orders banks to give loans to agric, manufacturers at 9%

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will be refunding Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) to banks that fund projects in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, its Director of Banking Supervision, Abdullahi Ahmad, has said.

    Speaking yesterday at the end of the Bankers’ Committee meeting in Lagos, Ahmad said the outlook for the economy in 2018 is much better than 2017. 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.

    Also speaking, Executive Director, Finance at First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Mrs. Yemisi Edun, said the CRR that is taken from banks would be positively deployed to grow the real sector as well as the agriculture sector in the economy. “This is very positive for the economy and also positive for banks because we would be able to access these funds and earn on it. And because it would be coming at single digit rate, it would be positive for the economy,” she said.

    “For now, it would be channeled to agricultural sector and manufacturing but it for growth expansions enhance creation of jobs. the focus it ensure the economy grow now that we have achieved stability we need to now see a positive trend of growth and that is what we are committed to do at this time,” she said.

    “We have seen stability in the exchange rate being sustained, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth higher than 2017 and although there are capital reversals in our capital market, it is a little bit bearish but the fact is that capital outflow in the Nigerian economy is far less compared to many emerging economies is a sign there is high confidence in the Nigeria economy,” Ahmad said.

  • Mahindra boosts agric, power

    A multinational conglomerate, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited,  said it plans to scale up and expand its operations in the country. Together with its Nigerian partners, Springfield Agro Limited, and VIP Merchandise Enterprise Limited, the firm said it is now offering customised and focused solutions in the areas of agriculture and farm-tech prosperity, mobility and power generation.

    Speaking on the sidelines of a media forum in Lagos, Mahindra’s Chief of International Operations, Arvind Mathew, said the firm was inspired to find solutions to humanity’s challenge and the need to overcome same. “We challenge conventional thinking and innovatively use all our resources to drive positive change in the lives of our stakeholders and communities across the world,” he said.

    According to him, Nigeria is among the largest markets and economies on the African continent, with very strong growth prospects. This, he said, was why the firm has been steadfast with its channel partners to ensure that it delivers innovative solutions to meet the needs of the community. One of these is the “Farm-To-Folk” initiative, which he described as a solution that empowers farmers from every region to drive their capacity, including farm-tech prosperity. Mathew assured that Mahindra, as a Group, will continue to up the ante on technology and innovation to offer solutions in Nigeria that will drive positive change.

     

  • Echoes from The Nation Agric, food Summit

    Beyond the debate at the recent The Nation’s First Summit on Agriculture and Food Security, Assistant Editor NDUKA CHIEJINA revisits the issues thrown up at the event.

    BESIDES widening the tax net and eliminating leakages in the revenue accruing to it, the Federal Government is banking on the non-oil sector to diversify the economy.

    Prior to the introduction of diversification policy by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Federal Government was running a mono economy, earning more than 80 per cent of its revenue from crude oil exportation. But things are changing. The government is looking the way of solid minerals and agriculture.

    The summit on Agriculture and Food Security organised by Vintage Press publishers of The Nation was to agriculture on the front burner and stimulate national discourse on the sector as an alternative to oil, the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

    The consensus at the summit, which drew players from the public and private sectors of the economy, was a call on the federal and state governments to pump more cash into agriculture.

    Participants at the summit displayed their products during the video exhibition session. The participants included: some state’s chief executive officers, heads of government agencies and private sector players.

    They are: governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Kashim Shettima (Borno); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Sani Bello (Niger); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Godwin Obaseki (Edo); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Willie Obiano (Anambra); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

    Others are: Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Nsima Ekere; Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh; Bank of Agriculture Managing Director Kabiru Adamu; Dangote Grouo President Aliko Dangote and Olam Group Managing Director Venkataramani Srivathsan.

    According to the governors, the development of the agricultural sector would not only save the country capital flight, but fast-track the diversification policy and guarantee food security.

    In his opening remarks, Vintage Press Limited’s Managing Director Victor Ifijeh explained the summit’s objective. It was to ensure that government at all levels and Nigerians in general, participate in agriculture to ensure food security, Ifijeh noted.

    According to him, the organisation offered the platform of the summit for a cross-fertilisation of ideas to enhance the production of food so that the country can become not only self-sufficient in food production but reverse the food importation trend.

    Reminding Nigerians of experts’ consistent verdict that “a country that cannot feed itself is at great risk”, Ifijeh said: “The essence of the summit is to ensure that the country is not at risk in terms of food. Nigeria must be able to feed itself.”

    In their submissions at the summit, promoters of state-sponsored agriculture, governors Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), Kashim Shettima (Borno) Simon Lalong (Plateau), insisted that the country has not given sufficient funds for the development of agriculture.

    They argued that this was evident in the banks’ toxic loans inherited to the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

    Bagudu said: “When the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) took over from the banking system, of the over N4 trillion debt it inherited, only less than a billion was owed by the agriculture sector.

    “We have not been putting money into agriculture. Let’s start from there. When AMCON was created in 2010, it took over from the banking system about N4 trillion worth of bad loans but less than a billion naira was related to agriculture out of it,” the governor lamented.

    He said that the Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) that lends money to the agricultural sector for specific crops had, as at the last count, given about N54 billion to develop the sector. The figure, he said was less than $200 million.

    In comparison, Bagudu said that the Federal Government has invested about $9 billion for oil production, thus exposing the gap in the funding for agricultural development.

    He went on: “There is no state, including the oil producing ones, that does not have about three crops, which with the right investments, cannot produce food for Nigeria including the states bordered by large bodies of water from which fish can be harvested in large commercial quantities.”

