The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farming

  • FG to introduce farming in schools

    The Federal Government has disclosed plans to introduce farming programme in secondary schools.

    The programme is expected to take off in 12 states across the country’s six geo-political zones.

    Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme, Dr. Baraka Sani, explained that the programme will alleviate poverty, create jobs and close the age gap of the existing farmers

    According to her, “in the pilot phase, students agriculture club will be established in selected schools from 12 states of the federation, two from each geo-political zone. Each club would compromise approximately 120 members.

    “The multiplier effect of this programme in the respective household would definitely play great role in poverty eradication, help with nutrition and at the same time create jobs, especially at the rural level.

    She explained that it will expose participants to various skills in the areas of agriculture.

    Speaking on the goals of the programme, she said: “The programme is expected to develop positive attitude amongst youths towards agriculture, equip school leavers for job opportunities through practical teaching of skills for life, build entrepreneurship skills in students to run agriculture as a business, to offer the young farmers a voice and to create a stronger spirit of working together and unity amongst students.

    Dr. Sani, while urging youths to embrace the initiative, said involvement in agriculture will reduce the rate of unemployment.

    She advised youths not to depend on white collar job.

    “Farming can be done before the white collar job comes and it will reduce the agitation of the young ones that they are out of school and the government is not giving them job.

    “Really, the white collar jobs are not meant for everybody.

    “Some people are meant to work in the private sector or be self reliant; it depends on where your luck is and where you think you can do better. But I tell you, even if you have the white collar job, it is better to acquire skill and agricultural skill is a good option.

    She added: “It is a skill for life, and it will give people better standard of living and make life more comfortable for everybody.

    The programme is expected to focus on food/vegetable production, including small scale irrigation where needed, fisheries and aqua-culture, poultry, nutrition, processing and packaging, apiarist training for honey production, livestock production and entrepreneurial programme for members of the club.

  • Urban farming on the increase

    Urban farming on the increase

    Rapid urbanisation has resulted in a sharp increase in food insecurity. For this reason, urban farming practised by the poor and lower-income groups is fast becoming de rigeur among  city dwellers. In some suburbs, maize and vegetable plots are springing up to counter expected food shortages, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Urban farming is the cultivation of a wide range of crops – including fruits, vegetables, tubers and ornamental plants – in cities and towns and the surrounding areas.

    With unemployment estimated at above 80 per cent and basic foodstuffs becoming unaffordable even for those who have jobs, vacant lots are fast being turned into agricultural plots. Following this, urban faming, widely practised by the poor and lower-income groups is fast becoming de rigeur among the city dwellers.

    One of them is Madam Okoro Madu (not real name) who lives at the Journalists Estate, Arepo in   Ogun State.

    She was desperate to grow something, so she planted some vegetables on the only available open space around her home. Madam Madu sets aside time for farming on weekends. She tends her crops herself and makes sure that she does not run out of food by producing vegetables for consumption and sale.

    Consequently, other residents followed her and began planting crops for their consumption. Collectively, they hope for enough rains to enable them to harvest a reasonable yield part of which they can sell to earn an income for their families.

    In many states of the federation, urban farming is playing a pivotal role in supporting the growth of the food industry.

    It is providing a livelihood for thousands of city dwellers, with vegetables bringing in good money for small growers and helping to alleviate malnutrition nationally. The demand for vegetables and the high prices they command in the cities have pushed many jobless residents into becoming small-scale growers.

    The burgeoning income of small vegetable growers, who sometimes earn between 200 and 300 per cent profit, have made them more attractive to those involved in agro exports.

    In some states with link to the major highways, most of the green spaces along the roadsides have been transformed into small farms.

    For experts, urban farming is a lucrative business. This is particularly the case for some states where the dynamism of the sector has led to move up the value added chain and strong market position.

    As a result, the sector contributes 30 per cent of the food sector total production.

    A Crop Protection Specialist, Prof Daniel Gwary, told The Nation that developing urban agriculture is crucial, given the current demographic trend.

