The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farming

  • IDPs receiving training on sack farming

    IDPs receiving training on sack farming

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Wassa and Kuchigoro communities in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are being trained on sack farming.

     The over 6000 IDPs in Wassa and 2000 in Kuchigoro are learning how to plant vegetables, sweet potatoes and yams around their homes in sacks and gardens to ensure food security.

     The training,  by Nigerian American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC), is to ensure they can take care of themselves.

     Chairman of Sustainable Food Security and Economic Empowerment under NAPAC, Zainab Mohammed, said the committee does every Independence Day.

     She spoke at Wassa community in Abuja, saying: “Most of the people are mostly from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and, from crisis-torn Zamfara. We are here not just to bring food for them but to teach them.

    Read Also: Resist ‘japa’ syndrome, explore Nigeria’s opportunities, Soludo’s aide tells youths

    “So, we are here to train them on organic farming for health reasons and teach some of the women on waste to wealth management by using household throwaway bottles to make school bags, purses; tires to make earrings, key rings and a lot more…’’

    “Home gardening or farming is the 21st century innovative way of farming. We are teaching them that they can farm to feed their communities in sacks and gardens or even plastic bottles.”

     Expert of Sustainable Organic Farming, Ijeoma Ndulue, said the idea is to move IDPs from traditional farming with synthetic input, such as chemicals, fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.

     She said what they are doing is encourage them to use organic because the output is higher and more nutritious.

  • Ekiti receives World Bank support to revive farm settlements

    The World Bank has offered support for Ekiti State’s agriculture and rural development programme.
    Governor Kayode Fayemi disclosed this on Sunday at his Isan Ekiti country home.

    According to Dr Fayemi, the initiative called Rural Access and Marketing Programme (RAMP) will connect Ekiti rural communities to the urban centres and market places.

    He said it will also help in the reconstruction of farm settlements many of which were built in the fifties by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo but were not put to good use.

    The governor explained the initiative would help provide basic amenities at the farm settlements so as to encourage farmers in the areas to focus on their agricultural activities.

    “One of my assistants is going to be focusing on agric and farmsteads because in the course of my campaigns, I went round those farmsteads.

    “My wife also toured the farmsteads extensively. There are things that are required by the people in those farms that will make their work a lot better in terms of social amenities, social investment, in terms of ensuring that we connect the farms to the market.

    “So we have another initiative that is being supported by the World Bank which is known as Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Programme (RAMP).

    READ ALSO: Ekiti community benefits from Ecological Fund Project

    “This is meant to assist us to connect our rural communities to the urban centres and the market places in the hope that we can also reconstruct our farm settlements, provide the necessary amenities there and ensure that our people stay back in those places without missing the amenities they ought to have if they were to be in the cities,” he said.

    While speaking on the College of Technical and Commercial Agriculture scrapped by his predecessor, Fayemi said a bill for the re-enactment of the College establishment law will soon be sent back to the House of Assembly to enable the school begin operation legally.

    The governor, who disclosed that the ongoing construction works in the school, would be completed before September when the school opens for academic activities, said the College was designed to train and equip young people who are interested in agriculture agric value chain.

  • Farming without soil

    Farmers are growing crops without soil. They are on a national campaign to promote this type of agriculture, DANIEL ESSIET writes.

    In a room in Anifowoshe, Ikeja, Lagos, kale, romaine, lettuce, oregano, thyme, arugula  and basil  are grown in trays under energy bulbs.

    The seeds are cultivated without soil. You are greeted by the pleasant sight of rows of young maize leaves growing out of pipes filled with water and saw dust –no soil.

    Though they are growing in a protected environment, the leaves are thick, lush green, and free of dust particles, giving them a clean and healthy look.

    BIC Farms Concept Chief Executive, Pastor Debo Onafowora, believes hydroponics – growing plants without soil – is the best way to go.

    Hydroponics, he explained, involves growing plants without soil.

    An Associate Pastor with Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel), Ota in Ogun State, Onafowora grows crops hydroponically. The most common are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and maize. The seeds are placed  in trays and watered several times daily with a nutrient solution.

    Onafowora added that hydroponics is better than conventional farming.

    He emphasised that a plant only need  some nutrients, water, and sunlight to grow.