    He insisted that inadequate funding is the number one factor that is missing from the development of the sector.

    Citing the Brazilian example, Bagudu said that “a country that produces the same volume of oil as Nigeria is leading global production of maize, sugar, soya beans and other commodities.”

    He believed that the efficient funding of the agriculture sector its attendant value chain would bring about maximum benefits that will surpass oil.

    “We have a very dynamic, entrepreneurial and hardworking populace and they are ready to work. There are opportunities. We have to mobilize them,” he said.

    Also speaking, Shettima said: “A country that is not independent of its food needs cannot be said to be truly independent.”

    He lauded the Buhari administration for creating an enabling environment for thriving entrepreneurial agriculture.

    Entrepreneurial agriculture, he explained, provides jobs and opportunities for people so it deserves to enjoy government’s intervention like other sectors such as aviation and power.

    Going forward, Shettima urged the government to embrace change and modernity to improve output and coalesce for a common purse.

    Lamenting that Nigeria has become a dumping ground for all kinds of garbage, the Borno helmsman said: “Kebbi and Sokoto states can meet the cereal needs of the nation. Benue to Taraba he said can meet up with the tuber needs of the nation, while the coastal states can meet our protein needs, especially fish.”

    Shettima, who described Nigeria as a rainbow nation, insisted “that the hope of the black man lies with Nigeria and the future of Nigeria is bright.”

    Lalong said that he and his team attended the summit to demonstrate the significance the Plateau State government attaches to agriculture.

    He declared that the days of oil were gradually becoming history, adding that there was no doubt that President Buhari has laid the foundation for increased agricultural production in the country.

    The Plateau governor insisted that the country must diversify, especially “when nobody is talking about petrol any longer.

    He restated his administration’s determination to improve the fortunes of the Northcentral state through agriculture.

    The high point of the summit was the lecture presented by Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, a one-time Federal University of Agriculture Akure (FUNAB) and World Bank consultant. The lecture touched on the sensitive topic of ranching.

    The professor said: “Ranching is the way to curb the incessant herdsmen and farmer’s crises in the country.”

    “Ranching is more profitable and leads to the production of healthier livestock with greater returns on investment from increased milk and meat production and the accompanying benefits of ranching which are not possible with the nomadic or pastoral cattle rearing.”

    In the lecture entitled: “Sustainability of growth and the future of agriculture in Nigeria”, Daramola said that small holder farmers should be encouraged to transform from their subsistence level to agroprenuers.

    His argument elicited strong contributions from the audience some of whom argued that the government was not doing enough to encourage agroprenuers, especially with funds at low interest rates for agriculture value chains.

    Prof. Daramola noted that the old practice of farming with hoes and cutlasses was no longer fashionable to young graduates.

    To make agriculture attractive to young graduates, he advocated new approach that would encourage less-tasking and technology-driven agriculture methods driven by the private sector with demonstrable evidence of profit.

    According to him, “subsistence farming is recipe of poverty”, explaining that a farmer that consumes about 70 per cent of his produce is a subsistent one but going forward, “young graduates can only go into agriculture if they are convinced that the methods and are attendant benefits are in lock-step with their desires as graduates.

    The state-sponsored intervention agencies like the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Bank of Industry (BoI), the department at Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that is in charge of the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and NEXIM bank, institutions with a track record of funding, mixed the opportunity of the summit. They were absent.

    It is believed that their contributions would have enhanced and enriched the debate at the summit and allowed the audience to leverage on their interventions and encouraged more individuals and firms to buy into the much-talked about agroprenuers initiative.

     

  • Creating opportunities for IDPs through agric

    United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and British-American Tobacco Foundation are creating business and employment opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Northeast through agriculture, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

    Building on its work in meeting early-recovery needs of conflict-affected populations in the Northeast, the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria  has supported farmers with inputs to help them resgain their lost livelihoods.

    Over 600 farmers were supported with seeds, fertiliser and insecticide in Ngwom community in Mafa Local Government Area in Borno State.

    The intervention was part of UNDP Nigeria’s integrated community stabilisation package which  used Ngwom as its pilot scheme.

    The government of Japan is supporting the project, which has been providing agricultural inputs for rainy season farming, irrigation, livestock farming and fishery to about 1,700 farmers in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

    In Adamawa, more than 200 farmers received inputs. Most of the beneficiaries are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Borno State while others are from host communities.

    The private sector has keyed into the project.

    One of such organisations is British-American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation that has unfolded a rural-friendly programme for IDPs to access agriculture support services and entrepreneurship.

    Hajia Halima Ahamda is a beneficiary. A widow with three children from Tarila District of Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State, she and her kinsmen and women migrated to Yola in 2015, after being displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Mrs Ahamda is a peasant farmer, who cultivated crops and kept livestock before the attack.

    Last year, BATN Foundation, in collaboration with Adamawa State FADAMA III AF, supported her and 999 IDPs through its livelihood support project.

    She was trained in livestock best practices, and given one male and three female goats.

    One year after, she is celebrating her success because the female goats have produced seven kids, with others pregnant.

    Mrs Ahamda said she would sell the animals and use the money to solve her domestic needs, such as paying her children’s school fees and expanding her agriculture enterprise.

    Mrs Ahamda is not the only one  BATN Foundation has touched. Mallam Jubril Shuaibu is another beneficiary. A native of Ganana Tinja Village in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State, in 2014, he was among those displaced by the Boko Haram crisis.

