The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farms

  • The race for huge rice farms

    The race for huge rice farms

    In collaboration with the private sector, some states are investing in local rice production. According to experts, this strategic move will create jobs, reduce poverty and fast-track the Federal Government’s self-sufficiency plan for rice, if smuggling and policy inconsistency, among others, are addressed. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    A subtle battle for the control of the rice segment of the agriculture sector is raging among some states in the country. From the Southwestern states of Lagos and Ogun to Ebonyi, Anambra and Enugu in the Southeast; the Middle Belt and Northern states of Kebbi, Benue, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Niger and Taraba, among others, a state-led push to boost rice production, processing and distribution has taken centre stage.

    For instance, the push by each state, in collaboration with private sector investors, to position itself as the number one rice producer, has seen Lagos and Kebbi states set ambitious targets of meeting 70 per cent of Nigeria’s rice needs.

    This is on the strength of a recent strategic partnership that culminated in both states signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage their areas of comparative advantage to develop the rice value chain.

    The MoU, ratified by Governors Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, hopes to end the era of imported rice. “…we have the economic prowess to produce rice locally. The era of imported rice is gone,” Ambode said in Lagos, at the signing ceremony.

    Nigeria, Africa’s largest  rice consumer, consumes about six million metric tons of rice annually, and spends an estimated N360 billion yearly on the importation of the product. This translates to an average of N1 billion per day. While half of the volume is imported mostly from India, Thailand, and Brazil, about 2.8 million metric tons is produced locally. The country, however, targets a total rice import replacement by 2018.

    The Lagos/Kebbi partnership, as well as interventions by other states, may have raised hopes of achieving this target. For instance, highlighting the Lagos’ areas of strength, Ambode said it is the largest consumer of food commodities in Nigeria, by virtue of its population, estimated at 21 million.

    He said Lagos State has an estimated consumption of over 798,000 metric tonnes of milled rice per year, which is an equivalent of 15.96 million of 50kg bags, with a value of N135 billion per annum. It also has the market, with the required purchasing power.

    To engage youths and boost rice production, 100 farmers have been settled on the 500 hectares of land acquired in Eggua, Ogun State through the FADAMA III additional financing programme. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Toyin Suarau, who made this known at a press briefing last week to commemorate Ambode’s first year in office, said through this arrangement, rice cultivation had improved.

    “The yield has improved from less than one tonne per hectare to about three tonnes per hectare with double cropping in some areas where irrigation facilities are provided. The state government is also poised to expand its rice mill at Imota from 2.5 metric tonnes per hour to 10 metric tonnes per hour, while at the same time encouraging private sector operators to invest in rice processing,” Suarau said.

    On the other hand, Kebbi State boasts of a vast arable land suitable for the cultivation of rice. It is an agrarian state with over 1.2 million hectares of arable land characterised by very large floodplains, lowland swamps and gentle slopes. In the 2014/2015 wet season, over 600, 000 hectares of land were deployed for rice cultivation in the three senatorial areas of the state.

    Kebbi people are also traditionally rice farmers with average land holding of about 10 hectares. Presently, Kebbi has over 50,000 metric tonnes of paddy in store produced from the last two planting seasons.

    “What we are doing is to pioneer a collaboration that will bring other states on board later as we believe that our potentials are enormous and we must have pacesetters to start that process of joint collaboration for our collective good,” Governor Bagudu said.

     

    Anambra, Ebonyi also involved

    Ebonyi and Anambra states appear determined to give Lagos and Kebbi a run for their investments. The Southeast states, as part of their plan for life without oil, are investing in rice production.

    For instance, Anambra State has projected an increase in the volume of rice production from the present 80,000 metric tons to 400,000.

    To achieve this, the state has begun the distribution of 120,000 metric tons of high-yielding rice species to farmers for this year’s planting season through their various cooperative societies. This, according to Governor Willie Obiano, will  give the state over 300,000 metric tons of rice at harvest time.

    The target is coming on the heels of the inauguration of a multi-billion naira farm project in partnership with the Coscharis Group at Anaku town in Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state. The state government, The Nation learnt, has committed N300 million to the partnership.

    The project, known as the Coched Farms Project, is a joint venture between the state government and the Coscharis Group. It is expected to lead to the cultivation of 2,500 hectares of rice per season and a production capacity of 12,000 metric tons per annum in the first phase.

    Obiano said the project will generate about 1,000 full-time and seasonal jobs for youths and women across the entire rice value chain.

    The farm is expected to produce 8,000 to 12,000 metric tons of paddy per annum with an expected income of N400 million to N600 million per annum when fully developed. At an estimated market value of N140,000 per metric ton of processed rice, the expected income will be between N784 million to N1.176 billion per annum when the production and processing infrastructure are fully developed.