    Globally, reports said urban food markets are set to increase fourfold to exceed $400 billion by 2030, requiring major agribusiness investments in processing, logistics, market infrastructure, and retail networks. This is because the growing middle class is also seeking greater diversity and higher quality in its diets. The most dynamic sectors overall are likely to be rice, feed grains, poultry, dairy, vegetable oils, horticulture, and processed foods.

    The good news also, is that many supermarkets are poised to take off, where they serve the middle-income population. Their benefits can include a broader supply of produce, safer foods, economies of scale, and lower consumer prices.

    The supermarkets support small-scale farmers, including urban farmers.

    For this reason, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and many other international and local institutions, are pushing just that message – that micro-gardening and other forms of urban horticulture can go a long way to boosting city dwellers’ food security and improving living conditions.

    Gwary, of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, said micro-gardening and urban farming allow people to better feed their families.

    As a matter of urgency, he wants governments at various levels to recognise their roles as facilitators in food security and nutrition strategies.

    So far, he sees the biggest weakness in the value chain, however, as farmers not being able to organise the collection of crops produced in scattered locations for delivery to processing facilities.

    As such, there are high rates of spoilage. A shortage of sufficient throughput for processing discourages investments into value-added production, which in turn leads to a further increase in spoilage.

    Apart from this, there are significant information gaps as well: on up-to-date market information related to growers.

    Prof Abel Ogunwale sees urban farms as a “growth area with compelling fundamentals driven by urbanisation, population growth, and rising incomes’’.

    For Ogunwale, a consultant with the World Bank, urban farming is one within a menu of solutions to help feed more people in a manner that advances economic development and reduces pressure on the environment.

    He said most forms of urban farms require land, water, feed, and energy—input that are scarce and need government assistance.

    For him and some private sector stakeholders, one of the biggest challenges facing urban fruit and vegetable farmers are difficulties in obtaining large surfaces of land.

    Whatever the size, the don noted that urban farmers need enough lands to assure sufficient production volumes.

    Others are poor input markets, difficulties in accessing land and finance and inadequate skills and technology.

    All-weather roads, Ogunwale noted, are crucial for urban farms to gain access to markets. Recent improvements in main roads mean that a disproportionate share of the high transport costs for agricultural produce are incurred within the first few kilometres from the farm, because the roads are bad.

    For a strong sector to emerge, he said supply and credit services with it should be strengthened.

    However, Ogunwale said the Geographical Information System (GIS) could be used to map vegetable production and analyse how urban agriculture contribute to food security.

    GIS project, he maintained, would analyse data gathered on the ground and via satellite about crop species, production, land surface and workforce.

    He appealed to the government to address post-harvest loss issues and improve input products and service delivery to farmers, while the agricultural and finance institutions should be well-positioned to support the development of the sector.

    The President, Lagos Apex Fadama Association, Alhaji Abiodun Oyeniran, said the government is trying to open up some areas of land suitable for large-scale production to farmers despite increasing pressure on urban lands for residential development.

    FAO said an estimated 130 million urban residents in Africa and 230 million in Latin America engage in agriculture, mainly horticulture, to provide food for their families and earn an income.

    “While the urban poor, particularly those arriving from rural areas, have long practised horticulture as a livelihood and survival strategy, in many countries the sector is still largely informal, usually precarious, and sometimes illegal,” world body said.

    People often farm idle urban land, but with no legal standing, they can be kicked off when the land is wanted for development. FAO said urban policies should acknowledge the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in development.

  • Edo gets 410,000 hectares for farming

    The Edo State government has acquired 410,000 hectares of land for investment in agriculture by the private sector.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Abdul Oroh said 50,000 hectares was set aside for the cultivation of rice by the Dangote Group; 60,000 for oil palm by De United Food Industries Limited, makers of Indomie Noodles.

    He said 300,000 hectares was kept for other investors interested in farming.

    The commissioner said the administration transformed agriculture and developed agro-service centres, to ensure farmers accessed improved seedlings, tractors and loans.

    He said the ministry also evolved schemes aimed at encouraging the establishment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

    The commissioner said the state will assist farmers to benefit from the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

    Oroh said last year, 120,000 farmers registered under the scheme, adding that the number had increased to 170,000 this year.

