The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farming

  • Dizengoff, others set up greenhouse farming fund

    Dizengoff Nigeria in partnership with Best Foods Fresh Farms Ltd and Apel Capital & Trust has set up an agriculture investment fund that will support and finance modern greenhouse farming for has been set by  for investors.

    The fund is a development programme that includes a range of services and financing and non-financing facilities to encourage farmers to introduce greenhouse farming  and modern agricultural techniques, and contribute to the food security system.

    As part of the project, Dizengoff will deliver to Best Foods Farms 10 units of greenhouses to set up a demo/model farm at Igbodu in Epe where Best Foods Farms already have a farm.

    Apel Capital & Trust will act as trustee for this investment fund. Fund is targeting to achieve 35 percent return for investors who are investing into the fund. The minimum investment required is N500,000.

    Best Foods Fresh Farms Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, said: “The scheme, which will be managed by a trustee (Apel Capital), is expected to bring a group of investors’ funds together with the aim of investing in the agricultural sector to generate more profits”.

    Ijewere explained: “Our main purpose of establishing the modern greenhouse farm, is to create a profitable state-of-the-art functional structure in the center of the West African commercial capital, by providing simple innovative and effective farming methods to produce and supply high quality, fresh produce not just to our outlets, but to the broader market of Lagos Metropolis.

    “Apel Capital & Trust will act as Trustees of the Fund for the Project. Therefore, your investment will go into operating greenhouses and open field cultivation of short-term horticultural produce for both the Lagos market and environs.

    He urged those who want to join the scheme to contact his firm.

    Dizengoff Chief  Executive/Country Manager, Mr. Antti Ritvonen said: “As the technical partner on this project, Dizengoff will focus on its area competency, which is to ensure bountiful production all year round, thereby giving investors value for their investment.

  • Nigeria: Cocoa beans farming has prospect

    Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the global efforts to turn cocoa beans farming into an economically-viable venture.

    To this end, the country has joined the  sustainable and traceable cocoa farming team. It participated with other cocoa producing nations at the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Technical Committee meetings held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

    Present at the meeting on “Sustainable and Traceable Cocoa” were Chairman, National Mirror Committee on Cocoa, Mr. Shamsideen Olusegun Aroyeun from the Cocoa Research  Institute of Nigeria  (CRIN); Margaret  Eshiett; Abdulkadir Jelani Abubakar, and Benjamin Grace  all of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON); and Jayeloa Olayinka of CRIN.

    According to Mrs. Eshiett, who led the Nigerian delegation to the meeting, ISO members have been instrumental in the development of the current draft ISO 34101 series of standards in sustainable and traceable cocoa beans.

    She stated that the draft ISO 34101 series of standards was aimed at specifying requirements for a management system for the farming of cocoa beans, making production more sustainable.

    The SON Lead Delegate added that the draft standard features a dynamic farm development plan, using a stepwise approach to improve the economic, social and environmental impact in the coca value chain.

    The series, according to her, will help support the professionalism of cocoa farming around the world and support cocoa farmers to produce sustainably.

    She further stated that when work is completed on the standards, the use of the ISO 13401 series of standards will have valuable impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families. She said it will help them transform their farms into economically viable businesses.

  • FEC okays N3.38b loan for potatoes’ farming in Plateau

    THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N3.38 billion Africa Development Bank (ADB) loan for cultivation of potatoes in Plateau State.

    Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun said this to State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to her, the state government will also contribute N595 million counterpart funding.

    Stressing that about 60,000 jobs will be created from the potatoes value chain, she said 17 local governments in the state will benefit from the project.

    A strong monitoring team, she said, will be in place to ensure the loan is judiciously used.

    She said the loan has five years moratorium and 25 years repayment period.

    She said: “My approval was on behalf of Plateau State to support the potato value chain. There is a loan that we had previously cancelled from ADB. So, it is not a new loan. We cancelled it and redirected the money to request on behalf of Plateau State Government to support the potato value chain.

    “The rationale is that Plateau actually accounts for 95 per cent of Nigeria’s potato production and from Plateau, potatoes are actually exported to Ghana, Niger, Chad and other countries and despite that, there are huge profit losses because there is no enough storage and there is so much more we can do with Plateau’s potatoes.