    “These estimates fall nicely into my campaign promise to ‘Ndi Anambra’ that we shall drive development through agriculture to create jobs, boost our domestic economy and shore up the revenue profile of the state,” Obiano said.

    According to Maduka, the project at full operation would provide 500 direct jobs and 2, 000 indirect jobs and would extend to other parts of the state. He said in addition to the rice farm, the project also had a rice mill of 20 tons per hour capacity that would provide services to local farmers.

    With what the state has done in the rice sector so far, Obiano is optimistic that in few months time, the state would not only have enough rice for domestic consumption, but  export the product. He hinged his optimism on the existence of a cluster of investors in the state for rice production.

    Similarly,  Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State recently ordered the disbursement of N1 billion to rice farmers as a revolving loan.  He said the money would not be given to the farmers in cash, but as seedlings, fertilisers, and pesticides among other facilities.

    The governor, who made this known at a special stakeholder’s forum on rice production in Abakaliki, the state capital, said the money was borrowed  from the Federal Government, and will be deducted from the state’s monthly allocation .

    To underscore the state’s determination to be a major player in the rice business, the state government went a notch higher, compelling each public office holder in the state to cultivate at least five hectares of rice this 2016 farming season. The public office holders include state executive council members, local government area caretaker chairmen, coordinators of development centres, and council liaison officers, among others.

    “We have so far acquired 54, 000 hectares for massive rice cultivation and more are expected to ensure the attainment of the rice production goal”, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Uchenna Orji, said.

     

    Edo, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, others intensify push

    Anambra State is not the only state riding on the support of private sector investors to claim the number one spot in the rice business. Edo State has also opened its doors to the Stallion Group for investment in rice production. The group recently stormed Government House, Benin, the Edo State capital, to indicate its interest to invest in rice farming.

    The Business Development Manager, Stallion Group, Mr. Sunil Dhermappa, said the firm has the largest capacity of rice mills in sub-Saharan Africa, with factories at strategic locations in Lagos and Kano to enhance prospects of processing local paddy and with capacity of four million bags per annum.

    Interestingly, Edo State is also one of the five states across the country where foremost industrialist and President, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is investing $1 billion (about N165 billion) in rice production and processing. Others are Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states. A total of 150, 000 hectares of farmland had been acquired in these five states for the project.

    Expected to become the largest single investment ever made in rice production in Africa, the project, according to the MoU DIL signed with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), also involves establishment of two state-of-the-art large-scale rice mills with a capacity to mill 120,000 metric tons of rice paddy each.

    This brings the total capacity to 240,000 metric tons, with plans to double the capacity within two years. The rice plant is estimated to produce 960, 000 metric tons of milled rice, representing 46 per cent of rice imported into Nigeria. “Our goal of making Nigeria a net exporter of rice will be achieved faster by this significant investment,” Dangote said. That was last year when the deal was consummated.

    As an integrated operation, the Dangote farms and the mills are expected to significantly boost smallholder rice production in the regions through a nucleus and out-grower farming model, thereby transforming livelihoods in rural Nigeria. Also, the selected sites are rice-growing communities and they will be supported by Dangote’s provision of agro-inputs, training, and marketing linkages in order to improve community farming operations. Employment opportunities will also be created for at least 8, 000 Nigerians.

     

    Smuggling, policy inconsistency, others are threats

    Heart-warming as the state’s involvement in rice production is, there are formidable hurdles, one of which is the nation’s numerous porous borders through which rice smuggling thrives.

    According to experts, cross-border smuggling, particularly via the Cotonou Port, remains one of the greatest huddles before local rice producers and this may frustrate the current move by state governments to take advantage of the sector to diversify their economies.

    Smuggled rice often finds its way into various communities and towns in Nigeria through the neighbouring countries. The penchant of most Nigerians to consume imported rice at the detriment of local ones also fuel smuggling.

    This is partly responsible for why local rice production accounts for less than 50 per cent of the country’s total consumption, leaving the huge demand gap for polished/milled rice imported mostly from India, Thailand, and Brazil.

    The consensus is that until and unless government stems the rising tide of cross-border smuggling, manage the tariff regime to ensure product availability, fair/stable consumer prices, and protect local producers/processors that are rendered cost uncompetitive by environmental factors and infrastructural handicaps, among other challenges, the latest intervention by state governments may not enhance the nation’s chances of achieving the rice self-sufficiency target by 2018.