    Oroh said land had been allocated to youths interested in agriculture.

    The commisssioner said 3,000 youths have been trained by the ministry in various skills.

  • Women drive farming in Kano

    Women drive farming in Kano

    Something novel is happening in Kano. Jobs are not just created; nor are women merely among the employed. The refreshing thing is that women are deeply involved in trades in which men usually held sway. Now, for instance, they are raising fish, even producing some of the biggest catch the locals have ever seen. And the state economy is gradually picking up as a result. Yet, that is not all they do.

    When he assumed office in 2011. Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso said one of the things that would drive the economy was agriculture.

    Determined to achieve the goal, he selected a special team to be in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry worked hard to achieve the governor’s goal by diversifying the agricultural sector and training residents in all manner of trades to make them be self-reliant. The ministry, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, established the Bagauda Fisheries Institute where residents will undergo training programmes.

    As a result of this effort to enhance the well-being of the people, Kwankwaso, in February, facilitated the training of 140 women, selected from the 19 northern states, in aquaculture at the Bagauda Fisheries Institute. Those women have remained very productive.

    Also in February, 24,400 trainees being the third batch of graduates from the same Aquaculture Fisheries and Training Institute Bagauda graduated, just as another 120 trainees from the MAGAGA Fisheries Skills Acquisition Training Centre, Gwarzo, also graduated at the instance of the state government. In all, the fishery institute at Bagauda has graduated 1,200 beneficiaries comprising men, women and youths.

    Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Kwankwaso said: “These trainings seem to have come at a most deserving moment, where problems that include serious malnutrition, hunger and diseases have been traced to consumption of insufficient protein as well as lack of balanced diet. These trainings are, no doubt, helping to overcome the effects of these afflictions.

    “In addition, our efforts are paying off tremendously because we are succeeding in taking our youths off the streets, giving our women and youths employment, creating and sustaining wealth in our state. The state government has continued to fund and support other training institutes of poultry, livestock, horticulture, irrigation and farm mechanisation respectively and they have so far graduated over 6,000 students. They have consequently provided thousands of direct and indirect jobs.”

    According to the governor, N60 million was expended on the training and employment of the 400 women as each of them received 10 bags of coppers fish feeds; two big plastic tanks; five sachets of aquacol;  five sachets of fish biotic; and 500 post-juvenile fish specimens produced by the institute.

    He further said N17 million was expended in the training and empowerment of 120 youths at the MAGAGA Fisheries Skill Acquisition Centre in Gwarzo and each of them were supported with 18 packets of assorted hooks; eight bundles of gill-net; 20 rolls of nylon twine of assorted sizes; two hanks of kuralon rope; 50 pieces of normal size cork foat; two sheets of flexible lead sinkers; 12 yards of cast-net material and one life jacket.

    “In our bid to develop agriculture, the state government has made multi-dimensional collaborative efforts with public and private institutions and organisations, notably the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Sasakawa Global 2000, Unity Bank Plc as well as Dangote Group of Companies,” Kwankwaso said, adding,  ”our commitment and determination in this drive towards the development and transformation of agriculture into a highly productive and sustainable venture with the aim of diversifying farmers’ incomes, promotion of value chain approach and eventual commercialisation of agriculture production.”

    In her remarks, Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mrs Baraka Sani noted that over the years, the production of commercial crops in Kano State has become veritable means of occupation to not only a large number of farmers including women and youth, but also to a teeming youth engaged in farming activities both during wet and dry seasons across the length and breadth of the state.

    She noted that the main impediment to their farming activities has always been lack of adequate support by past governments.

    Mrs Sani said: “It is in view of the above and in line with present administration’s policy of providing necessary impetus aimed at facilitating increased agricultural output and employment generation for its teeming youths, the state, under the leadership of Governor Kwankwaso, came up with a unique agricultural development programme tagged Kano Commercial Crops Development Initiative (KCCDI) in order to transform agriculture from subsistence level to a more viable commercial venture.