    “So, ADB has come up with a comprehensive programme that will affect over 100,000 families. It is expected to create 60,000 jobs in a potato value chain, from processing, storage, replacement of current inputs and indeed, export.”

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola said FEC approved N1.58 billion for Abuja-Kaduna highway repairs to support the closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

    He said N4.1 billion was approved for Apapa-Wharf road.

    Fashola said: “The two memos were ratification of road works that had to be done under emergency circumstances. The first was the Abuja- Kaduna highway. Recall we had to immediately do palliative works to support the closure of the Abuja airport runway, which necessitated diversion of traffic to Kaduna.”

    “At that time, we didn’t have FEC’s approval. We only had anticipatory Presidential approval as prescribed under the law for emergencies works.”

  • CSOs to Kwara: focus on farming

    Civil Society Organisa-tions (CSOs) have urged the Kwara State government to focus attention on agriculture, saying it will complement its drive for internally generated revenue (IGR). The CSOs decried the non-involvement of small-scale farmers in the agriculture budgeting in the state.

    They added that the 2017 Kwara State budget did not take cognisance of women farmers who form a large chunk of producers of over 60 percent of food being consumed in the state.

    “The agriculture budget is not gender sensitive as there is no provision or line items for women farmers and this limits the application of funds to specific issues faced by women farmers; the

    percentage of the state’s total budget allocated to agriculture sector is abysmally low (less than one percent). This falls short of the 10 percent Maputo and Malabo declarations and commitments,” they said.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, Senior Programme Officer, Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), Abdulrahman Ayuba urged the state government to allocate no less than five percent of the state total annual budget to the agriculture sector.

    He recommended among others that: “The government must realise that the agriculture sector has the potential to contribute significantly to its aim of introspecting and sustaining the economy; moreover, honouring the Maputo declaration is a demonstration of a government of integrity and its commitment of its citizens, especially to the smallholder farmers of which women are in majority.

    “Government must vigorously promote organic farming among smallholder farmers, therefore, it is expected that government will reasonably make budget provision for this purpose in subsequent budget proposals.

    “Extension services of the government should also be strengthened by recruiting new extension agents, building their capacity and providing them with incentives and facilities necessary for their effectiveness in the field.

    “Given the centrality of the budget to the actualisation of that purpose, the citizens must be involved in the process. This should be promoted from the point of identification of needs, conceptualisation of response to such needs, budget formulation, consideration, defence, passage, implementation, monitoring and review.

    “A forum should be created by the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the state House of Assembly, for the participation of smallholder farmers especially women farmers and CSOs in the budgetary processes for ownership and in order to also inform and articulate priorities.”

  • Farming with guns

    Farming with guns

    Farming has become an endangered enterprise  –  no thanks to rising insecurity triggered by armed herdsmen and kidnappers. The activities of armed militia, in Benue, Edo, Delta, Ondo and the Epe axis of Lagos states, have discouraged many farmers. In the bid to protect their lives and investments, large-scale farmers are engaging private guards to stay in business, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    FARMING has become one of the enterprises WITH HIGH RISKSin Nigeria. Farmers are at the mercy of kidnappers, thieves, itinerant herdsmen and criminals, who harass them.

    According to the President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Iyama, farmers have important role to play in Federal Government’s quest to attain food security.

    In many instances, the farmers have sour tales to tell in the aftermath of raids on their farmlands by those who steal their produce and livestock, equipment and property.

    Armed herdsmen often invade farms and kidnap people for ransom.

    Chief Olu Falae, a one-time Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) was a victim. He was kidnapped by herdsmen, tortured and forced to part with millions of naira before he was let go.

    Those who kidnapped Falae were apprehended, prosecuted and sentenced to prison.

    Just last month, Falae had another encounter. Eyewitnesses said over 300 cows had been let loose on the farm by the herdsmen to graze. During the deadly exchange, some cows were reportedly killed, while the herdsmen allegedly fled in different directions.

    Falae confirmed the invasion of his farm by the herdsmen and the gun duel between the 15 riot policemen who were deployed into the farm and the invaders.

    The former SGF had sought security cover from the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Hilda Harrison, following the invasion.

    An Enugu rice farmer Simon Chukwu also relived his experiences in the hands of some herdsmen. Chukwu said he was harvesting rice in his farm when some herdsmen invaded the farm with their cattle to eat up the grains on December 22, last year.