  • Bird flu: Plans underway to shut unregistered poultry farms

    •Ebonyi, Plateau confirm bird flu outbreak

    The Federal Government has said it will shut unregistered poultry farms, following a fresh outbreak of the Avian Influenza (AI).

    Director of Veterinary Services and Pest Control Services in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Egejuru Eze said this at a sensitisation campaign for poultry farmers in Kuje and Gwagwalada councils, Abuja, at the weekend.

    She said the move would  check unwholesome poultry products and encourage tracking of poultry farms whenever there is disease outbreak.

    Dr. Eze said a situation where individuals arbitrarily set up poultry farms without licence would not be condoned.

    She said poultry farmers should register at the nearest government veterinary office so that they could benefit from government support.

    According to her, the Federal Government paid about N700 million as compensation to poultry farmers during the last bird flu outbreak, with N500 million still outstanding.

    She said one should be proactive and engage in bio-security, instead of waiting for compensation and spreading the virus.

    Dr. Gidado Muhammed of the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services described bird flu as a highly infectious and contagious disease.

    He said the virus affects different species of birds, such as chicken, ducks, guinea fowls and others, which lives naturally in the wild.

    Muhammed added that it could be transmitted from infected domestic and wild migratory birds.

    He identified bio-security as a major means to safeguard the farms and stop spread of the disease.

    “Some of the measures to be taken is to keep poultry closed, screen buildings on the farm to prevent entry of rats, birds and reptiles that can carry the virus into the building, separation of poultry from other animals and from other poultry species, no standing bodies of water on the farm as this can attract wild birds that may be carriers.

    “Controlling the movement of people, animals, equipment and vehicles in and out of and within the farm. The farm should be fenced with a bowl containing disinfectant at the gate and entrance of each pen etc,” he advised.

    Ebonyi and Plateau states have confirmed an outbreak of bird flu

    The virus was detected in a poultry farm at Ugwuachara area of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

    Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Orji Uchenna, confirmed the detection of the virus after a visit to the farm for an on-the-spot assessment.

    According to him, the attention of his ministry was drawn to the development following massive death of the birds.

    He said officials of the state veterinary services took a sample of the carcass to a research institute in Jos, where it was confirmed that the birds died from the H5NI strains of the Avian Influenza.

    Orji directed the  Veterinary Department to isolate the farm and take inventory of poultry and ancillary farms as well as sustain enlightenment on the influenza.

    Also, the Plateau Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Linda Barau, said four farms were affected, with thousands of birds isolated.

    Barau said efforts were being intensified to ensure that the disease did not spread to other farms.

    She said farmers were advised to maintain a higher sense of bio-security to avoid spread of the disease.

    The commissioner noted that she directed the director of Veterinary Services to liaise with farmers. Mrs. Barau advised them not to panic as the situation was under control.

     

  • Homes, farms submerged in Imo

    Homes, farms submerged in Imo

    Just when the residents thought the flood was over, it swept in again, leaving communities in grief. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    The rampaging flood that rendered hundreds of coastline dwellers homeless and farmlands desolate in Oguta Council Area of Imo State has receded and normal life had returned. Farmers were already looking forward to a bumper harvest. Then suddenly, the rivers, like a caged lion, forced through the barriers and submerged the entire communities.

    Caught unawares, the communities, which were yet to recover from the havoc of the 2012 flood disaster, were overrun with little resistance. Their homes, properties, farmlands were all washed away as they struggled to escape to higher lands.

    Even though the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had earlier warned of a repeat of the 2012 disaster, and advised farmers to harvest their crops and evacuate the flood plains to minimise the damage. But the timely counsel was ignored.

    But one fateful day, as some survivors put it, the Oguta blue lake with its calm and dazzling beauty, could turn to a rampaging monster that will swallow its hapless neighbours.

    Mr. Lawrence Ihebuike, a peasant farmer, had retired to bed after the day’s job of attending to his flourishing crops, when suddenly he heard a gushing sound followed by rushing water that overflowed his entire three bedroom bungalow.

    He said, “All I could rescue were my two little children, who I carried and swam through the flood that had almost submerged the entire building.”

    Mr. Ikenna Samuelsson said, “In 2012, I lost everything I laboured for. My farmland and fish ponds were washed away by the flood. But I refused to give up and returned to the farms but see what has happened again. Then we were promised heaven and earth by the politicians that turned the 2011 flood disaster to a political show but nothing happened and today, another disaster has happened and we don’t know where to start from.”

    A night after the incident, one could hardly know the boundary between the ocean and where used to be lush farmlands. The crops, especially yam and cassava were uprooted and the premature tubers floated on the rising ocean.