    “Under the programme, the state is divided into six zones for commercial crops production which include sesame, groundnuts, cotton, cassava, vegetables, rice, wheat, garlic, moringa and jetropha and agro-processing zone, mainly situated in the Kano metropolitan local governments respectively.

    “The crop selection for various local governments is based on comparative advantage with the aim of becoming competitive,” she noted, adding that the aim of the programme is to trigger a unique agricultural development which will transform agriculture into a highly productive and sustainable venture and ensure enhanced economic status of the farming communities in the state.

    She further noted that the programmes aimed at diversifying farmers’ incomes beyond the traditional subsistence agriculture to a commercially sustainable level all year round and to promote value addition in the selected crops in order to ensure optimum production and market linkages.

    According to her, Governor Kwankwaso has done tremendously well in creating job opportunities through agriculture, particularly, in the area of fish production by empowering both women and men so that they would be self-reliant and also able to impart the knowledge they have acquired to other people to make the state stable and viable in terms of economic and social development.

    Mrs Sani also said thousands of youths who before now had nothing doing are engaged through several agricultural programmes.

    “When you talk about how best to tackle the problem of insecurity, it is through job creation. It is said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Our youths today are engaged in various skill acquisition and training programmes. They have become useful to themselves, their families, relations and the society. We are proud of Governor Kwankwaso and we pray that God will bring someone that can build on his legacies,” she said.

    The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero praised Governor Kwankwaso for the positive revolution he is engendering in the agriculture sector. The Emir, who was represented by one of his sons and District Head of Dala, Aminu Ado Bayero (Sarkin Shakar Gida), further commended Governor Kwankwaso on his giant strides in empowering women and the youth. He urged other northern governors to emulate Kwankwaso’s style of leadership.

  • Dry season farming support for 30,000

    Dry season farming support for 30,000

    Over 30,000 farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received support for dry season farming from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

    The initiative, a collaboration between the FCT and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was launched in December last year as part of efforts to ensure food security.

    The Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide, said at the official flag-off ceremony of the 2013/2014 dry season farming in Gada Biu in Kwali Area Council that dry season farming in the FCT would produce additional 45,000 metric tons of grain, to the Nigerian grain market, diversify the economy and enhance foreign exchange earnings.

    Akinjide, represented at the occasion by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr John Chukwu said: “The business of agriculture in Nigeria has been left mostly to the peasant and small-time farmers. While their efforts may, to a large extent, meet the basic needs of the country, it has not done same for the country’s economy or economic conditions of farmers.

    “We are determined to improve agricultural productivity of small-scale farmers by ensuring that they embrace modern farming methods and take full advantage of abundant market opportunities to boost their economic base.

    “The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) which was launched in 2011 has recorded appreciable success in the FCT with more farmers accessing farm inputs with ease. During the 2013 rain-fed farming exercise, 92,143 farmers (82.8 per cent) out of the 111,276 FCT farmers captured on the GES national data base representing 82.5 per cent redeemed their farm inputs (fertiliser and seeds) through the e-Wallet platform.”

    The Secretary, FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat Mrs. Olvadi Madayi said the FCT has signed on to the Nigerian Incentive-base Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending System (NIRSAL) programme which is promoted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that farmers have easy access to credit for their farm enterprises.

    Madayi said: “We will strive to ensure that FCT farmers have easy access to agricultural inputs as well as markets for their products through off-takers and contract farming system.

    “In addition, we are encouraging private entrepreneurs in the FCT to complement government’s effort in value addition and product marketing.”

  • Expert seeks investment in farming

    The Programme Manager of the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP), Mr. Gabriel Udoma, has urged the public to invest in farming.

    He made the call while interacting with farmers at Ukana Community in the Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

    This, he said, would go a long way in boosting the economy of the state. “Agriculture is the bedrock of development and it was the sector that the country relied on before the discovery of crude oil,” he said.

    The manager said there are many improved varieties of cassava and other food crops in the state’s ministry of agriculture, advising farmers to take advantage of the new cassava varieties.