    He listed the advanges of hydroponics as high quality products, less space, and consumes fewer resources.

    He harvests his vegetables just after 25 days, half the time needed with regular planting.

    Besides farming, he teaches agriculturists how to apply the technology. He helps his customers to set up farms and provides consultation and training.

    A small  scale  vegetable    hydroponic farm requires an investment of  N500,000. This will give a 10 ft X 20ft greenhouse hydroponics farm with hydroponics with systems for growing 250kilogrammes(KG) of tomatoes  or 350 kg of cucumber.

    One can make  net profits of  40 to N50,000 monthly. He has established over 100 farms across the country.

    By growing cattle fodder off the fields, he said hydroponics could offer a solution to the frequent violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen over arable farmland that is disappearing due to desertification.

    Onafowora advocated the use of hydroponic fodder as the best option for livestock feed, adding that this would help reduce the cost of the product by over 20 per cent.

    He said the fodder could be grown within nine days and that it saves about 95 per cent of land.

    Onafowora noted that hydroponics fodder production technology is a climate-controlled crop growing system, which guaranteed daily production of highly nutritious livestock feeds.

    “It is grown from grains. We convert one kilogramme of grain to 5kg of fodder within nine days. Normally, on the soil, it will take up to 90 days.

    “What you need is 100 hectares of land to grow. In terms of fodder quantity, we will do that on one hectare of land and we are doing that saving about 90 per cent of water,” he added.

    He is partnering Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State.

    Universities of Lagos, Ibadan, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Lead City University have also picked the technology.

    To boost food production, Samson Ogbole   is employing   aeroponics- a process of growing plants in the air.

    He became involved in soilless farming in 2014. Two years later, he founded PS Nutraceuticals, a firm that applies agricultural technologies to boost  food production.

    The firm Nutracueuticals deploys various technologies, including hydroponics (plants in water), aquaponics (use of waste produce of fishes to feed plants) and aeroponics (plants grown in air) to grow crops all year round.

    To him, aeroponics is a better alternative for growing crops indoors.

    Experts say aeroponics is similar to hydroponics and that it uses water. The roots are suspended in a dark chamber and sprayed with nutrient-rich solution.

    To Fresh Direct Produce and Agro-Allied Services CEO/founder Angel Adelaja, urban agriculture has brought a new hope. She uses old shipping containers for farming.

    A self-taught hydroponics expert, Adelaja appears to be making  headway. The entrepreneur, who has a background in biostatistics and epidemiology, learnt hydroponics online.

    She created a stackable container farm in Abuja, which is essentially an aggregation of vertical farming and hydroponics.

    She is campaigning for the transformation of old shipping containers into miniature hydroponic farms.

    The containers are retrofitted with growing platforms where beds of lettuce are grown with their roots in water.

    Adelaja and her team grow those vegetables using only nutrient, water and LED light.

    The method makes it possible to grow crops all year round.

    Adelaja encourages farmers to use abandoned shipping containers in their farms.

    Her company, Fresh Direct, has several divisions one of which produces stackable containers.

    She is passionate about creating awareness among other farmers.

  • ‘Why I opted for farming after completing my NYSC in ‘84’

    Kayode Adejumo is Managing Director/CEO Adejumo Farms Nigeria Limited, a company with interest in almost all sectors of agribusiness. The company has since diversified into oil palm production with wide hectares of land along the Nigeria-Republic of Benin border. In this interview with Daniel Adeleye, he speaks on why he opted for farming amongst several other promising options vis-à-vis opportunities and challenges in agribusiness. Excerpts:

    How did you get into farming?

    I think it was a natural thing not that anyone cajoled me or anything. The property that I seat upon today at Alagbado, Lagos, where our head office is located was bought by my father in 1965. When he bought the land, he never knew that any of his children would go into farming. So when I was about completing my NYSC programme in the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture (horticulture) in 1983, he took me there and asked me what I could do with the land and I told him there is a lot I could do with it. So in January 1984 after my service year, I started with poultry, piggery, cattle and fishery and overtime include feed meals. I was active in animal production until about 2006 when urbanisation came and so we couldn’t practice much because of many houses around us. I had to stop and went into event centre. Over four years ago I went into oil palm plantation near Idiroko where I have about 150-300 hectares of palm trees. We have some that are old and we have some that are young but every year we make sure that we plant.