    His property was destroyed. Without any means of livelihood, he and his family were forced to stay at IDPs camp at Damaturu.

    BATN Foundation collaborated with the International Food and Agriculture Development Climate Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Programme (IFAD-CASP) Yobe State office, last year, to implement a livelihood support project.

    Shuaibu received training and agriculture inputs to set up a farm, including four bags of 50kg fertiliser, 50 kg rice seed, two litres of herbicides and technical support.

    At the end of the season last December, he harvested 1.9 tonnes of rice from his 0.45-hectare farm.

    Proceeds from the produce sale, he said, were used to rebuild his burnt house, and feed his family.

    Speaking in Lagos, BATN Chairman Chief Kola Jamodu said the foundation had voted N700 million to boost agriculture. The amount is to be spent over a five-year period, under its Nigeria’s Country plan. So far, the foundation has spent N1.5 billion on agricbusiness.

    He said the project is targeting 62,000 rural farmers and five million people.

    Jamodu said the foundation would empower small farm holders to ensure food security in the country.

    He explained that BATN Foundation had taken intervention with small holding farmers as a serious business. This  is because the it sees them as a means of alleviating poverty on a large scale.

    Farmers, according to him, are offered quality seeds, fertiliser, agrochemicals, and  free training.

    Jamodu said the foundation had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) for the establishment of a collaboration to provide weather information to farmers.

    According to him, the objective of the deal is for NiMET to provide weather information, including the likely period of dry spell and locations of likely flash flood occurrences to farmers, who depend on rain-fed agriculture.

    British American Tobacco Managing Director, Chris McAlister said   in this modern agriculture, many farmers were still struggling with the pre-requisite to move from small scale to large scale farming and that this has threaten their ability to rise out of poverty.

    He reiterated that his organisa-tion would continue to provide funding and other assistance to ensure that they were able to support agricultural enterprises and improve the livelihood of those living in the rural areas, because they accounts for nearly 73.2 per cent of less privileged households in Nigeria.

    BATN Foundation Executive Director Abimbola Okoya said the foundation had established model farms across the country as part of its agriculture technology transfer to boost entrepreneurship.

    The model farms, with the ability to generate income, are part of the solution to taming the exodus of the youth to urban areas with their high income turnover expected to attract the youth into agribusiness.

    On  five-year programme, BATN Foundation General Manager, Mrs. Ololade Johnson-Agiri said the goals include creating market access through market-driven interventions, encouraging participation in out grower schemes for the production of staples crops, such as maize, rice and cassava, propelling value addition through-out agric value chain and promo-ting mechanisation and good agricultural practices.

    Others are providing humanitarian aid to IDPs, supporting government-led interventions, promoting young engagement and participation in agriculture and building quality human capacity and enterprise development.

    On the enterprise development, she explained that the foundation is pursuing a model that creates economic opportunities for rural farmers across the value chains, by taking up the cost of production and providing linkage to market.

    The main goal, according to her, is to move them from subsistence to commercial agriculture.

    She stressed that the programme provides support to agri-preneurs to help them create, build and expand their businesses in a viable and sustainable way.

    She said the foundation will offer grants to reputable organisations who can deliver results in outlined thematic areas.

     

  • ‘Govt banking on agric to transform economy’

    President Muhammedu Buhari-led administration is striving to reduce hunger and poverty through transforming agriculture, Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo has said.

    She spoke at the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) CEO Policy Maker Breakfast in Lagos.

    A panelist on the occasion, Mrs. Adebajo said the government was determined to transform agriculture into a competitive industry that creates jobs and sustains its food security campaign.

    She said the Federal Government had taken steps to expand the sector to ensure food security. They include efforts to strengthen policies and the capacity to raise yields, promote market access among farmers, and improve management of the country’s rapidly expanding agriculture industry.

    According to her, the economy remains on a solid footing, and the Federal Government is supporting the sector to play a critical role in the transformation, adding that agriculture is at the heart of that process.

    To curb unemployment, she noted that youths were being equipped with skills that would help them gain employment in agriculture.

    She reiterated that investing in agriculture could lead to huge returns for young people, and that the sector had enormous potential.

    According to Mrs. Adebajo, a training has been held to give some youths guidance in value-addition and food processing practices.

    She stressed that science and technology should be combined to enhance the transformation the sector required and to attract youths.

    She said the sector needed Information Communication technology (ICT) skills to propel  new technologies and innovation to address the challenges farmers face.

    In Ogun State, Mrs Adebajo said, agriculture is receiving attention, adding that the sector has shown  that it can provide employment, eradicate poverty and lead to economic diversification and industrialisation of the state.

    Unilever Ghana and Nigeria Executive Vice-President Yaw Nsarkoh said increased agricultural productivity would boost national income.

    He reiterated the readiness of the company to support smallholder farmers and help ensure a positive impact on the economy.

    Nsarkoh said huge labour force was a critical national asset, calling for a system that rewards efficiency and merit.

    Executive Council, WIMBIZ Chairperson, Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi said the organisation had reached 93,000 women through its activities.

    The forum provides a platform for high-level participants, including representatives from the private sector, to exchange views on investing in people for multiplier effect.

  • How agric is bouncing back

    Under three years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the agric sector has witnessed a dramatic transformation. The sector looks good to drive the on-going economic diversification. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that agriculture was one of the largest contributors to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth between 2015-2018.