    From a patch of land located on the hilly part of the coastline, the flood victims, sat in pitiable groups and watched helplessly the ruins of what used to be their homes and farmland.

    Many of them wept uncontrollably, while others too dazed to utter a world gazed forlornly at the distant sky as if the panacea to there is locked somewhere in the cloud.

    Although, experts had forewarned the coastline communities in Oguta and Ohaji-Egbema that the state will experience unusual heavy amount of rainfall this year, which may likely result to the rise in the water level in the surrounding ocean.

    The state had quickly put up measures to avert the predicted disaster. Blocked drainages were reopened and illegal structures built on waterways were promptly demolished.

    But as soon as the initial fears of the warning were conquered, the farmers returned to their homes, not knowing that the danger was far from over.

    Also lately, NEMA had asked the residents of the coastal communities evacuate the floodplain and harvest their crops as quickly as possible to mitigate the damages that will come with the forecasted flood.

    The NEMA Coordinator, Owerri Operations, Dr. Innocent Ezeaku, who disclosed this on Monday during a sensitization programme titled “Flood: Early Warning and Solid Waste Management” in Ose-Motto autonomous community Oguta Council Area, said that the way to avoid excess loss in case of a re-occurrence of the 2012 flooding, is for the people to be prepared and apply the early warning measures.

    According to him, “I want everybody to be very vigilant this time around, because the flood can come overnight and overrun the communities. The people should call on NEMA any time they notice unusual rise in the level of the rivers around them.

    He disclosed that the Federal Government has built Internally Displaced Person’s camps (IDP) in different communities of the flood prone areas as part of its preparation for the expected flooding.

    Ezeaku, added further that relief materials like food items and other essential materials have been procured to enable for quick response to any displaced person, while urging the state government to preposition medicament necessary for effective response.

    The NEMA boss who attributed the flooding to indiscriminate dumping of solid waste into rivers, urged the people to be desist from activities that could endanger the environment.

    However, these warnings could not save the day as over 100 hundred houses and large expanse of farmland including cash crops have all been submerged.

    Meanwhile the Deputy Chief of Staff to the state Governor, Mr. Kingsley Uju, has assured the victims that the state government is doing everything possible to cushion their plight.

    Speaking during the presentation of relief materials to the victims who were reluctant to move into the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) Camps, Uju advised the people to move to the upland or    designated places across the state.

  • Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting consumers, farms

    Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting consumers, farms

    With rural farmers facing the challenge of accessing profitable markets, experts say Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), an arrangement in which members pay for produce upfront at the beginning of the farming season, should be adopted. CSA provides needed fund for farmers and ensures affordable fresh food for consumers, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Some farmers have started  tapping into the growing demand for fresh produce to make money.

    In Lagos and other cities, the increasing demand for fresh produce, such as vegetables, mushrooms, tomatoes, water melon and others, by supermarket chains has increased. For example, farmers in Lagos have been making steady income by supplying outlets such as Shoprite and  Eko  Farmers  Mart.

    Spotting a lucrative opportunity, many farmers have agreed to sell their produce using the thriving market platforms. For instance, it is a daily ritual for workers at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, to stroll into Eko  Farmers Marts to buy fresh fruits, eggs and vegetables. Such markets are celebrated for providing fresh produce, such as eggs and fruits.

    The Eko Farmers Mart has, undoubtedly, increased farmers  income. Under the arrangement, the  Lagos  Agric  Youth Empowerment Scheme  works with young  farmers to  produce  crops and  poultry  products, which  are  distributed through  the marts.

    At a forum, the  Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Olajide Basorun, said the markets offer quality, freshness, hygiene and reasonable prices.

    He said the government would play a pivotal role in supporting the local industry by assisting farmers to sell their ever-increasing volumes of fresh farm produce.

    Across Lagos, Eko  Farmers Marts and supermarket chains  have revolutionised food distribution in the short span. The megastores are popular with customers for their lower prices, choice and convenience.

    The marts, according to Basorun, provide added value with healthier food in an environment that fosters social interactions. Producers or farmers keying into the system sell a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and poultry products. The benefits are manyas they provide jobs, generate less waste, bring fresh wholesome food, and connect one to their source.

    Through Eko Farmers Marts Basorun said local  producers are  being  integrated  into a food distribution system recognised for its  potential to boost  economic  development  through  agriculture. The  system, he  noted,  has  created  a market channel  for people to  bring fresh  produce  into the city and  new opportunities for families, who live in rural Lagos.

    He said the marts, located  in  various  parts of the  state, offer cheap fresh foods to members of their host communities and encourage farmers to increase output.