    He recounted how his resistance made the herdsmen to hit him on the head with machete, giving him cuts on both sides of the head and the left hand.

    Chukwu said on his hospital bed said: “However, the trouble began when I shouted on the herdsmen to take the cows away. Three of the herdsmen came from different directions and surrounded me, questioning why I should ask them to take away their cows.

    “They were smoking and one of them, who was later identified said, ‘if we kill you now, we will drive away all your people in the community’.

    “At this juncture, I tried to run but one of them hit me with one of the long sticks they were carrying and I fell down. Then, a slim and light-skinned one, and another who was black and of average height, gathered around me and inflicted on the two sides of my ears machete cuts.

    “When I tried to defend myself with my bare hands, they gave me a deep cut that fractured on my left hand and blood started gushing from the wound very profusely.

    “When they saw that I was almost lifeless, they left me and escaped with their cows. When I shouted for help, a man appeared and rescued me. Through God’s mercy, two commercial motorcyclists were on hand to rush me to the hospital.

    “At this point, the officer in-charge of the Negba Police Post came to the scene and took up the matter. His intervention prevented the matter from degenerating into a conflict between my people and the herdsmen at Aninri.

    “But the next day, the herdsmen went back to my farm and set it on fire. They also, set the adjoining cassava farm which I borrowed N400, 000 to cultivate while I was recuperating in the hospital. I borrowed over N1 million to cultivate rice this year. I borrowed some of the money through the FADAMA programme.

    “They also burnt over 150 bows of harvested rice. Going by the current price, the rice is worth about N750,000. I incurred a total loss of over N2 million. The government has been asking us to go to the farm but each year after labouring, the herdsmen would appear during harvests with their cattle from nowhere to destroy our farms. How can we survive as a country when some people are seen to be above the law?”

    The hitherto peaceful Igbodu farming community in Epe, Lagos State, is in turmoil, due to the kidnapping and thefts on their farms. The development has a negative impact on the rural community.

    Chairman of the local chapter of All farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Lagos State and Vanses Enterprises International Limited Managing Director Otunba Femi Oke is a household in Epe, a Lagos suburb. He grew up in the coastal community.

    Oke, who is hospitable and quiet, spends the greater part his days on the farm. He alleged that many law-abiding indigenes have been attacked by criminals masquerading as herdsmen at Igbodu, near Epe.

    There were cases of armed and masked men jumping out of the vehicles conveying them into farms, forcing farmers to run to saver havens.  According to Oke, many farmers have been kidnapped and huge ransom paid.

     

    Self defence

    The rising wave of insecurity on the farms made the farmers to resort to resort to self-help, hiring local vigilance groups to provide security for them on the farm.

    But, despite the private arrangement, kidnappers still attack farms with security guards on duty. As at the last count, over 50 of Oke’s colleagues have fallen victims to the kidnappers, who only release them after collecting ransom.

    He cited the case of his farm and that of Tanda Farm (both at Igbodu area of Epe), where gunmen in military fatigues, invaded a poultry farm and kidnapped seven people.

    He said the level of insecurity could jeopardise the government’s ambition to be self-sufficient in food production.

    According to the AFAN boss, relief only came for farmers in the axis when the government deployed soldiers to patrol the areas.

    He described as unsustainable a situation whereby farmers spend fortune on private security to protect themselves and their farmlands.

    Oke said that Igbodu must be provided with special security because of its attraction to medium and large-scale farming ventures and potential for local and foreign investors.

    But the AFAN chair said farming communities in Igbodu have been working together to protect farmers, saying that recent kidnappings woke them up to the need to collaborate on security.

    The porous nature of the terrain, he said, remained a major problem.

    He said agriculture that contributes so much to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and one of the few healthy sectors of the economy must be according due attention.

     

    Kogi State

    The Kogi State Government has responded by deploying Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squads who specialise in aerial surveillance, kidnappers are still on the rampage. The gory tales of kidnapping have become a recurring decimal in the Northcentral state. Farmers have been the worst hit by sophisticated criminal groups operating in the state.

    An agricultural firm operating in the state, CrestAgro Products Nigeria Limited, is facing security challenges. The organisation that has invested N20 billion in cassava farming and processing in the state is worried over its investment.