    According to the NBS, agriculture now contributes about 30 per cent to the GDP. The agric sector’s growth was driven by the grains and exports, though other agricultural industries performed strongly. The value of farm exports alone was in excess of $20 billion, with experts expressing hope that the sector will be better in the coming years. Their hope and expectations were hinged on increased investments by governmental and non-governmental organisations.

    The Chairman of Rice Farmers Association in Kebbi State, Alhaji Sahabi Augie, said Nigeria’s agriculture, in the Last three years, has been on the cusp of dramatic expansion. Given the rich harvest recorded by rice farmers between last year and now, he said many of them are smiling to the banks

    Augie added that millers and traders from Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Lagos, Maiduguri, Niger and Adamawa, have been coming with trucks and trailers to buy rice from the farmers, adding that this has led to an increase in the price of the commodity beyond farmers’ expectations. This development, he said, has enriched farmers.

    Augie said many farmers were engaged to produce rice under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers programme. He commended the government’s determination through the CBN to make Nigeria one of the largest rice producers and exporters in the world, making her less dependent on revenue from the oil & gas industry.

    He said the CBN, working with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), has made rice production a successful business. According to him, the government’s resolve to increase production was one of the solutions to achieving rice self-sufficiency.

    However, experts say the quality of local rice must be improved to make it capable of competing favorably with the imported variety. This was as the CBN said it spent N55 billion on boosting rice production through the Anchor Borrowers’ programme in the last two years. At least, 2.5 million metric tonnes has been added to the already 2.5 million metric tonnes Nigeria was producing.

    Following the success, CBN said it will expand the scope of intervention this year to achieve 3.5 million metric tonnes of rice production through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme by the end of year.

    Nigeria’s agric promotion policy 2016-2020

    One of the most promising ground work done by the government towards achieving food security was the introduction of the Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020. “The Green Alternative” was the outcome of an intensive consultative process starting in November 2015 through April 2016, and involving multiple stakeholders.

    From farmer groups to investors to processors to lenders to civil servants to academics, many stakeholders provided detailed input, commentary, and support. Within its overall set of policy principles, the Federal Government concentrated on providing an enabling environment for stakeholders at federal and state level to play their distinctive roles.

    The policy emphasis was on providing a conducive legislative and agricultural knowledge framework, macro policies, security enhancing physical infrastructure and institutional mechanisms for coordination and enhancing access to adequate inputs, finance, information on innovation, agricultural services and markets.

    Turning the country’s agric sector into a robust one has been a major development target for the government. To help achieve this, the government has been working on improving the national seed situation and the strategic grain reserve. The government has taken measures to provide for the regulation and control of all seed issues, protect consumers and dealers and also promote a responsible and productive seed industry.

    With collaboration with the National Seeds Council, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh strengthened the agro-dealer layer between the farmers and the large seed companies. This resulted in improved local availability and affordability of inputs.

    Access to agric mechanization

    The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is partnering with global agricultural equipment manufacturers – John Deere Tractors and the Nigerian Agricultural Mechanization & Equipment Leasing Company (NAMEL) to improve farmers’ access to mechanization and increase agric productivity.

    Under the partnership, the S.M.A.R.T Model Mechanization Farm is a technologically driven agricultural project that offers integrated solutions for smallholder farmers; mechanized agriculture for improved yields; access to finance; reliability and technology/training; and designed to make mechanized farming available & affordable to farmers especially the smallholder farmer who cannot afford to own tractors and other agricultural equipment at affordable rates.

    The partnership was expected to help encourage more youths’ participation in agric, increase food production, boost job creation and promote local content in agric mechanization through the establishment of training centres and spare parts assembly plants.

    Ogbeh described mechanisation as a key strategy to attaining Nigeria’s food security target and self-sufficiency. The Minister welcomed the group to Nigeria and thanked them for their willingness to invest in the country’s agric sector.

    He emphasised the importance of ensuring high quality standard of equipment designed for the Nigerian farmer, taking into consideration the structure of the soil and climatic conditions.

    Credit guarantees to the rescue

    One agency that has been on the campaign to boost the nation’s agro-industrial revolution is Nigeria incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lendingn (NIRSAL). Its Managing Director/CEO, Aliyu Abdulhameed, said the organisation was doing a lot to reduce credit risks, increase lending, and drive investment across the entire Nigerian agric value chain.

    At Institute of Directors Nigeria’s Members Night in Lagos, Abdulhameed said NIRSAL offered commercial lenders a sense of shared risks by providing up to 75 per cent credit guarantees. So far, he said the organisation has issued over N67 billion in credit guarantees to cover loans by the commercial banks.

    To tackle the challenge of access to land, the NIRSAL CEO said the organisation was aggregating farmlands in agriculturally-endemic areas into geo-clusters of 10,000 hectares, further broken down into geo-cooperatives of 250 hectares.

    Farmland aggregation was matched with coordinated farmer aggregation through out-grower schemes and other pooling mechanisms. This, according to him, will enable NIRSAL to reach smallholder farmers with support, comprising training, mentoring and follow-up to ensure compliance with good agronomic practices, from input quality control to harvesting in a controlled and coordinated manner.

    Furthermore, he said farmers are aggregately positioned to enjoy credit, mechanization, irrigation, transportation, infrastructure and other support services promoted by NIRSAL. This supports large scale deployment of interventions and solutions and provides the benefits of economies of scale.

    According to Abdulhameed, NIRSAL has made significant investments in technological solutions and innovations in the fixing of broken agricultural value chains and facilitation of agribusinesses.

    One of its flagship innovative solutions is the FAM-SMART model. The CEO explained that  NIRSAL was using Geographical Information Systems and Pattern Recognition Systems to undertake a field mapping of agriculturally-endemic regions across the country.