    While these types of markets are on the rise in the cities, the same is not obtained in rural areas. Consequently, many small farmers in rural areas do not have access to such markets unlike their  medium and large growers, with more money and marketing savvy

    For example, farmers outside Lagos struggle to take their produce to the  market. They have to transport the produce to far  places by trucks.  As such, the  produce do not arrive their destinations fresh. They are also of limited variety and are expensive with costs rising between 50 to 100 per cent  in centrally located urban areas.

    Its feeble attempts to sell to major supermarkets in the town illustrate how the odds are stacked against small farmers. Those  produce may be sold in small shops and open-air markets, but the value of supermarket purchases  in places  such  as Eko  farmers marts and Shoprite have soared.

    Stiff competition from big urban and industrial growers is also real. To supply the supermarkets is a big challenge in terms of requirements.  Even though sales are there in the rural areas, the local markets accounts for less than 10 percent of sales.

    For   watchers, local food systems are pillars of rural economic development together with agriculture. The  expansion of cities and their increasing demands should be  paired with the challenges of improving rural livelihoods.

    Consequently, there   is a clear need for small scale farmers to find an alternative to formal market that is mainly dominated by big -businesses. One possible solution is the Community Supported Agriculture ( CSA) model.

    In CSA, members buy a share at the beginning of the growing season. That provides farmers with up-front capital to grow and manage the farm. In exchange, consumers receive a weekly delivery of fresh, seasonal produce. They also take on the risk of a poor harvest. Ideally, the model builds community and personal connections around food.

    Speaking  with  The Nation, The Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo said  CSA refers to an arrangement where consumers purchase a share of a local farm’s harvest prior to the growing season. Sometimes known as subscription farming, CSA is based on an annual market agreement between a farm and local individuals or households. In return for the up-front cash and commitment to the whole growing season, consumers get a weekly variety of farm-fresh produce.

    He  said  farmers  in the  rural  areas  will benefit if  they  adopt   CSA  arrangement  with  consumers  within local and  urban  communities. Apart from  having  access  to  markets, they  will  be  able  to  grow the local economies, expand their businesses and get more income for their produce.

    Interestingly,  CSA  is a membership farming scheme. Members of the farm communities commit themselves to buying a share of the farm’s harvest for 12-months at a time. This approach allows the farm to invest in the year ahead knowing that it has the support to continue and that the produce will be eaten as they can grow to meet the demand. This system is very beneficial for the farm because it allows the growers to concentrate on what they love, growing food, rather than worry about marketing, processing, branding among others.

    As community supported market farms, members, both farmers and consumers feel connected to where their food is coming from and how it is produced.

    According to Adebayo, CSA is a relatively new way of farming involving a partnership between food producers and the local community.

    CSA, according to him, brings farmers and their customers together to  share responsibility for the land where their food is grown and how their food is produced.  The farmers and consumers participate in marketing system where seasonal produce are sold weekly. The aim is to provide sustainable and growing market for farmers and give customers access to fresh produce with less food miles and at competitive prices.

    The system ensures that fresh produce is available year round for producers, their families, and local communities.

    Unlike conventional agriculture, where farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community supported agriculture the entire community shares the bounty and scarcity.

    He said CSA would work  when  farmers  are committed to buying from a producer, or group of producers. A key point is that the consumers are committed to buying on a regular basis and at least, for a whole growing season.

    Community supported agriculture is, in fact, a big name for a simple idea. Communities of any size make a financial pledge to support a local farm. This helps them to connect directly with their local farmers and provides benefits for both parties.

    The farmer benefits financially from having a secure market of committed customers and the ‘members’ of the CSA often contribute additional labour and a range of skills.

    President, Federated FADAMA Community Association, Lagos State, Alhaji Abiodun Oyenekan said strong links to markets for poor rural producers are essential for increasing agricultural production, generating economic growth in rural areas and reducing hunger and poverty.

    Oyenekan said better access by small producers to domestic and international markets means that they can reliably sell more produce at higher prices. This, in turn, encourages farmers to invest in their businesses and increase the quantity, quality and diversity of the goods they produce.

    To him, belonging to an organised group,  allows small farmers to bulk produce, reduce costs through economies of scale and, perhaps most importantly, to strengthen their bargaining power with powerful private-sector actors.

    With increasing challenges of accessing markets,  Oyenekan said  it becomes necessary to support farmers to organise themselves into groups such as cooperatives that give them needed capacity to negotiate for better prices.

    He said such cooperatives   improve farmers’ access to markets, increase their earnings, and improve the livelihood and well-being of their families. Apart from addressing the real need in the agriculture value chain of ensuring that farmers have access to necessary inputs to raise their productivity,  they are facilitated to increase their overall earnings from agriculture.