    What areas of farming appeals to you most?

    I still prefer animal production but for now I am into agronomy, oil palm production. For me, I’ve seen that oil palm is like digging oil, it’s the most profitable agribusiness because practically everything there is useful. It’s not something like poultry that is all in all out; maximum two years, you have to sell everything and start all over again. In piggery, it is the same thing, though it’s continuous but disease can come and in cattle rearing, it’s not that fast. I’ve done all: poultry, cattle, fishery, piggery, everyone has its own stress. But the basic stress about oil palm is that of the gestation period. You have to plant your seed and you have to wait for about nine months before you transplant and after transplanting, if it’s from Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), it takes about two to two and a half years before it begins to yield fruit and every year continuously. For about 25 years you are still harvesting it as long as you take care of the palms. In one way or the other you can munch, you can add fertilizer either organic or inorganic and you continue getting your fruits. It gives the steadiest incomes than most other agribusinesses. So I love it now but the timing is just the issue with it. I’ve been there for over four years now, and four years is still very young in the business.

    But would you still like to venture into animal production since that sector appeals to you most?

    Yes I am still going into animal production. I am actually going into piggery and gradually I will go back to animal production but with emphasis on the feeding will be cheaper. Because the piggery am going into now is called agrophonims. The feed is called folder and it is different from the one we normally used. You plant and harvest it, depending on the animal you want to give, if it’s pigs six days and if it is cattle nine days. There is a method of planting the seeds, you can plant in small containers and after about six days you harvest for pigs and for cattle as I said earlier nine days. It can also be given to all animals like rabbits and all that and it’s more natural. The animal feeds are highly expensive now and people need to find a way out.

    Is your choice base on commercial value or gains or beyond that?

    I started farming when I was just little above twenty and I am moving towards sixty years now and I am still doing the same thing. I always advise people going into agriculture that agriculture in this part of the world is very stressful, its capital intensive, labour intensive, time consuming and all that. So the best thing is to find another line of trading or service that brings you regular income. For example you have a farm and you are also a distributor of feeds, you make money from those feed, you buy your own feeds from there. So you are getting regular income from sales of feeds. Even if there is a challenge, you can still use the feed and pay back. You need a service that gives you additional income because in most of the agricultural sectors we have gestation period. Palm tree has a gestation period, the pigs, the cattle, the fish, all of them has the gestation period even the layers, the gestation period of layers is about twenty weeks, what will you eat during those twenty weeks? So most time, it’s not too good to be in agriculture without looking for another source of income because if anything happens what will be your life. Like me I run event centers, shopping complex so it’s not just depending solely on agriculture because the risk in agriculture is high especially in animal production. Anything can happen; disease can come, it could be your own mistake, it could be anything but if that happens you still have another source to make money. There was a time a lot of pensioners invested in pigs somewhere in Ogun state and there was outbreak of swine fever, the pigs died and the owners too died. It was not the disease that killed the owners but the shocks of losing so much. But had it been they have another sources of income that would have sustained them.

    Are you in agriculture for the short term or long term gains?

    For now I’ve been in agriculture for over thirty years since 1984 and now as I said earlier, I am still planting oil palms now as we are talking, I still have like 5000 seeds that we are planting next week.

    As a stakeholder in agriculture do you see sincerity in the side of government to develop agricultural sector in Nigeria?

    Honestly, even if the government is sincere to develop agricultural sector, the people to execute that policy are not sincere. Sometimes government may have good intention but the people that execute it frustrate that gesture no matter how good the intention is. I could remember sometimes in 1992/93 government brought a programme then. They had package for five Ndama cattle, you will pay certain amount and then go to Oyo state to pick those cattle. I was already rearing cattle at that time. Though I was to pay instalmentally according to the stipulated rule of the programme but since I have the money I paid everything off and the cattle was with me doing very well. The way they went about with that programme then was very good; there was no stress at all. But other programmes after that have been so stressful; they give conditions that sometimes very cumbersome to meet. The government has brought a good policy but the banks that will execute it will frustrate it. I can also remember so many years ago, there was a loan from the government and one of the banks then gave the whole money to only four people/ four giants and they said there was no money again. But if government could sanction such banks, get the list of the four people, monitor them and get to the root of such act it would discourage other banks that frustrate government’s intention.