    Udoma said older varieties of crops cultivated by rural farmers in the past had failed to yield optimum produce owing to the vagaries in the climate condition of the state.

    He said that farmers in the state had neglected the cultivation of traditional crops, such as coco yam and water yam, among others, in spite of their rich nutrient contents.

    “As farmers, you should not neglect the high value of these crops as many of the exotic crops are not rich in nutrients as those cultural varieties,’’ Udoma said.

    A spokesman for the farmers, Mr. Akan Okon, said farmers would explore the opportunities provided by the government for the development of agriculture.

    He commended the transformation going on in the state, saying that it has ushered good roads, especially in the rural areas.

    He said rural dwellers no longer find it difficult to transport their produce to urban areas.

     

  • Tapping into fish farming

    With the government’s policy of a 25 per cent reduction in the importation of fish geared towards boosting local fish farming and production, there is a growing opportunity for even small scale fish farmers to make a fortune from the trade, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

    Life has not been the same for Adenuga Adeniyi Adedeji, a 24-year-old postgraduate student of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, since he embraced fish farming. With the savings he made in his National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) year, he bought three plots of land,where he runs a fish farm at Isele-Ijebu, near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

    On this land, he built 14 ponds of various sizes, with total capacity of about 15 tonnes table size catfish per cycle, which generates N6 million; a modern hatchery that produces 100,000 fingerlings, which fetches him N1.5 million, and a smoking kiln to package smoked catfish. A kilogramme of catfish sells for N400, while fingerlings sell for N15 each.

    Although he studied agriculture, Adenuga’s journey into fish farming began during his industrial attachment at the Felimar Aquaculture Centre, Ijebu-Ode. There, he understudied fish farmers.

    Adenuga recalled that the initial start-up and support from his parents where instrumental to his success.

    With the expansion in the trade, capital was made available to him through a loan he obtained from his church’s cooperative society he had earlier joined. He also benefited from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, whose Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ibikunle Odusote, took special interest in his farm. This was during the farmer registration and enlightenment in Ijebu Ode in which the Ministry trained fish farmers on the right techniques to deploy in running a highly efficient farm which would assist them in having profitable yields. As a support, the Ministry donated three smoking kilns to him.

    Adenuga dreams big. “My plan for the project is to convert my site to full scale fingerlings production that will supply my farm and that of other farmers around with good quality fingerlings. I also plan to get about five hectares of land which will contain about 100 earthen ponds, cassava and plantain plantation. I also plan to also diversify into rearing of livestock. I have Kalahari goats from South Africa which I purchased from FUNAAB and I intend to start a breeding project in upgrading indigenous breeds,” Adenuga hopes.

    His motivation for agriculture was from his father, who was a staff member of Sunvit Agro Industrial Company, a subsidiary of Leventis Group, in Agenebode, Edo State. He recalled that whenever he travelled to the farm on vacation, he was, particularly, thrilled by the sight of a crop duster airplane used for spraying and planting rice paddies operated by his father. At such times, he was also encouraged to visit neighbouring farms and to have experience in poultry, piggery and aquaculture.

    Yet, more convincing for this young fish farmer is the story of a South African entreprenuer, Vincent Mapeta, which he claims, has made him to realise that policy and support from the government could improve lives of farmers, increase food production and create jobs for the teeming youths. This, he said, would make agriculture a profitable venture that would encourage the youth.

    Adenuga is convinced that if the transformation agenda of the government can include young people, then the country would be on the path to self-sufficiency in food production.

    Adenuga, who employs two staff and casuals during cropping and processing on the farm, added that the business was giving him high returns on investment, adding that with good management of fish farms, about 50 per cent profitability could be assured.

    He encouraged youths to embrace agriculture, which he reckons will soon be like the entertainment industry where there are so many youths making waves both within and outside the country.”What they need is just change agents that they can relate to; agriculture is a sure investment but it needs to be done rightly,” he enthused.

    He urged his peers to change their perception on agribusiness and take advantage of loans and trainings to start and expand businesses. Alongside others, he recommends fish farming because it is a business with high potential for success. “Instead of waiting on non existent jobs, and complaining everyday of lack of something productive to do, I encourage youthsto be more of entrepreneur and less of job seekers,” he said.