    According to its Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Leonard Ebute, the company spends fortune on community policing to protect its 13,000-hectare cassava plantation on Obajana Road and the Food Grade Cassava Starch processing factory in Achabo.

    Ebute said that farmers spend more than N100 million on security, lamenting the increasing wave of crime and the inability of the government to tackle crime.

     

    Edo

    The situation is not different in Edo State where herdsmen have laid siege to some parts of the state. There were reported cases of women being raped in their farms in Esan part of the state. One of them was reportedly killed by the

    The killing prompted the House of Representatives to direct the Inspector-General of Police to go after the herdsmen, arrest and prosecute them.

    The state government has no law yet against open grazing but it has promised to build fence walls around public schools and set up a security committee to develop security network to provide adequate security in rural communities and effectively tackle herdsmen attacks on farmers in the state.

     

    Economic impact

    The impact of kidnapping has been high on the farmers, who have to go the extra mile to protect their files,

    Some farmers and their families say they have been left with no other choice but to change their farming practices or quit the industry altogether.

    The financial impact of crime on Igbodu farms, according to him was significant. For instance, some firms which invested close to N1 billion in agro ventures had to close shops because of the rising wave of kidnapping.

    Oke lamented revealed that most of their members are yet to recoup their investments after several attacks and raids by herdsmen, even as Ebute said that large-scale commercial farms like theirs, spend at least N3 million every month to remain in business.

     

    Push for compensation heightens

    Those who insured their farms have demanded for compensation from their insurer – the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance (NAIC). But NAIC said that premium does not cover malicious damage.

     

    State of the industry

    Farmers across the six geo-political zones groan under attacks by itinerant herdsmen and kidnappers.

    The Chief Operating Officer, Centre for Cocoa Development Initiative, Mr. Robo Adhuze, said the new wave of rural crimes has a debilitating toll farming activities.

    Iyama, who warned of the consequences of crimes on farming community, alerted of a decline in the number of commercial farmers.

     

    Modus operandi

    According to the stakeholders, the attackers strike mainly between 6am and 6am. The farmers are fed up with the increasing number of attacks and the government’s inability to protect them. Some commercial farmers have set up rural and farm watch groups and others adopt more high-tech security measures to outsmart criminal gangs.

    Iyama said that farm settlements have becoming soft targets for thieves because of the ‘low risk’ of being caught.

    He suggested border patrols and synergy between the farmers and security agencies to encourage farming.

    Farmers opts self-protection

    Many farmers are calling for preventative measures to protect their belongings.

    Oke specifically stressed that farmers, like other citizens, deserve to feel safe. The farmers are prepared to fortify themselves against kidnappers and rural criminals.  In some rural areas, farmers sleep with loaded shotguns by their beds.

    Ebute, whose farm has been a target by kidnappers, said some farmers keep armed vigilance groups on 24-hour patrol.

    According to him, there are genuine demands for weapons for self-defense, stressing the need for government/farmers collaboration.

    He said: “Guns must be properly secured, stowed, and used in accordance with the Criminal Code”. He foreclosed accidental discharge.

    “Farmers should evaluate their security measures, make improvements where necessary, remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to local police and community watch schemes.”

     

    Stakeholders’ speak

    The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, said the prevailing activities of the Fulani herdsmen had over the years led to the destruction of their farms.

    He said: “The peaceful coexistence between previously peace-loving Fulani herdsmen, who herded their cattle with long canes and our local farmers has been replaced by an era of AK-47 totting and rampaging herdsmen who kill, maim, rape our people and destroy our farms.

    “Not one of them is ever arrested for illegal possession of firearms. Even those arrested in Nimbo for mercilessly killing our people remain unprosecuted by the Northern dominated law enforcement agents.”

    The Secretary to the Abia State Government (SSG), Dr. Eme Okoro, lamented the menace of the herdsmen, who frequently attack people on their farms. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call them to order.

    According to Okoro, the herdsmen have become very audacious in their attacks. “There is no Bende community that the Fulani herdsmen have not invaded”, he said.

  • Lagos boosts farming with input

    Lagos State is living up to its mandate of modernising its agricultural and agribusiness base, boost employment and lay the groundwork for improved productivity for export and import substitution of a select range of crops.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Oluwatoyin Suarau,  said this in Lagos.