    He said cooperatives    enable farmers to work together, reducing competition and making it easier to take care of tasks such as marketing. By combining forces, they can also supply larger users such as restaurants and other businesses, and may be able to hire people to work out the distribution while they focus on farming.

     

  • ‘Shonga Farms doing just fine’

    ‘Shonga Farms doing just fine’

    Despite criticisms, Shonga Farms Holdings Limited (SFHL), located in Shonga, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, is alive and well, the firm’s General Manager, Adebayo Sangobiyi has said.

    Many Kwara residents, especially those in the opposition, had condemned the establishment of the over 10-year-old enterprise, describing it as a doomed white elephant. Others said state officials used it to siphon cash. Yet some claimed its produce was not available in the state’s markets.

    Sangobiyi waved all that away, saying the entity is strictly a commercial concern whose “concept was for us to understudy the white farmers and by the time they are big enough, should buy us out. That is why we have the Shonga Phase 2 called Alapa project. Our intention is to start the Alapa Project with the indigenes.

    “I think Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has started it by selecting 10 youth farmers from each of the 16 local government areas of the state. The concept is to transform them to commercial farmers and they are doing wonderfully well.”

    Mr. Sangobiyi added that Shonga farms business has been a success story, saying that his poultry farmers started from one pen each.

    “When the banks came in they did one more each for them and already today they are erecting pens on a daily basis. At the close of this year each of the four of them will be having 10 pens. If there is no market they will not be talking of expansion. We have depots in Abuja, Lagos and we deal directly with all the eateries.

    “Now what we are concentrating on is how to benefit the immediate communities. We have brought a concept called out-growers to showcase these communities to others. Our intention is to extend state wide in terms of what we do as give back to the communities. We are in business in Shonga Farms Holdings Ltd. We are competing with other companies, so our concentration is how grow.”

    He therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to face agriculture squarely as it will lead to industrialisation with a concomitant transformation of the country’s economy.

    Sangobiyi said “wven at the national level the GDP will improve and we will do less of importation. In Shonga we were the first to do major cassava chips export during Dr Akinwumi Adesina. We did about four or five shipments during that time.

    “We were mopping up cassava from the entire state to do our chips. More money was coming to the farmers. If we have a similar Shonga Farms Holdings Limited in all the zones, I tell you Nigeria will be a major challenge to America and Britain and our Naira will appreciate.”

    On the strident criticisms of SFHL by some members of the opposition, the chief executive officer (CEO) described such as “most unfortunate.”

    Said he: “We have heard that over and over again, so we are used to that tune. We are dealing with banks. Shonga was initially known as Kwasinbo, then it was under the ministry. It was solely owned by the Kwara state government.

    “But later as time went on the then Governor Bukola Saraki found out that if the entire Kwara state money was sent to Shonga, it would not take the farms to his desired dream. That brought about bringing in the banks. When the banks came in Shonga was moved out of the ministry. Banks will not tolerate all these bureaucracies; banks are in business, so when they invest money they want returns.

    “All this attitude changed and now Shonga was registered as a limited liability company and that was when the entity Shonga Farms Holdings Limited came up. It started with five banks namely the legacy PHB, legacy Finn Bank, GTbank, Unity Bank and Intercontinental now Access Bank.

    Each of the banks contributed N300 million debt and N200 million equity and that was the take off of the proper Shonga Farm Holdings Limited.

    “Since Shonga Farm Holdings Limited started it has changed not only nomenclature, it has changed in administrative practice. So we are strictly in business. People expect all the continuation of the jamboree when we were we giving fresh milk to pupils, the government was doing that but the banks cannot afford to do that. At the inception the banks rolled out 15 per cent each totaling 75 percent and the state government added 25percent.

    “But the tune changed as the banks were becoming handicapped kind of, they couldn’t afford to give money as at when due. As at that time Union Bank plc had the best agriculture desk, so we moved to that bank and negotiated with them and that was why the then group managing director, Funke Osinbodu came to the farm, saw everything herself and granted us some loans.

    So you can’t be on loan and be doing jamboree. We are open to all, but the unfortunate thing is that the kind of concept we are running is new in Nigeria. We came up with off-taker approach. When we started, we set out to attain a certain level of production and we were able to achieve it. When we got to where we were going there was nobody to buy our products. We never thought of looking for somebody to buy the products before producing and we found out that people could not consume what we produced. That is when we were doing road shows all over the big cities in Kwara letting people know the products we had.

