The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farmers

  • FUNAAB donates bee kits to farmers

    FUNAAB donates bee kits to farmers

    The Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has donated two sets of Beekeeping equipment with complete set of costumes to the farming community of Ijo-Agbe in Opeji, Odeda Local Government area of Ogun State.

    The donation was done during a training workshop on “Modern Beekeeping and Medicinal Value of Honey” for farmers drawn from Ijo-Agbe, Ilawo, Boonu-Ola, Tigba, Olorunsogo, Asebi-Sotan Titun, and Opeji villages, and staff of the Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme (OGADEP).

    The Director of AMREC, Prof Carolyn Afolami, said such training would help farmers to diversify their resources and reduce the risks associated with absolute dependence on conventional crop and animal production, as sources of income.

    She said that Beekeeping requires little land space and is an ideal enterprise for small scale and resource-poor farmers.

    She was optimistic that the training would boost the population of Beekeeping farmers and increase the production of quality honey to meet the increasing demand of consumers and industries.

    Apart from the environmental benefits of increasing yield through pollination by bees, Beekeepers would also enjoy additional economic benefits of supplying raw materials for the production of alcoholic beverages, feed for livestock, drug ingredients and cosmetics, among others.

    Presenting the equipment, the Programme Leader, Training and Farm Demonstrations (TFD) of AMREC, Dr. Jacob Olaoye, said that 60 percent of proceeds from the beehives will be kept by the community for other agricultural pursuits, while the remaining 40 percent would come to AMREC, to further empower other communities. Participants were taken on different training modules like “Apiary Selection, Establishment and Management”, by Dr. Adedoyin Osipitan; “Honey and Traditions, Medicinal Uses and Beekeeping Practice”, by Professor Samuel Oluwalana and “Value Addition, Packaging and Marketing of Bee Hive Products”, by Dr. Olufunmilayo Oluwalana.

  • Vocational training for farmers

    The Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has organised a one-day vocational workshop in natural body cream production and Do-it-Yourself sewing practices for women farmers from FUNAAB Extension and Community-based Farming Scheme (COBFAS) communities.

    Speaking at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, who was represented by the Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS), Prof Femi Onifade, said the training focused on practical application of skills learnt as against theory or conventional academic training.

    He said the programme would achieve two Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), namely: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger as well as the promotion of gender equity and empowerment of women. Oyewole implored participants to maximise the opportunity by adopting the technology for use in their respective communities.

    As representatives of their various communities, Director of AMREC, Prof Carolyn Afolami, urged participants to take the training serious so as to replicate the knowledge with members of their communities.

  • Kaduna farmers to benefit from N1b loan

    Kaduna farmers to benefit from N1b loan

    A total of 500 farmers in Kaduna State would benefit from N1 billion loan facility being provided by the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) in partnership with the state government.

    Of the amount, N500 million was provided by the state government while BoA provided the balance.

    Kaduna State Governor,  Mukhtar Yero  inaugurated the committee that would disburse the loan in Kaduna.

    According to him, the loan facility will go a long way to finance massive agricultural produce and agro allied businesses in the state.  The governor said it was also a conscious effort by the government to generate revenue from agriculture in view of dwindling earnings from oil.

    Yero said the loan had an interest of five per cent, adding that it would be made available to qualified beneficiaries without delay.

    He pledged that the government would increase its investment in necessary technology to drive the agricultural sector to greater heights

    According to him, 10 cooperative groups from each of the 23 local government areas would benefit from the loan.

    He also said 92 small scale farmers, 69 medium scale and 46 large scale farmers had also been screened and cleared to benefit from the facility.

    Yero warned that the loan was not largesse to political cronies but an intervention to genuine farmers, adding that the farmers must repay the loan.

    He told the beneficiaries that the Bank and the state Ministry for Agriculture would monitor the utilisation of the loan and ensure the recoveries at the appropriate time.

    The Managing Director of the bank, Mr Babatunde Sadiku, said the collaboration with the state government started six months ago.

    He said it was meant to harness the huge agricultural potential in the state and create jobs and wealth for the people.

    Sadiku said the facility was expected to support the production of rice, maize, wheat, ginger, tomato, onion and livestock.

  • Bauchi farmers benefit from wheat value-chain initiative

    Registered farmers numbering 400 have benefitted from the wheat value chain initiative of the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS).

    A Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, spoke in Bauchi.

    He explained that each farmer got three bags of fertiliser and improved seeds to enhance their production.

    According to him, the cost of the input per farmer in the open market is N16, 600, but each beneficiary paid only N6, 150, while the government paid the balance.

    The director said the ministry also gave the farmers technical support with proper monitoring to ensure the attainment of the set goals of the wheat value chain.