    Besides aiding aggregation and coordination, he said the mapping helps in defining the locations for NIRSAL support, minimizing the risk of investing in areas that are not agriculturally viable.

  • Using agric to reduce poverty

    States are striving to boost agriculture to promote green growth and poverty reduction.These were the highlights of The Nation Agriculture and Food Summit in Abuja, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    With more than 70 per cent of its population living in rural areas, Nigeria’s economy is dependent on agriculture. But less than 30 per cent of its GrossDomestic Product (GDP) comes from the sector.

    Experts believe  the sector has the potential to increase its contribution to GDP. However, the most pressing challenge facing the nation is harnessing its agricultural resources to improve lives.

    In response, states, including Lagos, Borno, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, Benue, Lagos and Bayelsa,  are launching massive programmes to boost agriculture and smallholder farmers, to drive green growth and reduce poverty. They gave  the hints at The Nation Agric, Food Summit  and Awards held last week in Abuja.

    The event was designed to highlight agribusiness potential. To them, agriculture should be at the centre of a transition to a resource-efficient green economy, galvanising support for smallholder farmers, who are an “untapped resource” in addressing food security and environmental challenges.

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima said agriculture is the most important economic sector  and that the country produces various crops in different climatic zones, from dry savanna to wet forest, which run in east west bands across the country.

    He stressed that investments in sustainable smallholder agriculture must go hand-in-hand with policy and institutional reforms, investments in infrastructure and improvements in market access.

    He said there were compelling reasons to boost Nigeria’s agricultural sector. This, he said,  would  reduce reliance on imports and provide jobs to a country full of dedicated farmers.

    The Borno State Government recently unveiled its remarkable progress in many sectors. The state has registered 18,000 farmers to cultivate rice on 18,000 hectares of land in preparation for this year’s planting season. It has acquired tractors, mills, threshers, planters and harvesters.

    Under the programme, each farmer will cultivate one hectare of land.

    Shettima procured more than 10,000 farming units of irrigation materials, brought into the state in 750 containers.

    In addition, Borno is promoting drip irrigation, which allows water to be conserved at its premier centre in Maduguri.

    The advanced farming technology allows for two farming seasons and production of about 3,000 tonnes of tomato. Existing beside this is a seedling protecting centre that can produce tomato, pepper and any seedling.

    It has a capacity to produce eight million seedlings monthly, ready to plant.

    Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, said agriculture plays a key role in the state’s economic growth.

    Since the advent of President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015, Bagudu  said  rice production has been on the increase in the state.

    He said the government has focused on food security and reduction of expenses spent on importation of food stuff, which is as much as N1billion.

    As Nigeria‘s population continues to grow, thus implying more mouths that need to be fed in the future, he said the governments recently initiated partnership programmes with smallholder rice farmers to increase production through the use of new technologies and innovative financing programmes.

    He said the  country’s plan to become self-sufficient in rice has included additional investment in milling, along with the distribution of higher-yield seeds and fertiliser.

    According to him, Kebbi State has become a model and a hub in rice and wheat production and sales that attract the attention of many individuals, companies and states across the country.

    Bagudu said states have agreed to cooperate more closely to support sustainable rice production to improve food security and livelihoods.

    The partnership primarily, according to him,  aims to enhance sustainable rice farming, including assisting governments draw up and implement policies and strategies – to the benefit of small-scale farmers.

    To consolidate on the gains recorded in dry season rice farming and improve output in wet season, Bagudu said the state entered into partnership with Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara and the Moroccan government to receive the supply over 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

    He  noted that Kebbi farmers  farm rice, wheat, sorghum and millet throughout the year.

    Apart from Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN)  Anchor Borrowers Programme, he said the government is engaged in strengthening capacities of  rice sector actors through its capacity development.

    For turning Kebbi to the largest rice producing state in Nigeria, the governor was aptly appointed Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Rise and Wheat Production. If the Kebbi success is replicated in other places, he  noted  that  it  was possible for Nigeria to satisfy her rice demand in three or four years; and through that process, conserve foreign exchange and create thousands of jobs.

    Importantly, replicating the Kebbi success will also help take millions of poor Nigerians out of poverty, and make thousands of farmers millionaires.

    He affirmed the government’s commitment to investing in agro-industrialisation, saying the move would create a first-line employment and investment opportunity for women as well as the youth.

    He reassured that his administration will continue to do its part to promote the competitiveness of commercially-oriented agriculture.

    At the inception of the Simon Lalong administration in 2015, the governor and his team saw the need to promote agriculture for the development of the state and its people. This it did by making agriculture one of its policy thrusts to ensure food secuirty, provide employment to the citizens of the state and leverage on the policy thrust of the All Peoples Congress (APC)-led administration.

    Lalong said the state government’s decision to engage in massive agricultural ventures through public and private sector partnership was deliberate to ensure that agriculture became the driver of a mixed sector economy for job creation and economic prosperity.

    According to him, the state is developing agricultural projects, helping farmers there adopt sustainable practices for greater food security.

    A lot of green houses have been springing up all over the state due to these efforts while improvements are being recorded in rice farming.

    With the commitment by the administration in agriculture, potato farming  received a boost which has resulted in Plateau being selected as the only state to run the national potato value chain and furtherance of its desire to encourage a robust agricultural sector, the governor created the enabling environment and sponsored the first ever farmers’ summit in the state which resulted in in far reaching resolutions.