    Again as a stakeholder what would you say has been the challenges in the agricultural sector in Nigeria?

    It’s like a case of foolish man produces a wise man sells. Those people in Mile 12 and other markets are really the ones who are getting the money in agriculture. So except you are able to add value to your products and device a way of marketing it. For example you are planting water melon and you can get the water melon to your store or you can sell it yourself but if you’re giving somebody they will buy it cheap from you and they might not even pay you immediately. That was what happened to the people producing broilers. You dress your broilers and give them to the fast foods operators, those fast foods will sell but they won’t pay the farmers and for several weeks the farmer will be calling for his money, whereby the people who buy the chicken at fast foods would have paid the money instantly. So honestly there is a big challenge in running agriculture in this part of the world. So the governments, the buyers of the products, both of them are not friendly with farmers.

    Unlike in the north where attention is focus on agriculture; what’s your advice to states government in the down south who are yet to fully support agriculture?

    Sometimes it may not be that the resources is lacking, it has to do with the governor and the person who is appointed as a commissioner of agriculture. Those two people are the keys to the development of agriculture in a state, they will do a lot in that sector if they are interested but if both of them are indifference to the growth of agriculture in their state there is nothing anybody can do. The commissioner may not even know anything about agriculture, it’s just the portfolio that he was assigned to and after four years they will leave and another person will come. At this level, government should do a lot but I still need to say individuals should not rely on them. Individuals should be able to do some investments though it’s not easy to get the finance. An individual effort is not that easy because it requires a lot of capital.

    Where do you see agriculture in Nigeria in the next five years, in terms of production and marketing?

    The something is this, there are value chains; you produce either for export or consumption. It can also be for raw materials and it can also be a food but you find out that is there any policy that will absorb this produce? When I was producing feed meals, in a particular year, maize will grow increasingly and the following year it will drop and soya beans will come up. And it has been like that because what happened is when maize goes up this year and soya beans go down, the people planting soya beans will shift attention to maize and the following year the soya beans will go up and the farmers will now shift to soya beans again. Why is it happened like that is because we don’t have enough people to absorb it or to stabilize the price? Cassava last year was very good but this year it has been terrible. Some did not harvest it because they can’t make money. And the question is what the aftermath of excess production is, is there any way out? Who is going to absorb it? The factory that are using it will capitalize that for instance am going to buy it N16,000 per ton this year, but there are some who are buying at N14,000, even as low as 8,000. People who are desperate, they need to pay their children school fees and all that. It’s the same thing with fish, the women that buy catfish, will come to you and because you are desperate to sell as a result that you want to pay your children school fees, they will dictate the price. This is only country that I see that they are selling fish per kilogramme at different prices. For instance, 300 grammes in three places will make 900 grammes. The same 900 grammes you want to buy it from me at N700 and the three that is 300 grammes you buy that one at N400 and you’ll go and sell each N400 and the one of N700 will now go for N1200 outside. You have short-changed me as a farmer and the farmer has no choice. So should I continue doing fish and you’ll come and be dictating the price for me? That’s why I quit fishery, I can’t continue working with illiterates and why did I go to school anyway.

  • Youths trained in climate-resilient farming

    A youth group, Fresh & Young Brains Development Initiative (FBIN) has trained over 40 youths in modern farming practices, climate-resilient agriculture and agribusiness.

    The group, in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) trained the beneficiaries during a boot camp in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    According to the organisers, the capacity building was in line with the Youth Farm (YFarm) project mandate meant to integrate rural and vulnerable youths into sustainable agriculture.

    The boot camp held in two locations for four  days, two days in-house intensive training and two days practical sessions and farm demonstrations on organic waste to wealth.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony CEO/founder of Fresh & Young Brain Development Initiative (FIBN), Nkiruka Nnaemego, a lawyer, described the YFarm project as a brainchild and trademark of Fresh & Young Brains Development Initiative (FBIN) and Alexijan Consults.