    He noted that the support was part of the government’s efforts to boost wheat production.

  • Our farmers need your help

    Our farmers need your help

    I AM using this opportunity to appeal to Governor Bala Ngilari of Adamawa State to bail the farmers in my local government area out of their problems.

    These problems are many, and it is my belief that the governor is the only person that can put a stop to them.

    I am from the Demsa Local Government Area of the state. The farmers here cannot carry out their duties efficiently because of problems of finance, land, water, accommodation and equipment.

    The governor should also provide hospitals, potable water, electricity, markets and other good facilities for the people of the local government area.

    I am sure our governor will find solutions to all these problems urgently.

     

    Bala Abubakar  Sadeeq,

    Demsa,

    Adamawa State.

  • We’ll vote politicians with sound food policies – Farmers

    Nigerian farmers said on Tuesday that they will only cast their votes for politicians with workable policies that will ensure food security and enhance agricultural production across the country when elected to official positions.

    The farmers, who spoke under the body of the Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria, (ASSAPIN) a parent body of the Voices for Food Security, urged politicians to discuss how to improve the country’s agricultural sector, a development that would positively impact the lives of farmers during their campaigns.

    A representative of ASSAPIN, Mrs. Mariam Buhari, said.”Nigerian farmers will only vote for politicians with sound food policies. Policies that will ensure food security, considering the fact that the fall in global oil price is seriously affecting our country’s earnings negatively.”

    Buhari, who spoke during a press briefing organized by Oxfam Nigeria, stated that Nigerian farmers decided to come up with a farmer’s manifesto, adding that politicians would have to endorse and pledge to commit to its dictates in order to drive the agricultural sector to amiable heights.

    She said: “There are a lot of needs in the sector that has to be addressed. Particularly, women in agriculture in Nigeria face a lot of challenges and that is why we are saying that any politician that doesn’t have sound policies that will ensure meaningful improvements in the sector should forget our (farmers) votes.”

    Also speaking at the briefing, a member of the group and Head, Madakiya Mondiccu Cooperative Society, Mrs. Monica Maigari, said it might be difficult for the government to fund its bills if it continues to relegate agriculture to the background.

    She said: “Oil prices are nose-diving and Nigeria is losing revenue as a result of this. This is the time to harness agriculture so that through the sector the government can generate revenue to run its activities. But if farmers are neglected, then it will be tough for the government to actualise this.”

    The Programme Officer, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr. Salaudeen Hashim, said food insecurity posed a pervasive and non-violent threat to the existence of individuals, considering the fact that hunger significantly shortens life expectancy, undermines quality of life and limits participation in income generating activities.

    He said: “This has informed the decision of farmers to engage constructively as we go into the elections, through its manifesto; vote only politicians with sound agricultural policies and prepared to sign up an agreement to that effect”

  • Farmers showcase products at fair

    Farmers showcase products at fair

    The agricultural sector has recorded major achievements. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwunmi  Adesina, seized on the outing of farmers to showcase the impact of the sector’s contributions to the economy, reports, Alvin Afadama.

    Last week, about 23,000 farmers from  across the country gathered to celebrate four years of the agricultural transformation turnaround in Nigeria.

    The event, aptly tagged Agriculture Festival 2015 (AGRIFEST 2015), brought farmers from the North West, Southwest, Northcentral, Southsouth, Northeast, and Southeast.  The famers had a confident bearing about them, for in the past three years 14.5 million of them have received 1.3 million MT of fertiliser and 174,000 MT of improved seed, producing in return an additional 21 million MT of food with a net value of N778 billion. Our local agriculture sector was alive again, resulting  in food import decline from N1.1 trillion in 2009 to N634 billion in 2013.

    Nigeria is also breaking new ground in wheat production.  Driven by the release of two tropical wheat varieties, productivity has risen from less than one MT/ha to five-six MT/ha.  Wheat production has risen 300 per cent fold from 80,000MT in 2011 to 240,000MT in 2014.  In the 2014/2015 dry season, the wheat growing season, 184MT of improved wheat seeds was given to farmers in 10 states of North West and North East  to produce 18,000MT of wheat seed of the new varieties to expand the area under these new varieties to 150,000MT by 2015/2016.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said the living standard of farmers have changed as they now get better markets and higher prices from private companies as the products, among them  sorghum, are processed into high energy foods, breakfast cereals and malt drinks. He said cotton farmers are equally benefitting, given the fact that they are experiencing a dramatic change in their fortunes as a result of government’s support with improved cotton seeds and the revival of about 22 cotton ginneries, thus reducing imports, and as well creating wealth for rural communities.

    With over N900 billion ($5 billion) of new agribusiness investments in all parts of the food value chain, Nigeria will soon become self-sufficient in food production, and eventually becoming a net exporter of food, the Minister, said.