    The investment in the agricultural sector in Plateau state has gone beyond subsistence levels to a flourishing value chain enterprise with opportunities waiting to be tapped.

    Bayelsa State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Doodei Week  said rural youth represent a large proportion of the vulnerable households.

    He  reiterated  the state’s  determination to employ agriculture in tackling youth unemployment in rural areas, therefore providing peace, stability and food security.

    Lalong was appointed as a member of the National Food Security Council (NFSC), giving Plateau a deserved recognition as an agricultural centre of excellence.

    Key speaker and former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State,  Prof  Adebiyi Daramola, said a genuine agricultural revolution is needed to enable Nigerians  feed themselves , urging more youths to take up farming.

    Daramola said the country has  witnessed mixed results in terms of agricultural growth and food security due to poor sector leadership, erratic rainfall patterns, poor inputs distribution system and little investments.

    These mixed results ,according to him, awakened the government to the imperative to do something about agriculture.

    He  said agriculture must be transformed so that it offers young people an appealing alternative to urban life.

    According to him, channelling the energy, strength and dynamism of Nigeria’s youth into productive, competitive and profitable agribusinesses will boost agricultural production systems, create jobs and generate income.

    He said  the sector   needs to apply advanced technology and promote mechanisation in agricultural production and aquaculture.

    To develop agriculture specifically, Daramola envisions developing cold storage and food-processing facilities, and helping farmers expand markets.

    He urged farmers to change their mindsets to benefit from modern farming by using modern equipment to cultivate and irrigate crops during dry season.

    He said mechanisation improves labour and land productivity, saves time and eases work, while maintaining postharvest quality of agricultural produce to reduce losses.

    As part of measures to boost the  economy, the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) said the bank would ensure that efforts to grow the country’s agriculture sector to meet the standard set by government is not compromised.

    The BoA demonstrated leadership in agribusiness financing as being exemplified in its pivotal role in the Anchor Borrowers Programme, financing of Micro,Small and Medium agricultural enterprises in Nigeria.

    Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Vege fresh, Prince Joseph Samuel, said efforts to boost domestic agribusiness capacity would allow Nigeria to capture more of the agricultural value chain incountry, thereby creating jobs and increasing wealth.

    Samuel said agricultural research and development programmes were not up to the mark.

  • Governors seek more cash for agric to boost economy

    Expert okays ranching at The Nation’s First Summit on Food and Agriculture

    Jibrin Abubakar and Soji Omotunde
    Dangote Group representative Jibrin Abubakar receiving his company’s award from The Nation General Manager (Training & Development) Soji Omotunde

    Governors yesterday sought more funding  for agriculture.

    Nigeria pins its hope of diverting its economy on agriculture, but the sector remains underfunded — so goes the polular thinking.

    The country has not been pumping sufficient cash into agriculture, Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu said. He spoke at The Nation’s First Summit on Food and Agriculture, which was organised in Abuja by Vintage Press Ltd., publishers of this newspaper.

    Also at the Summit, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola advocated ranching as the panacea to   incessant herdsmen/farmers’ clashes.

    The former Federal University of Technology Akure(FUTA) Vice Chancellor noted that ranching is more profitable and leads to the production of healthier livestock.

    Bagudu  said  of  the over N4 trillion debts the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) took over from the banks, only less than a billion was owed by the agriculture sector.

    Borno State Governor ,Kashim Shettima and his Plateau State counterpart Simon Lalong also spoke at the summit. Bagudu said:”We have not been putting money into agriculture. Let’s start from there. When AMCON was created in 2010, it took over from the banking system about N4 trillion worth of bad loans but less than a billion naira related to agriculture out of it.”

    He noted that from three months ago, the Anchor Borrower Lending for the agricultural sector lent about N54billion for the development of the industry which is less than $200million .

    Bagudu said in comparison, the Federal Government invested about $9billion in oil production, which made evident the gap in the funding for agricultural development.

    According to him, there is no state, including the oil producing ones, that does not have about three crops which with the right investments can produce food for Nigeria. He insisted that inadequate funding is the number one factor that is missing from the development of the sector.

    The governor noted that Brazil produces the same volume of oil as Nigeria but the former is the leading global  producer of maize, sugar, soya beans and other commodities.

    Bagudu added: “We have a very dynamic, entrepreneurial and hardworking populace and they are ready to work. There are opportunities. We have to mobilise for them.”

    Shettima said a country that is not independent of its food needs cannot be said to be truly independent.

    According to him, the present administration has created an enabling environment to make entrepreneurial agriculture possible.

    Entrepreneurial agriculture, he said, provides jobs and opportunities for people, so it deserves to enjoy the government’s intervention like other sectors, such as aviation and power.

    Shettima advised that Nigeria should embrace change and modernity to improve output and coalesce for a common purse.

    The Borno State governor lamented that Nigeria had become a dumping ground for all kinds of garbage.

    He said: “Kebbi and Sokoto states can meet the cereal needs of the nation. From Benue to Taraba can meet up with the tuber needs of the nation while the coastal states can meet our protein needs, especially fish.”

    To Shettima, Nigeria is a rainbow nation,withwhich the hope of the black man lies. The future of Nigeria is bright, he said.

    Lalong said he and his team attended the summit to demonstrate the significance the state government attaches to agriculture.

    He said the days of oil were gradually becoming history.

    Lalong said there was no doubt that President Buhari had laid the foundation for increased agricultural production.

    He insisted that the country must diversify, especially when nobody is talking about petrol any longer.