    Certainly, this can only happen through personal initiatives like that taken by Adenuga, one that has seen him looking forward to employing more people in the near future, and which has liberated him from the shackles of poverty.

  • From youth service to farming

    A new breed of graduates has realised that the elusive white collar job is not worth chasing after all. They have their eyes trained on agriculture. Matthew Adewole is one of them. DANIEL ESSIET reports

    NTEGRATING traditional system of agriculture with new technology is what some young graduates are doing to make a living.

    These entrepreneurs are using knowledge gained from the university to create innovative products and add value to existing ones. The focus is on good agronomic practices to produce high quality yield.

    Temitope Matthew Adewole is one entrepreneur with his eyes trained on agriculture.

    When he left school, he had two choices: either to join the teeming white collar job seekers or to find a job. He chose the latter. But choose a job most young educated folks detest: farming.

    He has become the envy of his friends and colleagues, particularly those still designing their curriculum vitae for any new job opening.

    Within a year of planting five hectares of cassava, intercropped with corn and water melon, Temitope has raised enough money to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

    He also bought a fairly used Mercedes Benz 190 car to overcome his transportation challenges.

    He has been able to help his younger undergraduate sister offset her tuition for one semester.

    Temitope, 29, says he is happy with his work and is not thinking of taking up any paid employment.

    A graduate of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology from the University of Ibadan,his love for farming took him back to his roots in Ekiti State where he practises his new found love.

    “I grew up in Lagos State where I was born. I attended my primary and secondary school education in Lagos State,” said Temitope who is not ashamed to be called a farmer.

    “What I do is farming. I am a farmer, of course not a peasant farmer. But a professional farmer,” he stressed.

    He was not coerced into farming. He said: “This is what I have loved to do. I decided to go back to Ekiti. Ekiti is my state but I was not born in Ekiti. My parents are in Lagos. I was born in Lagos State. They are still in Lagos State. I decided to come to Ekiti to start a farming project.”

    Not a stranger to agriculture, he is comfortable with his choice. “I have practised it. I did it during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I did it in school,” he said.

    “After my university education,” he continued, “I was posted to Odeda Local Government Area in Ogun State for my NYSC. As a young graduate, I thought of what to do. I have seen a lot. My friends that are graduates already, and my brothers, could not even find jobs. So, I decided on what to do.”

    I thought of a ‘plan A,’ to go for my Masters and a ‘plan B,’ to go into farming. How do I do it without funds? I went back to Ibadan to pick up a form for my masters. I was admitted.”

    Temitope had to put the programme on hold after completing his course work.

    “Along the way, my uncle, Dr. Wole Olugboji, who works in Ekiti, called me, that I should come to Ekiti if I am interested in farming. I decided to come to Ekiti to start a farming project.

    ‘”My uncle said there is this programme the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration is doing, that is the Youth in Commercial Agricultural Development (YCAD), asking if I am interested,” he said, adding, however, the caveat: “that it was not automatic. I was going to fight for it.”

    Emboldened, he took a step: “Since it was what I studied in school, I thought I should be able to do it. I obtained the form and entered for the programme. Interview was conducted. Out of 1,000 candidates, 150 were picked. I was lucky to be among them.”

    Thus began Temitope’s journey in farming.

    Initially, Temitope had some hardships, but they turned out rewarding in so short a time.

    “I have never worked in an office,” he confessed. “I see farming as a challenge, but since I don’t have any job, I decided to pick this. Many of us were called, but some couldn’t make it because they thought it wouldn’t work out.”

    He started without any physical assets of his own, but has started building his own assets.

    “When I came to Ado-Ekiti and started the farming, I started with nothing other than what Governor Fayemi promised: that was the N1.4 million for each beneficiary. We were not given cash, but everything we needed on the farm was provided but was deducted from the N1.4 million.