    Nnaemego said YFarm adopts a comprehensive and integrated approach that directly engages youth and different stakeholders in Agriculture to promote multi-sectorial and inter-generational partnership.

    “Through the project’s ‘YFarm: My farm, My Swag Campaign’, Agriculture is being promoted as Fun Activity, Culture, Career and Business among rural and peri-urban youth across Africa”.

    In her words, ‘YFarm project has impacted many young lives and has given birth to various youth led small scales farms and agribusinesses including Alexijan Farms (Abuja and Imo) and NK Foods & Beverages- project pilot farm and agribusiness respectively’.

    The project which was centered to educate the participants in agribusiness and climate smart farm is to increase farmer’s income and contribute to community development.

    “The theme for the YFam project ‘Building a Climate Resilient Generation’ was carefully thought out to establish FYBDI and Alexijan Consults involvement in the realisation of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    The YFam project, launched in April 2, 2014 as a National initiative received over 500 applications in Nigeria and other African countries but only 80 were selected, trained under YFarm: My farm, Swag campaign at Alexis Farm house in Abuja.

    In an interview with the Program Coordinator OSIWA, Joseph Amenaghawo said FIBN has the great role to play in youth devlopment.

    He also noted that OSIWA recognised that young people are becoming very interested in agric related work and also recognised the intersection between climate changes with the agriculture.

    “It was important to support YFarm project and most importantly to supports FIBN to continue it works in helping the youths to understanding the dynamics of farming and challenges of climate change,” Joseph said.

  • Military to clear Lake Chad for fishing, farming

    The military has said it will clear the Lake Chad Basin of Boko Haram remnants to ensure the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the resumption of fishing and farming.

    The Commander Operation Last hold of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Abba Dikko, addressed a news conference yesterday.

    It was coordinated by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas.

    According to Dikko, the operation will be used as part of the 2018 Army Day Celebration, and to facilitate the return of displaced persons. He added that the operation will last for four months.

    He said: “Undeterred by the mutating posture of the Boko Haram, the Army is determined to consolidate on its recent gains in the ongoing push, especially in the Northern part of Borno.

    “Accordingly, this year’s Nigeria Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2018 will be commemorated with the conduct of Operation Last Hold in Northern Borno within the Northeast Theatre.

    “The design is to deploy personnel and equipment to showcase the Army’s combat efficiency, and thereafter conduct operations to totally destroy Boko Haram locations in the Lake Chad Basin general area.

    “Operation Last Hold is expected to last for four months, and it will entail deployment of additional manoeuvre brigades and other critical assets in Borno State.

    “The operation is intended to facilitate the clearance of the Lake Chad waterways of sea weeds and other obstacles obstructing the movement of boats and people across the water channels. It will also ensure the destruction of Boko Haram terrorist camps and strong points in the Lake Chad Basin general area.

    “The operation will facilitate the rescue of hostages. The end-state of Operation Last Hold is the total defeat of the Boko Haram terrorist sect in northern Borno. This will pave way for the return of local administration and people to their responsibilities and communities.

    “Strategically, Operation Last Hold will restore fishing, farming and other economic activities in the Lake Chad Basin. It will also facilitate the return of IDPs to their communities.

    “Operation Last Hold is conceptualised to involve the conduct of population influence activities targeted to improve civil-military relations in the Northeast.

  • Three win AfDB’s Farming is cool art contest

    Three win AfDB’s Farming is cool art contest

    Three young students, Ezra Anthony, Precious Nnenna Enyinwa and Vivien Okoro have won the African Development Bank’s (AfDB’s) Farming is cool art contest. The winners went home with cash prizes of N1 million, N500,000 and N250,000 for first, second and third places.

    AfDB President Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina presented the prizes to the winners while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, opened the new office complex.

    Twenty contestants aged 10 to 16 years took part in the contest. It was part of AfDB’s goal to see a shift in agriculture on the continent, hoping to feed itself and eradicate malnutrition by 2025.

    At the inauguration of its complex at Abuja, AfDB inspired secondary school pupils with the Farming is cool contest to launch African economic outlook for 2018, as well as to share the high 5.