    The governor said they are determined to improve the fortunes of his state through agriculture.

    Daramola, in his lecture, said small holder farmers should be encouraged to transform from their subsistence level to “ agroprenuers”.

    Nsima Ekere and Joshua Dariye
    Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Nsima Ekere receiving an award from Senator Joshua Dariye

    He noted that the old practice of farming with hoes and cutlasses was not attractive to young graduates.

    According to him, subsistence farming is recipe for poverty. He explained that a farmer that consumes about 70 per cent of his produce is a subsistent one.

    Vintage Press Limited Managing Director Victor Ifijeh said in his opening remarks that the objective of the summit was to ensure that government at all levels and Nigerians participate in agriculture to ensure food security in the country.

    Ifijeh said the company was offering the platform of the summit for cross fertilisation of ideas to enhance the production of food so that the country can become not only self- sufficient in food production but can also have affordable food for the teeming population.

    He reminded Nigerians that experts had consistently said that a country that cannot feed itself is at great risk.

    Ifijeh noted that “the essence of the summit is to ensure that the country is not at risk food wise. Nigeria must be able to feed itself.”

  • The Nation Agric, Food Summit holds today

    The Nation Agriculture and Food Summit holds today at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel, Vintage Press Limited, publishers of this newspaper and organisers of the event confirmed last night.

    According to the organisers, the summit billed for 3pm will be opened by President Muhammadu Buhari’s representative. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the special guest of honour.

    A former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Adebiyi Daramola, will deliver the summit’s main lecture. Daramola once served as a consultant to the World Bank.

    Also expected at the event that will feature awards to deserving individuals in the public and private sectors are those who have distinguished themselves in their fields.

    The organisers plan to put agriculture on the front burner and stimulate national discourse on the sector as an alternative to oil, which is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

    Besides, participants will showcase their products during the video exhibition session.

    On the recognition list are some states’ chief executive officers, heads of government agencies and private sector players, who have encouraged food production and agricultural growth.

    They are: governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Kashim Shettima (Borno); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Sani Bello (Niger); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Godwin Obaseki (Edo); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa); Willie Obiano (Anambra); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

    Others are: Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Nsima Ekere; Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh; Bank of Agriculture Managing Director Kabiru Adamu; Dangote Grouo President Aliko Dangote and Olam Group Managing Director Venkataramani Srivathsan.

  • All set for The Nation agric, food summit, awards

    Ahead of Thursday’s summit on agriculture and food security, DANIEL ESSIET writes on the contributions of participants in diversifying the economy.

    All is set for The Nation Agriculture, Food Summit and Awards on Thursday.

    The three-in-one event, being organised by Vintage Press, publishers of The Nation, is designed to put agriculture on the front burner.

    It will be opened by President Muhammadu Buhari. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the special guest of honour.

    Expected at the summit and awards are dignitaries from the public and private sectors, including heads of federal agencies and representatives of state governments.

    The main lecture at the event, billed for 3pm at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel will be delivered by a one-time Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) and former consultant to the World Bank Prof Adebiyi Daramola.

    Some governors, heads of government agencies and private sector players have been identified for recognition for their agricultural development in the past three years.

    They are governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Sani Bello (Niger), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Willie Obiano (Anambra), Atiku  Bagudu (Kebbi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).

    Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director Nsima Ekere, Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh and Bank of Agriculture Managing Director   Kabiru Adamu have been identified for honour.

    Dangote Grouo President Aliko Dangote and the Olam Group Managing Director Venkataramani Srivathsan are to be honoured at the event.

    The forum will serve as an avenue for the states and private concerns to showcase their work during the video exhibition session.

    Below are the profiles of winners:

     

    Ambode

     

    After serving the state as a civil servant, Akinwunmi  Ambode became the governor of Lagos State after winning election as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in 2015.

    Ambode has become a household name in the agriculture community. In his determination to take the Centre of Excellence destination of choice for investors and entrepreneurs, the governor launched many schemes with far-reaching implications towards agriculture growth and food security for the nation’s industrial hub.

    He is also playing critical role in mobilising global resources and partnerships towards the development of Lagos in the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure and security of lives and properties.

    His efforts have yielded substantial dividend in the volume of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) that has flowed into the state. The investment in infrastructure upgrade has raised the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    Ambode’s quest to boost rice production and ensure food security brought about the collaboration between the Lagos and Kebbi states governments. After signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March 2016, Ambode and his Kebbi state counterpart, Atiku Bagudu, launched a successful partnership that gave rise to the local production of LAKE (Lagos-Kebbi) Rice.

    Efforts have been made to improve productivity in agriculture by focusing on the whole value chain with emphasis on enterprises where the state has comparative advantage.

    Today, Lagos farmers have been effectively linked to markets and they have been creating job opportunities in poultry, agriculture, fisheries and horticulture in the state.

    To expand its agricultural initiatives, the state government has gone to other states, such as Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Bauchi to acquire land for agricultural purposes.

     

    Shettima

     

    Kashim Shettima, an agricultural economist, became the governor of Borno State in 2011. He attended Government Community Secondary School, Biu (1978-1980) and Government Science Secondary School in Potiskum, Yobe State (1980-1983). He graduated in Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri in 1989. For his National Youth Service he worked with the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Calabar (1989-1990). Shettima attended the University of Ibadan (1990-1991), gaining a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics. From 1991 to 1993 he was a lecturer in Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri.

    Shettima worked with the Commercial Bank of Africa as an agricultural economist at its Ikeja Office, Lagos State (1993-1997). He rose to the positions of a deputy manager and substantive manager at the Kaduna branch of the African International Bank Limited.