    “As you can see, I have this cassava intercropped with water melon. I have harvested the water melon. That is why you cannot find it. This is the cassava. I have done this for a year, which I have harvested. I can really stand and call myself a man from the little I made last year: just a year. I really say a big thank you to the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi. It was a good initiative.

    “There is a lot that I have done with the cassava money within a year that I can’t even say. I don’t think that there is any job one can offer me that I will run to and leave this farm. This is where I think my wealth comes from. I don’t think there is any place that would have paid me what I have realised so far. Within this short period.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Most friends did not see reasons with him at first as he said that “when I started it, a lot of friends were laughing at me. They said: “Tope, you that grew up in Lagos State, you are going back to your state to farm. What are you thinking of? What are you doing?” Even, the person I was dating could not make it up with me because of the farming that I decided to pick.”

    That was then. “But now,” he revealed, “I am very happy because they are running after me. They want me to teach them how I did it. A friend of mine sent a request to me that I should be his best man. He also told two other friends: two of his friends. He said we are going to need this, we are going to buy this. Whoever can provide for these would be the best man. Of course, the other two are working in a bank.”

    “Immediately he told me, within 24 hours, (I just completed the harvesting my cassava and I still had a lot that I can still spend. I gave my sibling part of it, and paid my house rent) and I was able to pay within 24 hours; to send the money to him. He was very surprised. The other two friends working in the bank could not. They asked if the next two months was too late to pay. I paid the money and I was able to go to Lagos. I told him I would pay for my accommodation to help him. I could afford the hotel accommodation money by myself, and that was from the cassava money.”

    “When I started, I was staying with my uncle that invited me. After a year, and when I harvested my cassava, I got myself a two-bedroom apartment in an estate in Ado Ekiti. One of the problems I encountered in the course of farming was transportation. It was not easy. When I harvested, I thought I needed something to keep me mobile. I decided to buy a small car for the purpose of my farming. This enabled me to move my cassava cuttings and transfer my labourers from one part of my farms to another.”

    “It all became easier. Before, they used to complain because of transportation and some were not ready to come to come to farm because of transportation. The transportation has helped and added glamour to my life and got many of my friends interested because they did not believe I could get a house rented in one year or get a car within a year on five hectares. I am also able to help my sibling who is an undergraduate in the university in Ado Ekiti. I helped her to pay for one semester and told my dad not to worry, that I would pay for her.”

    The role of federal government alongside the state government in boosting agriculture and empowering the youth was given prominence in Temitope’s comments. The motivation to produce cassava came after he heard the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, during his visit to Governor Fayemi on YCAD in Ekiti State in 2012. “Actually, my thought was to go into agriculture. The minister of agriculture has made it compulsory for me to go into agriculture; and that is because of what he has been saying, what I have been listening to, what he has been doing, what he said about the cassava flour, the cassava bread: I think with these, I could be able to make a lot from my cassava. That is why I ventured into cassava production because of what he said, because I know there will be market for my cassava.”

    Temitope has this to say of the trio that inspired him into what he is doing now: “When my uncle, Dr. Wole Olugboji, invited me, I picked up the form for interview. We were not sure what we were going to make out of it. Until the minister of agriculture came and told us what we can make out of cassava. Then I felt more secure that I could make money out of farming because of the things he said. He said we the 150 farmers that Governor Fayemi picked were very lucky and that, in addition to what the governor did, he too would support us, and that the governor was thinking in the same direction with him. He said, by the time we he comes up with his own plan, we will be the first to benefit in the state.”

    Temitope called for cooperation between the federal and Ekiti State governments to boost the cassava industry. “I am using this opportunity to call on the federal government to key in to help. I have heard about this agricultural transformation agenda, which I think will really help. In Osin here, we have over 400 hectares of cassava and these continue wasting when we don’t have processing units where we can process into the cassava flour that the minister of agriculture has made mention of, when he came visiting during the YCAD programme in 2012,” he noted.

    “Another thing is that I want a situation whereby the federal government will work in collaboration with the state government to help the youth because what Governor Kayode Fayemi has done is really working out. I don’t think I need an office job,” Temitope emphasised.