    According to Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department, AfDB, Ebrima Faal, the conest was conducted to sow a seed of awareness on the development of the nation’s economy.  He noted that the Farming is cool campaign strives to flip the script on farming as a last resort by emphasising and promoting it as a viable wealth-creation option.

    “Its target is the youth and children to encourage positive thought and action towards an agricultural revolution,” he added.

    Also, AfDB stepped up the pace by focusing on the five priorities that are crucial for accelerating Africa’s economic transformation. The high fives include – light up and power Africa, industrialise Africa, integrate Africa, improve the quality of life for  Africans.

    Seond position winner, Enyinwa, interpreted her painting as harnessing agriculture to alleviate poverty in Africa. Her paintings focused on the five priorities tagged as high five: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialise Africa, integrate and improve the living condition of the people of Africa, which she represented with symbols, electric bulb, basket of food, silhouette of hand shake, education and, silhouette of industry.

    Eyinwa explained that feed Africa requires ‘’all of us to strengthen our efforts in agriculture, and to do this we need to get all hands on deck. We need to get more young people involved in farming. Young farmers are the future of Africa. Our rich Africa soil can produce all the food we need to put food on every table and sell the rest to make enough money to send everyone to school in order to achieve the high fives’’.

  • Why all-year round farming is impossible, by experts

    Why all-year round farming is impossible, by experts

    DEARTH of irrigation systems, lack of political will, policy inconsistencies and paucity of funds have been identified as some of the major factors militating against all-year round farming in Nigeria.

    Agriculture experts say the country could attain all-year round farming if the available resources are harnessed.

    An agriculturist, Ike Ubaka, listed such resources as vast arable lands, favourable weather and abundance of water and river basin resources, all of which he said could stimulate and facilitate all-year round farming activities.

    He described as unfortunate that despite the advantages, the country predominantly engages in rain-fed agriculture and one seasonal farming period, which according to him, cannot guarantee food security.

    Ubaka said: “Lack of rain during the dry season hinders agricultural production, while the lack of water management systems across the country hinders the ability of farmers to work all-year round.

    “The improvement of the irrigation systems and access roads would boost agricultural production and encourage mechanised farming.’’

    The agriculturist blamed the absence of the vital instruments to promote all-year round farming on the lack of political will to implement policies and the failure to adopt modern farming technologies to speed up crop multiplication.

    “The challenges also include shortage of labourers, inadequate markets, natural disasters and ecological challenges such as desertification, among others,’’ Ubaka said.

    He cited the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report which indicated that over 3.6 million hectares were seriously affected by desertification in about 100 countries, including Nigeria.

    According to him, desertification was having a negative impact on biological diversity, soil fertility, hydrological cycle and crop yield, as well as livestock production.

    He noted that the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), which were created by the Federal Government to harness water resources and optimise its agricultural resources to attain food self-sufficiency, have all failed to lived up to their expectations.

    Ubaka said that the 11 RBDAs, which were established on August 27, 1976 to promote fishery development, both commercial and small-scale, have also failed in that regard.

    He explained that the main goals behind the establishment of the RBDAs have largely remained unfulfilled 42 years after, as the units have not lived up to their expectations to contribute to the nation’s food security.

    “Besides, the river basins have not reduced the country’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture to stimulate all-year round farming,’’ Ubaka noted.

    The RBDAs include: Sokoto-Rima Basin, Sokoto; Hadejia-Jema’are Basin, Kano; the Lake Chad Basin, Maiduguri; the Upper Benue Basin, Yola; the Lower Benue Basin, Makurdi and the Cross River Basin, Calabar.

    Others are: Anambra-Imo Basin, Owerri; Niger Basin, Ilorin; Niger Delta Basin, Port Harcourt; Benin-Owena Basin, Benin City and Ogun-Osun Basin, Abeokuta.

    Also speaking, World Bank’s FADAMA Team Leader, Dr. Adetunji Oredipe, underscored the need for Nigeria to engage in all-year round farming in order to feed its growing population.

    He, however, suggested  the adoption of long-term strategies and new methods of working with partners, private sector agencies and other stakeholders to improve all-year round agriculture.

    Oredipe attributed the inability of the country to attain food security to the lack of faulty policies and comprehensive strategies for land management operations.