    AGRIFEST 2015 revealed that Nigeria is firmly on its way to becoming a global powerhouse in agriculture.  Because of the natural resources that God has so richly endowed the country with,  the new Nigerian agriculture sector has endless possibilities. The Agricultural Transformation Agenda, he said, has demonstrated that a truly great future lies ahead for the country.

    The success story that is Nigeria’s agriculture today is corroborated by independent sources.  The 2013 wet season survey conducted by the National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Service (NAERLS), revealed that fertilizer usage in the country is up nearly eight times, 108Kg/hectre in 2013 compared to13Kg/hectre in 2010.  The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) at a recent stakeholders meeting also reported that the number of seed companies have risen from 11 in 2010 to 134 in 2014.  Usage of improved seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soybean, and cotton has also grown from a meagre 4,252MT/year in 2010 to 149,484MT/year in 2013.  The NAERLS study also demonstrated that crop yields soared – on the wings of increased use of improved seeds and fertilizer. Rice yields doubled from 1.5MT/Ha in 2011 to 3MT/ha average during the wet season and 4MT/Ha during the dry season.  Maize yields also rose from 2MT/Ha to 3MT/Ha, and soybean increased from 0.7MT/Ha to 1.5MT/Ha.

    At no time has a teeming number of Nigerians been more  interested in agriculture, whether at a commercial or subsistence level. The Federal Government  has embarked on an aggressive drive to re-direct the Nigerian economy, making agriculture a foreign exchange earner, as it was in the past.

    Statistics of the impact of the agricultural-sector-turnaround on each of the individual crop and livestock value chains is evident in many sectors.  Between 2012 and 2014, an additional  seven million MT of rice paddy – five million MT of milled rice, was produced by six million rice farmers who received improved seeds and fertiliser.  Rice paddy production in 2014 was 10.7 million MT of paddy, or seven million MT of milled rice, representing a 100 per cent  increase over the production level recorded in 2011.

    Nigeria is now at 85 per cent sufficiency in rice production.

    Akinwunmi said high quality Nigerian rice now competes favourably with imported ones.  A new rice policy has also created incentives for erstwhile importers and new entrepreneurs to invest another $2.6billion in domestic rice production and milling.   .

    Also, a total of 3.5million jobs have been added to the agricultural sector in the last three years.  The Consumer Price Index report of NBS for the month of November revealed that for three consecutive months,  food prices remained relatively flat.  Overall inflation decreased from 8.1 per cent to 7.9 per cent in November, last year due to food prices.  The bumper harvest from our Agricultural transformation created a buffer to hyper-inflation created by the fall in the value of the naira.

  • Farmers showcase products at fair

    Farmers showcase products at fair

    The agricultural sector has recorded major achievements. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwunmi  Adesina, seized on the outing of farmers to showcase the impact of the sector’s contributions to the economy, reports, Alvin Afadama.

    Last week, about 23,000 farmers from  across the country gathered to celebrate four years of the agricultural transformation turnaround in Nigeria.

    The event, aptly tagged Agriculture Festival 2015 (AGRIFEST 2015), brought farmers from the North West, Southwest, Northcentral, Southsouth, Northeast, and Southeast.  The famers had a confident bearing about them, for in the past three years 14.5 million of them have received 1.3 million MT of fertiliser and 174,000 MT of improved seed, producing in return an additional 21 million MT of food with a net value of N778 billion. Our local agriculture sector was alive again, resulting  in food import decline from N1.1 trillion in 2009 to N634 billion in 2013.

    Nigeria is also breaking new ground in wheat production.  Driven by the release of two tropical wheat varieties, productivity has risen from less than one MT/ha to five-six MT/ha.  Wheat production has risen 300 per cent fold from 80,000MT in 2011 to 240,000MT in 2014.  In the 2014/2015 dry season, the wheat growing season, 184MT of improved wheat seeds was given to farmers in 10 states of North West and North East  to produce 18,000MT of wheat seed of the new varieties to expand the area under these new varieties to 150,000MT by 2015/2016.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said the living standard of farmers have changed as they now get better markets and higher prices from private companies as the products, among them  sorghum, are processed into high energy foods, breakfast cereals and malt drinks. He said cotton farmers are equally benefitting, given the fact that they are experiencing a dramatic change in their fortunes as a result of government’s support with improved cotton seeds and the revival of about 22 cotton ginneries, thus reducing imports, and as well creating wealth for rural communities.

    With over N900 billion ($5 billion) of new agribusiness investments in all parts of the food value chain, Nigeria will soon become self-sufficient in food production, and eventually becoming a net exporter of food, the Minister, said.