    “The lesson that we have learnt led us to the off-taker approach system. ‘How does the off-taker approach work?’ ‘You will tell me what you want before I start producing.’ We started with cassava supplying the Nigerian Starch Mills Limited, which is the biggest in West Africa. It is located in Ihiala, Anambra state. We were supplying fresh milk WAMCO to produce our favoured peak and three crowns milks. We were supplying fresh to NUTRICIMA to produce coast milk in 10 percent local content.

    “Equally our chickens, we had meetings with people that were supplying the big eateries and hotels to give us their consumption schedule per month. We signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). And that is what the banks want. They want to be seeing how their money flows. That is what changed our approach to business and that is why people started saying that Shonga products are not available. That is not true. Go to Shoprite or any eatery in Ilorin. If you eat chicken in any eatery you have eaten Shonga chicken.

    “At a point we were throwing away as much as 2000 litres of milk per day, if you throw away 2000 litres of water people will see the impact. We couldn’t continue that way if we really meant to succeed. We give our products to people with cold rooms and cold vans. I can see that the attitude of our people towards business, I don’t find it challenging enough. So our products are available.

    “Likewise, for our milk, we lost interest in the production of yogurt. You can’t sell more than 1000 litres of yogurt in a day, whereas WAMCO wants me to give it 20,000 litres of fresh milk per day. It is a function of comparative analysis and if I want the banks to show interest in my business their money must be going back as at when due.”

    He said that those claiming that the products are not in the markets in the state are only scoring cheap political capital of the whole issue.

    “For four years I have a depot for yogurt in Ilorin, the state capital and I was throwing away yogurt every day. We don’t have the milk drinking culture. They are only making politics out of it. then I felt the best thing to do is to give the milk to WAMCO and we are all benefiting directly or indirectly. We still have depots all over, people are not patronizing us and the next song they will sing is that they are not seeing our products.

    “Chicken chillies eatery was selling our rice for years, Alhaji Dan Musa Gold rice was processing our rice. How many of this were they buying? Dan Musa was taking his rice to Abuja and Lagos.

    The reality is that most of our people want free things or cheap things. We cannot afford to do that, we are in business. If Kwara state government wants it can buy parts of the products and do politics with it, unfortunately it does not have the controlling shares.”

    The general manager the company and hitherto hostile villagers are now best of friends, as the SFHL gives some of the villagers free technology and skills.

    His words: “To the glory of God we see one another as family members. There is hardly anybody in the communities that does not know the names of my farmers. But it didn’t just come out of its own volition. It came courtesy of the committee on community relations. We give them technology free of charge. We have allowed some of them who are excellent in their farms to work in the farms of the white farmers.

    “We are transferring skills and subsidise whatever they want to make their farm grow. We even create out-growers for them. If you plant and you cannot sell we buy from you and put it along with our own larger quantity and sell to the larger market.”

     

  • Boosting fish production with integrated rice-fish farms

    Boosting fish production with integrated rice-fish farms

    There is growing interest in researches aimed at improving fish farming globally. Part of the outcome is integrated fish farming approach championed by the University of Ibadan (UI),which involves the use of earthen ponds to raise fish and rice, and using poultry and piggery wastes for fish production. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    To boost fish production,  the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Ibadan has introduced a technology known as fish-rice-pig-poultry integrated aquacul-ture.

    It involves the use of earthen ponds to raise fish and rice. It utilises the waste from, poultry, piggery and agriculture for fish production.

    At the end, the farmer benefits from meat, eggs, rice, and fish.

    The project occupies an expansive area. For farmers, students and researchers it is a model integrated fish farm with rice grown inside a fish pond. It has been drawing local and international tourists who come to see a demonstration farm where fish is cultivated and integrated with some agricultural products such as rice, pigs and poultry to optimise yields.

    Speaking on the farm, the Head of Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, Prof Bamidele Omitoyin, said the fish-rice-pig-poultry integrated aqua-culture project involves using ponds to raise fish and rice and using the waste from pigs and  poultry as  feed for fish. At the end, he said the practice reduces the cost of production and maximises streams of income for the farmer through sale of fish, rice, eggs and pigs.

    Omitoyin said the agriculture sector is faced with the challenges of producing more food for ever increasing population while simultaneously tackling issues of environment conservation and sustain-ability.

    Tackling these challenges,he added, has given impetus to the West and Central Africa Research for Agricultural Development (CORAF/WECARD)-sponsored project on the development of viable and sustainable integrated aquaculture systems with agriculture production for resource poor farmers.