    He said the government aimed at boosting farm growth and improving the lives of the rural poor.

    He said the ministry has supported farmers and fishers in the Lagos State Agricultural Input Supply Company (LAISA) with input at affordable prices.

    These include the distribution of over 6,500 bags of fertiliser, hybrid maize and agro-chemicals to vegetable farmers.

    Over 45,705 bags of  fish feeds were made available to farmers. Also inputs such as knapsack sprayers, water pumps and feed ingredients were supplied to them, too.

    Over 3,000 farmers and fishing folk were serviced last year. According to him, cage culture for fishing is being implemented to empower youths. The project is located along the lagoon network at Ikosi Beach, Ikosi-Ejirin Local Council Development Area.

    Sixty youths from the community were selected as beneficiaries and trained in fish cage construction and fish production and fish farm management activities.

  • Expanding the frontiers of mango farming

    Expanding the frontiers of mango farming

    There is a huge market for mangoes in the world from which Nigerian farmers can hit a goldmine, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Former Adamawa State Governor Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd), who is renowned for his investment in mangoes, is a successful farmer.

    Nyako owns the largest mango farm in Nigeria and he is popularly known as Baba Mai Mangoro (BMM). Exotic mangoes from his orchard of 50,000 trees were first exported to Europe in 1993. The mango farm, Nyako said, generates N5 billion yearly.

    With 50,000 mango trees,  he said, the farm has the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of mangoes yearly, representing 200 kgs of mango per tree. ”If you make juice with 10,000 tonnes of mangoes at the present price of juice in the market, you will get about N5 billion, while all it would cost you to process the juice won’t be more than N1.5 billion. That is why I will be taking home N3.5 billion annually all things being equal,” Nyako said. He cited his farm to underscore the importance of commercial farming.

    Experts believe mango has enormous potential that can transform the economy like other traditional export produce, such as cocoa, cashew and palm oil. Classified as MangiferaIndica, its fruits are delicious and they have the advantage of being relatively low in calories and high in nutrients.

    In total, about 40 million tonnes of mangoes are produced worldwide.

    Key exporters in Africa, include  Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Kenya, The Gambia and  Cameroon. Top ten mango importers are the United States of America, the Netherlands, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Hong Kong and Spain in that order.

    This clearly points to the fact the developed countries are the main importers. Of the 10 top importing countries, the US, the Netherlands and China, account for 49 per cent of total world imports.

    Rising consumer appetite for mangoes, particularly in Europe, has boosted demand for mango from developing world . However, in Europe, importers  give  preference  to fair trade – and organic-certified mangoes. To access premium prices from European supermarkets, as opposed to selling into the less lucrative wholesale market, exporters need to achieve GlobalGap (EurepGap), which assures good agricultural practices including traceability, soil management, pest management and responsible water use.

    An  exporter, Sunny Anjorin, said there was  a big market  for mango in the Middle East. He  told The Nation that he  had an order from Dubai for mango last November. Anjorin  has  experience in export business, including purchasing produce from farmers and overseeing movement of the produce to the port.

    He said perishable products, such as mango present greater risks than other non-perishable ones. This is because the  fruits get damaged at every point in the value chain from pest infestation, poor transport conditions, such as poor ventilation, temperature control, bumpy roads and delays in shipments.

    Also, exporters of fresh produce incur a lot of costs, including processing and transportation costs.

    On the farmers’ level, they are concerned with diminishing mango yields caused by fruit flies that cause losses of between 50 to 85 per cent of total mango production. They plant the mango trees and maintain them by weeding, controlling pests and applying compost.   These aside, Anjorin maintained that mango export offers a particularly promising opportunity for economic development.

    He  urged  farmers  to  continue on growing notable varieties that interest  importers and  produce fruits that meet the domestic and international market standards.

    National President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria,Dr. Victor Iyama, said Nigeria has potential for producing mango products that can be used in processed food. He believes  the  nation’s  arable land offers enormous potential for development of exports.

    Although Nigeria’s potential exports in the mango sub sector is  limited because of increasing competition from other  West African countries  and capacity constraints, Iyama believes that Nigeria ‘s numerous under-exploited  perishable  food resources present potential for expanded exports.