    Temitope is already thinking like a businessman. Now, he is looking forward to doing business with corporate agro-entrepreneurs. “Again, another thing is seed production. When I was in school, I did a lot on seed production. Today, in Ekiti, our peasant farmers just go for seeds. They don’t even know the one that is good or that is bad. Like a professional farmer, you need to take that seed to the laboratory to do the ‘selfing’, to know the ones that have bigger parents so that it will be the big offspring. I will like the federal government to help on this so that I can be linked to reputable companies that I can supply seeds for because we are experts on this: even cassava cuttings. When we harvest our cassava, we could easily sell the cuttings out. This is another gain for us.”

  • From Youth Service to farming

    Because  of the high unemployment rate in the country,  many youths  are forced to look inward for means of income. Already, many  young Nigerians are surviving by keeping small plots of land in their backyards.  DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Jane Inyang is a graduate of genetics and biotechnology from the University of Calabar, Cross River State. She finished her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) assignment in October, last year in Anambra State.

    Later, she returned to Benin-City and opted for farming.

    She began with backyard farming. With the help of her parents and siblings, she cultivated vegetables, particularly,pumpkin leaves and bitter leave and reared chickens, all on the available one plot space behind the apartment rented by her parents in Benin-City.

    She got some broiler chickens and began to raise them. She has always dreamt of a growing agribusiness investment and looked forward to adding fish farming as soon as she is able to raise funds for that purpose.

    Why agric business? “I know I am in Nigeria and there are no while-collar jobs anymore. There have been campaigns on going back to agriculture. Even our lecturers encouraged us to prepare our minds for agriculture. And I know that when I was in school, I used to call home for money and they would tell me they had not sold their farm produce. I told my supervisor in school, Dr Peter Aikpokpodion, that I wanted a research topic that would make me practise agriculture and make money and so he introduced me into fisheries.

    When I left school, I told my parents of my plan to practise farming and they supported me,” she explained.

    Continuing, she said: “When I was in NYSC, I was mobilising farmers in the rural community to embrace the GES, because their crops were not doing well as a result of poor inputs. Their challenges, they told me, were mostly poor seeds, seedlings and lack of fertiliser. I told Dr Aikpokpodion and he said there was a government scheme going on for farmers where they get seeds and fertiliser at subsidised prices.

    “I gathered the farmers and educated them on what to do.It was a personal project and the farmers were skeptical initially, but I was able to convince them, and they registered. As many of them who registered got improved seedlings and fertiliser from the government at subsidised prices. I am specialising in poultry and fisheries. Those are the areas of my interest.”

    Inyang believes that the market for agric produce is very large. She said what she requires is land and other input to start a large poultry farm and fishery. According to her, at the onset, some of her friends did not take her serious, while others were sources of encouragement.

    One of her friends saw the wisdom in what she was doing and even started a palm seedling production business after she opened his eyes to the opportunities in the business.

    “I am optimistic that agric will take me far in life. Very soon, every youth would want to own a farm. Now, youths struggle to own cars, but soon, they would struggle to get farms,” she told The Nation.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • 5,000 for dry season farming scheme in Edo

    No fewer than 5,000 rice farmers are to benefit from this year’s Federal Government-assisted dry season farming in Edo, under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme.

    The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the state, Mr Wellington Omorgbon, said this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.

    Omorghon said the initiative was to ensure the nation’s self-sufficiency in food, especially rice, at all times.

    He said that the 5,000 farmers were selected from Edo North and Edo Central where dry season rice cultivation could be done in the state.

    According to him, each of the farmers is expected to cultivate one hectare of rice, amounting to 5,000 hectares.

    Omorgbon said that the farmers were expected to harvest 20,000 metric tonnes of rice at the end of the season.

    The director told NAN that the farmers were supplied with free rice seeds and agro-chemicals at 50 per cent subsidised cost.

    “In addition, one threshing machine and a reaper have been allocated to the farmers at a 25 per cent subsidised cost,” he said.

    The director said that the idea was to encourage farmers to work together as a group.

    “The essence of all these is to make the nation self-sufficient in food production and eradicate poverty,” he said.