    He was appointed deputy manager/branch head of Zenith Bank, Maiduguri Office, in 2001, becoming the general manager five years later.

    His foray into politics started with his appointment as the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in 2007 in the administration of former governor Ali Modu Sheriff. He later held the forte in the ministries of Local Government & and Chieftaincy Affairs, Education, Agriculture and Health.

    The governor accords priority to agriculture transformation to fight poverty and end insurgency. Shettima said this at the Third Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum in Maiduguri.

    His administration initiated various programmes to enhance farmer support services; encourage agricultural mechanization, processing and farmer entrepreneurial skills.

    The programmes were also designed to add value and provide market to the produce as well as enhance food security and wealth creation in the society.

    Notwithstanding the devastation of farmlands by the Boko Haram insurgency in his domain, the state government has launched the first rice pyramids.

    At the capacity-filled Ramat Square venue of the launch Maiduguri residents witnessed the erection of three-towered pyramids of 33,000 bags of rice packed in national colours, signifying the place of agriculture to the present administration

    The Shettima administration is building the largest greenhouse in sub-Saharan Africa, measuring 53,000 square meters. The net house, now at an advanced stage, has a dual operation drip irrigation process, a factory for production and fabrication of drip line, as well as emitters to ease maintenance and operation of drip systems and long term sustainability of the project.

     

    Amosun

     

    Ibikunle Amosun took the saddle as governor in the Gateway State in 2011 and was re-elected for years later. Upon assumption of office, he outlined his administration’s Mission to Rebuild Agenda (MRA). The agenda is anchored on a five-point cardinal plank.

    Amosun’s guiding principle has been to improve food security and reduce poverty through public-private sector initiatives. To achieve this, he has implemented major economic and educational policies aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of food among residents, enhanced farmers’ earnings and improved school attendance and child nutrition through the nationwide feeding programme.

    Under his leadership, the state has been able to cut by half the proportion residents, suffering from hunger. Agricultural Extension Service has been reactivated and special attention is being paid to educate farmers on best practices. As a result, food crops such as maize, cassava, yams and plantains increased significantly. There has been a remarkable improvement in livestock production.

    With the encouragement from the government, many farm settlements have been established and hundreds of agriculture cooperative societies have benefited from the Commercial Agric Loan introduced by the state government. In one year alone, the government produced and sold one million cocoa seedlings to farmers at highly subsidized rate in order to reinvigorate the industry.

    Seventy hectares of Cassava Multiplication Plantation were cultivated for the generation of cassava cuttings to meet industrial and nutritional needs of the populace. The government has equally built model farm estates with modern houses in order to encourage graduates of Agriculture and allied disciplines to practice and make the sector attractive to youths.

    Amosun is taking full advantage of the agricultural value-chain to boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) profile. His administration has shown commitment to process farm produce and not a few local and foreign investors have shown interests.

     

    Dickson

     

    Seriake Dickson is is spearheading a silent agricultural revolution as the Bayelsa State governor. More than 80 per cent of the population relies on agriculture for meal tickets.

    The state has been contending with mixed results in agricultural growth and food security due to poor sector leadership, erratic rainfall patterns, poor inputs distribution system and little investments. These results awakened the government to the imperative to do something about agriculture. But the story is changing.

    With plans to review sector policy objectives, the Dickson administration put special emphasis on food crops above traditional export crops. It is allocating more resources to agriculture and improving service delivery through restructuring of public implementing institutions.

    The growth experienced by Bayelsa has to shore up the state’s domestic food production.

    The state’s success story in agriculture is captured in agricultural and animal productivity gains and the expansion of production both for staple crops and animal products.

    The gains in productivity through yield increases and expansion of production were made possible through significant government-led interventions such as increase in acreage under irrigation and protected against soil erosion.

    Efforts are also being put in building resilience through value addition and risk management in post-harvest handling, storage improvements and integrated livestock management. Risk mitigation interventions have also been initiated to boost farmers’ resilience to external shocks.

    According to Dickson, Bayelsa is the world’s best-kept investment secret. He called on investors to take advantage of the investment-friendly environment to unveil the investment secrets.

     

    Lalong

     

    Simon Lalong made a pledge to end hunger in Plateau State the centerpiece his campaign. The governor is championing the battle against hunger.

    Despite being a food basket, Lalong’ administration is unrelenting on the implementation of agriculture-oriented projects in fisheries, crop production and livestock farming.

    Investments in agriculture and water technology by private and public orgnisations have been of tremendous help, make farming more competitive. The state has succeeded in large scale implementation of better soil and farm management to consistently achieve growth.

    The government is raising awareness amongst farmers on better soil management by paying attention to soil health for enhanced yields.

    It has initiated policies to attract local and foreign investment into the agriculture and agro-processing industry.

     

    Bagudu

     

    The hard-earned status of Kebbi State as an agricultural success story is incomplete without the contributions of Governor Atiku Bagudu.

    Today, agriculture is the backbone of the state economy as four out of every five persons rely on it for income. Under the ambitious plan, the government has given support to farmers to increase rice cultivation and fertiliser and seedlings to replenish soil nutrients.

    The results have been instant and food experts and advocacy groups took turns at extolling Kebbi as an example of Africa’s “green revolution.”

    The Bagudu administration has established an impressive network of irrigation infrastructure, comprising dug wells, tube wells, tanks/ponds and government canals, through a combination of public investment and incentivising private sector investment.