    He said constraints such as old storage depots, outdated infrastructure and additional cold storage facilities for perishable agricultural commodities need to be fixed. Some container facilities are slow to process cargo containers. Quality control, inadequate technical capacity, and lack of government and institutional support are also cited as impediments to export development. There is also a limited understanding of global market quality requirements.

    He said mango exporters   have had to improve several processes, from understanding what products are in demand internationally and planning crops to the logistics of shipping, handling of the product and its packaging, which must be done carefully and must always follow rules to qualify for certification

    The Chairman, Export Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chief Executive,  Multimix Group , Dr Obiora Madu,  said  involvement  of big players  is crucial  to support the development of  the mango sector  and stimulate wealth creation and reduce poverty. According to him, though small- and medium-scale farmers are the majority in the sector, they don’t have the capacity to acquire infrastructure to succeed in mango exports. In addition, he noted that small businesses are unable to fulfill the volume requirements of importers in developed-country markets. Since mango has a big value chain, Madu said  there is scope for small farmers to increase their incomes. He added, however that the big players  have to support SMEs in farming to increase productivity. This is because big time processors need higher volumes of fruit at lower prices to be competitive. Compared with Nigeria, he  said Kenya is doing   well as  the leading mango producer in East Africa. It contributes about 43 per cent  of the region’s total production volume. Kenya has two mango seasons: a main season from October to March and a low season from May to July. This production calendar gives Kenya a natural advantage in the Middle Eastern market where, during Kenya’s main season,the key market suppliers, India and Pakistan are out of production.

    Kenya is able to supply mangoes throughout the year but there are two distinct major harvest seasons from October to March and from May to July, with only minimal supplies available in April, August and September.

    Madu  said the  government needs to commit to continue improving the infrastructure for the entire productive chain. They must give priority to irrigation projects, as well as to modernising the roads, airports and the ports to improve marketing from the main agricultural activity points and to facilitate transportation to the most distant destinations. One of the most important things farmers consider in raising the quality of mango production is the suitability of the soils, fertilisers, climate and irrigation in the proposed plantation site. They are encouraged to collect soil samples for testing to identify nutrients, composition and other characteristics to know whether the soil is suitable for mango cultivation.

    For many years, mango growers have struggled to find experts from abroad specialised in soil sciences and fertilisers to have trainings on soil and fertiliser application so that they would be able to produce high quality mangoes and generate a surplus for export meeting customer’s needs.

  • 2,000 get N600 million for rice farming

    2,000 get N600 million for rice farming

    BUA Group of Companies has  paid over N600 million to over 2,000 farmers to boost rice production in Kano State.

    Its Executive Director, Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu, who spoke at the distribution of farming tools to the farmers at Imawa Village, Kura Local Government Area of the state,  said the company ventured into the project in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda to diversify into agriculture as an alternative to oil.

    Rabiu said the company had given N288,000 interest-free loan to each of the 2,000 farmers in the first phase of the scheme, which is  is targeting 50,000 rice farmers within four years.

    BUA, he said, is diversifying into dry season farming, as well as irrigational infrastructure  by embarking on massive rice production in which Kano has more infrastructure, coupled with 19 dams than any other state in the country, aimed at enhancing rice production, targeting one million metric tonnes.

    Also, Rabiu said the state has one of the largest arable lands in the country, which is ideal for massive rice production, adding that the state has prospects of rice production.

    ‘’Kano is by far one of the potential areas to grow rice. We are happy and excited and very positive. We believe and we are sure that it will lead to a very successful venture partnership for BUA and the farmers. Our target, however, is for Kano to have over 500,000 rice farmers just as about 42,000 of them have already registered, with Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).

    ‘’So, what we are doing now is just a pilot project, with only 2,000 farmers and see where it goes. We want to double it to at least 50,000 farmers and if we are able to support and produce at least five tonnes per hectare and if we are able to do it twice, in Kano alone, you can get up to 1 million metric tonnes of rice.

    ‘’So, that is our target, as it may not be easy but it may not happen immediately, maybe, it will take between three and four years. But we are very committed, as you can see from the farmers, they are really committed and excited and we are also happy, so the sky is our limit.

    ‘’For each of the farmers at the moment, we are providing them with an interest-free loan of about  N288, 000 per farmer, which covers the pumping machine, the fertiliser, pesticides and the  chemicals, which are needed, as well as seedlings for increased rice production.’’