    He said:  “The operations include efforts to strengthen policies and capacity to raise farm yields, promote market access among farmers and improve overall management of the country’s rapidly expanding agriculture industry.

    “Nigeria has an enormous opportunity to promote a vibrant, competitive and technology-propelled agricultural sector, which today employs 70 per cent of its population.”

    He noted that paucity of funds has also prevented most farmers from going into commercial agriculture and all-year round farming.

    He emphasised that most banks often fail to consider the gestation periods of agricultural production when giving loans to farmers, adding that this had been a major impediment.

    The FADAMA team leader said that financial constraints like off-putting collateral for loans and high-digit interest rates on loans have forced many farmers to engage in a single round of farming every year, adding that the lack of good access roads to farms has forced many farmers to be at the mercy of exploitative middlemen who choose to buy produce from the farmers at give-away prices.

    The National Coordinator of Zero Hunger Commodities, Dr. Tunde Arosanyin, identified the Land Use Act as one of the factors discouraging all-year round farming.

    According to him, most of the country’s crop growing ventures take place on small parcels of land which are cultivated by smallholder farmers who produce over 90 per cent of the country’s food output.

    Arosanyin said that the smallholder farmers habitually adopt traditional manual methods of farming and have little or no means to invest in fertilisers, irrigation facilities or equipment that would facilitate their efforts to go into all-year round farming.

    He said: “The nation’s 50 million farmers have only around 30,000 tractors between them; they are, therefore, unable to produce enough food to feed Nigeria’s huge population.’’

    Arosanyin, who noted that the consequences of climate change were a major challenge facing efforts to engage in all-year round crop growing, urged the government to collaborate with local and international agencies to come up with improved crop varieties to boost food production and ensure food security.

    Another expert, Mr. African-Farmer Mogaji, said that even though Nigeria has long been recognised for its two farming seasons, the government has yet to re-establish this and encourage all-year round farming.

    He underscored the need for the government to invest in projects aimed at correcting the country’s infrastructural deficits in order to put in place a conducive environment.

    Mogaji, who is also an agricultural consultant, said that if the country’s infrastructural deficits are duly rectified, agriculture will become more attractive to the citizens, particularly the youth.

    He added that it will also stimulate more people’s interest in agriculture and value chain development projects.

    “The government must develop value chain systems and institutions that can drive competitiveness and job creation in the agricultural sector by using a market development approach.’’

    Mr Obasanjo Fasunla, identified soil infertility, paucity of infrastructure and reliance on imported foods as some causes of strains on local farmers.

    He said that the inability of most farmers to have sufficient funds to engage in farm expansion or mechanised farming projects has also affected agriculture and food production in the country.

    He says that certain factors such as unstable power supply, inadequate farm machines and bad road networks are also affecting agricultural production.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • How piggery farming is changing lives

    How piggery farming is changing lives

    A conference was organised by the Association for Promotion of Piggery in Nigeria (APPN) in Lagos to review smallholder pig value chain. It provided  an  opportunity to share testimonies of how the business has changed lives, DANIEL ESSIET, who attended the forum, reports.

    As a young man growing up in the rural setting of Oyo town, Oyo State, Wale Adekoya knew that his future is in agribusiness. He had developed interest in farming since he was a boy. He had no formal training in raising pigs, but he was fortunate to have observed his father raising the animals. As a child, he had learnt how to feed pigs with inexpensive foods. But his plan to be a big farmer lacked one basic ingredient – the technical knowledge to ensure that the business thrived.

    Never to be discouraged easily, he took up menial jobs  before he returned to piggery business. After having some positive experiences with using herbs, he started checking out medicinal herbs to see what they had to offer in treating pig’s ailments. He said the herbs  helped him effectively to deal with pig diseases.

    Today, hard work, perseverance and a little luck have seen Adekoya turning a tiny enterprise of 10 pigs into a flourishing commercial operation with 300 pigs. Considering the fact that he started  with 10 pigs is quite an achievement. He is satisfied with raising pigs, and happy that his standard of living is changing for the better.

    According to him, pig farming is helping many farmers to increase their income. He was one of the panelists at the conference and annual general meeting (AGM) ofAPPN in Lagos. His story is a testimony of how not giving up pays in the end.