    AGRIFEST 2015 revealed that Nigeria is firmly on its way to becoming a global powerhouse in agriculture.  Because of the natural resources that God has so richly endowed the country with,  the new Nigerian agriculture sector has endless possibilities. The Agricultural Transformation Agenda, he said, has demonstrated that a truly great future lies ahead for the country.

    The success story that is Nigeria’s agriculture today is corroborated by independent sources.  The 2013 wet season survey conducted by the National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Service (NAERLS), revealed that fertilizer usage in the country is up nearly eight times, 108Kg/hectre in 2013 compared to13Kg/hectre in 2010.  The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) at a recent stakeholders meeting also reported that the number of seed companies have risen from 11 in 2010 to 134 in 2014.  Usage of improved seeds of rice, maize, sorghum, soybean, and cotton has also grown from a meagre 4,252MT/year in 2010 to 149,484MT/year in 2013.  The NAERLS study also demonstrated that crop yields soared – on the wings of increased use of improved seeds and fertilizer. Rice yields doubled from 1.5MT/Ha in 2011 to 3MT/ha average during the wet season and 4MT/Ha during the dry season.  Maize yields also rose from 2MT/Ha to 3MT/Ha, and soybean increased from 0.7MT/Ha to 1.5MT/Ha.

    At no time has a teeming number of Nigerians been more  interested in agriculture, whether at a commercial or subsistence level. The Federal Government  has embarked on an aggressive drive to re-direct the Nigerian economy, making agriculture a foreign exchange earner, as it was in the past.

    Statistics of the impact of the agricultural-sector-turnaround on each of the individual crop and livestock value chains is evident in many sectors.  Between 2012 and 2014, an additional  seven million MT of rice paddy – five million MT of milled rice, was produced by six million rice farmers who received improved seeds and fertiliser.  Rice paddy production in 2014 was 10.7 million MT of paddy, or seven million MT of milled rice, representing a 100 per cent  increase over the production level recorded in 2011.

    Nigeria is now at 85 per cent sufficiency in rice production.

    Akinwunmi said high quality Nigerian rice now competes favourably with imported ones.  A new rice policy has also created incentives for erstwhile importers and new entrepreneurs to invest another $2.6billion in domestic rice production and milling.   .

    Also, a total of 3.5million jobs have been added to the agricultural sector in the last three years.  The Consumer Price Index report of NBS for the month of November revealed that for three consecutive months,  food prices remained relatively flat.  Overall inflation decreased from 8.1 per cent to 7.9 per cent in November, last year due to food prices.  The bumper harvest from our Agricultural transformation created a buffer to hyper-inflation created by the fall in the value of the naira.

  • NDDC earmarks N1bn loan scheme for farmers

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Wednesday said it had earmarked N1 billion “revolving” loan for farmers in the Niger Delta region.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the commission’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Iditoye Abosede.

    According to the statement, the loan scheme is in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

    The statement quoted the commission’s Managing Director, Mr Bassey Dan-Abia, as saying that the scheme would boost agricultural activities and production in the area.

    “NDDC is fully committed towards boosting agricultural production to becoming a reliable economic base for the country.

    “We are also partnering with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to integrate rural dwellers into agricultural entrepreneurship,’’ it said.

    The statement said the commission on Monday inaugurated a two-week Agricultural Entrepreneurial Training for farmers at Vika farms in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

    It said the commission had recently distributed 100 tractors to various ministries of agriculture and corporate societies in nine Niger Delta states to boost food production and reduce unemployment.

    According to the statement, the 180 tons daily rice processing plant at Elele Alimini in Rivers would soon be revived through a private sector partnership arrangement.

    It said that the Federal Government’s various agriculture programmes had led to the transformation witnessed in the sector and had set the stage for Nigerians to go back to farms.

  • Ogun cocoa farmers seek govt’s support

    The Chairman, Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Ogun Chapter, Mr. Solomon Williams, has appealed to the Federal Government to provide all essential inputs to improve cocoa production.

    Making the appeal in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Monday, Mr. Williams said the government should empower farmers with inputs such as fertiliser and agro-chemicals as well as facilitate easy access to loans.

    He added that lack of equipment and insufficient funds were some of the major problems affecting cocoa processing. “Government should help farmers by giving them agricultural inputs and finance to maintain their farms. Maintenance of cocoa farms is very imperative and capital consuming. It takes about two years for cocoa trees to start yielding well, which needs essential maintenance,” he said.

    riculture sector. He, therefore, appealed to the government to always involve cocoa farmers when decisions on agriculture are being taken.

    “We believe that as key stakeholders in the agriculture sector, government must seek our own input on any issue that concerns agriculture in the country,” he said.