    He pointed out that BUA was not using the anchor-borrower scheme but rather its capital to take this pilot off the ground because there is a lot of issues, as agriculture is time bound.

    ‘’Whatever you are doing, you have to do it on time, you have to provide them with the necessary tools and at the right time. If you miss days, then the fertiliser looks as if it is not there.’’

    ‘’For us to able to take this off the ground, we are using our money and that is why it is interest-free for now, But going forward, and if the project eventually succeeds, we will then go back to the anchor-borrower scheme to expand the rice grower project in Kano and Jigawa,’’ Rabiu added.

  • Rice farmer urges govt to provide land for farming

    The Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Delta State, Chief Silvanus Ejezie, has urged the government to provide land in the wetland for dry season farming.

    Ejezie, who spoke in an interview yesterday with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, said the association identified wetland in the state suitable for all-year farming.

    He advised the government to procure such areas, clear and allocate them to farmers for farming.

    Ejezie said the association proposed a release of five hectares by every local government for the cultivation of rice, to boost food production.

    He said unlike in the North, there were no dams in the South to encourage all-year farming.

    “Our challenge for not going into all-year farming is because we do not have dams like our counterparts in the North.

    “Engaging in dry season farming here is a trial. But if the government encourages the 25 councils to provide land for rice cultivation, Delta will produce more rice.

    “If the government helps to clear such wetland in Ndokwa and other parts of the state, it will support dry season farming and boost rice production.

    “By so doing, the cost of farming will be reduced and we can make more progress,” the chairman said.

    He said at present, rice farmers managed to engage in dry season cultivation by irrigating farmlands with water from boreholes.

    He said the practice was challenging and expensive due to high cost of fuel to power pumping machines.

    On the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), he said participating farmers, who had been trained, were hoping and waiting for the funds to be released.

    NAN recalls that the CBN in 2016 began pilot phase of the programme with rice production in Kebbi State.

    The ABP aims at creating economic linkages between over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors, to increase agricultural output and improve capacity utilisation of integrated mills.

    It is also expected to close the gap between the levels of local rice production and domestic consumption, as well as complement the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by graduating GES farmers from subsistence farming to commercial production.

     

  • No interest in farming, no varsity admission, says minister

    No interest in farming, no varsity admission, says minister

    The Federal Government has banned students without interest in farming from gaining admission into its Universities of Agriculture.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, made this known at a stakeholders meeting with registrars and pro-Chancellors of the universities in Abuja.

    He said the decision was aimed at repositioning the institutions to involve youths in agriculture, and train them to solve the multi-faceted problems in the sector.

    The Minister, who expressed regrets that non-agriculture-based courses, such as engineering, were being taught in the schools, warning that the only agriculture-related disciplines be taught.

    Ogbeh said the Federal Government’s decision to relocate its three Universities of Agriculture from the Federal Ministry of Education to Agriculture, was to refocus the insitutions as globally-acclaimed citadels to move the sector forward.

    He assured the universities that the government would support them by providing funds and grants to assist in research.

    “The domiciliation of the universities in this ministry is a commendable effort by the Federal Government based on sound reasoning and logic.

    “Your return will effectively help us to reposition the three universities of agriculture as centres of excellence for the rapid development of the agric sector.

    “There is no place where the competence and capacity to drive agriculture resides outside the Universities of Agriculture. We need to achieve a hunger-free Nigeria.

    “Henceforth, students who are not interested in becoming farmers should be made to seek admission elsewhere,’’ Ogbeh said.

    He assured that the government would support students in researching for their self-actualisation.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Mr. Mohammed Munguno, advocated a bill to establish the National Universities Agricultural Commission to regulate operations of the Universities of Agriculture.

    He said the National Assembly would amend their rules to ensure that the universities were domiciled in the ministry.

    “There is need either through an executive bill or a bill to be sponsored by the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture for the establishment of the National Universities of Agricultural Commission.

    “It will be charged with regulating the universities of agriculture to effectively perform their statutory roles in tandem with the laws establishing them,’’ Munguno said.

    The Pro-Chancellor of the Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia, Prof. Anya O. Anya, lauded the government for the relocation.

    Anya, who raised concern over the disconnect with the science and practice of agriculture in the country, expressed the hope that the assigning of the universities to the ministry would boost their effectiveness.