    Adekoya said  pigs’ pork is in huge demand, adding that a lot of people  have  approached him for different pig parts .  Though he has made a success of it, he still feels people do not respect the piggery business.

    He said shortage of butchery skills is one of the challenges faced by the pig farming industry. Piggery farming, he said, proves to be lucrative, but it comes with several challenges.

    Successful piggery farming, he said, is underpinned by having sufficient scale and market knowledge to produce healthy piglets cost-effectively, while still managing risks.

    With this comes marketing. Currently, he  sells most of his pork directly to retailers, who buy in bulk from him on a weekly basis.

    Also, Chairman, Board of Trustees, APPN, Olootu Dipo Shofowora said with less than 10 piglets, he  now owns a big piggery operation.

    He maintained that  piggery, like poultry, should be  one of the areas that government should  prioritise as the base of meat industry, where more private operators  will be encouraged to invest money in a professional way.

    For the private sector and people  interested in the sector, Shofowora, also the Chairman, First Crystal Integrated  Agriculture Limited,  said there are still many opportunities to be explored.

    He added that the market for pork and piglets is still so big, requiring more investors to satisfy it. With hard work, he said anyone can start piggery business and be a success.

    To achieve a good litter, he said one needs good selection of healthy and stress-free breeds. He explained that a pig’s gestation period is three months, three weeks and three days. This means that if one  wean after one month, the mother should move back to production cycle soon enough and, therefore, help one  achieve two litters a year.

    Shofowora explained  that farmers, who  want to be successful commercial producers like him, need to receive intensive mentorship from established producers.

    As part of mentorship programme, he said young farmers must learn to keep a close watch on the disease status of the units  where there is no veterinary doctors.

    He said the main challenge new entrants is finding a way of converting basic, informal pig-keeping operations into profitable commercial enterprises.

    This, he explained, is hampered by high initial capital costs and subsequent high maintenance and feed expenditure. Moreover, he stressed that pig  farmers need to look for new or alternative markets to increase the country’s per capita pork consumption if they wish to sustain profitability.

    He said inadequate number of modern facilities such as  abattoirs, processing plants, feed makers and laboratories are some of the biggest challenges the sector faces.

    He noted that reluctance of financial institutions to finance agriculture has affected piggery production and expansion efforts.

    He added that cultural and religious beliefs also affect the growth of the sub-sector, pointing out that the cost of production is high because of high cost of pig feeds.

    Head, Animal Production Department, Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr Joseph Olupona, urged pig producers to work towards transforming the piggery sub-sector to a market-oriented one that creates value through  processing and value addition.

    He explained that common constraints shared by many producers are numerous, from government policies, land acquisition issues, lack of infrastructure, funding, processing and storage facilities, and market linkage among others.

    Lagos State government said  it  will do everything possible to support farmers to ensure abundant food production in the state.

    Represented by the Head of Livestock services, Ministry of Agriculture, Babatunde Shonekan, the state government  said it has continued to intensify efforts in the agricultural areas where it has comparative ecological and socio-economic advantages.

    He said despite its high industrialised status, population density and pressure on land for non-agricultural purposes, these areas, according to him, include fisheries, livestock as well as agro-processing with emphasis on value addition.

    He stated that furtherance to the ministry’s effort to boost food production in the state, it has acquired 1000 hectares of land in Ogun State.

  • Army trains 25 women in fish farming

    The Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), said it has trained 25 women in a three-month intensive course on modern fish farming in Makurdi, Benue State.

    Deputy Director, Public Relations, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Col. Sagir Musa,  said in a statement in Enugu that the GOC, 82 Div. Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar, had issued certificates to the 25 graduates of the course conducted by the NSAME for the benefit of selected interested women of the NASME Cantonment, Makurdi.

    He said the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, had initiated and successfully ensured the actualisation of the establishment of Barracks Investment Initiative Programme (BIIP) in all army barracks and cantonments across the nation.

    Musa said in line with the COAS directive, the Commandant NASME, Maj.- Gen. A.O. Shodanke, ensured the establishment of various agro-allied businesses, skills acquisition training programmes and co-operative societies for NASME community.