    His words: “This project has two components, namely; Integrated Production of Fish and Rice cum Poultry and Integrated Production of Fish and Rice cum Pig.  The first component is led by a research team from the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University Ibadan in collaboration with Njala University in Sierra Leone and University of Beau in Cameroon. The second component which is also involves collaboration between the three institutions is led by the research team from Njala University, Sierra Leone. These projects are specifically designed to address the challenges related to decreases in capture-fisheries and the need for accelerated rice, poultry and pig production in West and Central Africa. It started in June 2013 and the project duration is three years. “

    According to him, the major regional target was to improve techniques on integrated crop-aquaculture-livestock production systems and subsequent up-scaling and out-scaling to countries of the West and Central Africa sub-region while the target beneficiaries are 600 integrated rice-aquaculture cum livestock farmers out of which 30 per cent  are women and youth.

    He said the approach gave birth to the establishment of two demonstration plots within the country. “Two adaptive research plots were established on the University of Ibadan fish farm, one for each of the components.”

    So far, he said over 500 farmers have been trained in Nigeria, exceeding the original 200 farmers expected to be trained in the project document for both components. Also,he said  over 700 hundred students have been trained through this process out of which 300 are females.

    Explaining the  reason for growing rice inside a fish pond, Omitoyin said the rice that is  planted  inside the fish  pond  benefits from nutrients which come from fish excreta. In addition, he said the aquatic weeds of rice also get reduced due to fish presence.  In turn, he said the fish benefits from the favourable micro climate created by the presence of rice plants. However, he said rice requires nutrients in the form of inorganic fertilisers which the fish waste provides whereas fish needs nutrients in the form of organic form. The essence of integrating them, he explained, is to allow the circulation of nutrients in different forms.

    He said poultry litter from the poultry farm is recycled into fish pond. The droppings of poultry birds, he added are used to fertilise the pond. To achieve this, he said the chicken waste from the poultry unit built near the pond is washed down through the delivery channel as organic fertiliser for the growing of rice. This, he added, helps farmers to avoid spending money in buying chemical fertiliser.

    The ponds also receive pig dung. This waste, he explained acts as excellent pond fertiliser and raises the biological productivity of the pond and consequently increases fish production and boost rice growth. To help the process, the pigsties are constructed in such a way that the washings are drained to the pond through a delivery channel.

    Omitoyin said the project could be started on one acre of land. He said would- be fish farmers will be taught to integrate rice with fish, poultry or piggery to increase production of yields. This model, according to him, would help farmers to realise so much profit from their investment than running a simple fish farm.

    Because of the success of the project, UI invites stakeholders and farmers to come and see the demonstration farm. The farm is used to train extension officers, farmers and students on aquaculture. Agriculture and fisheries students also go to the farm for school attachment.

    Omitoyin noted however, that space, labour and capital must be integrated and properly utilisfor optimum farm output.

    He stated that fisheries and aquaculture is a big source of incom, and added that there are lots of business opportunities in fish farming.

    The farm is part of the one million United States Dollars CORAF/WECARD project meant for University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Njala University in Sierra Leone and Buea University of Cameroon. Some of the project activities include: rehabilitation and re-stocking of abandoned ponds; develop capacity in sustainable integrated aquaculture techniques and tackle poverty and unemployment among poor vulnerable especially women and children.

    In one of the fora, the university’s WECARD training grant coordinator, Prof Emmanuel Ajani said the research into integrated farming was farmer-generated and meant to tackle challenges of monoculture source of income to farmers.

    He revealed that based on the success of the research into and implementation of findings of the aquaculture integration, the department had been called upon to train 5,000 farmers in Nigeria in the art of poultry-fishery-rice or pig-fishery-rice integration depending on demand.

    “This integrated farming has been helping and will continue to help alleviate poverty and create wealth, as well as employment,” Ajani said.

    The project cover sustainable integrated pond-based aquaculture with rice and poultry production and economic, social and environmental assessment. It deals with poverty eradication and grassroots empowerment through sustainable integrated aquaculture development: fish and rice cum piggery production. The projects are expected to boost fish production in Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

    It is expected that when the 1million US dollar project ends after 3 years, enough information on integrated fish-poultry-pig and rice farming will be available to help government and other institutions develop this vital poverty alleviation sector.

    The project have three main components, “the development of suitable integrated fish-rice-poultry production technology through participatory research, expansion of the integrated aquaculture production in a community based demonstration plot and institutional strengthening and integrated capacity building of all stakeholders.

    The Project Director, Dr. Olapade Oluwafemi Julius said the essence of the project is to reduce poverty amongst grassroots dwellers.

    Meanwhile, a  profitability  study  on Integrated Aquaculture with Rice and Poultry Production in West and Central Africa (SIARP-ESEA project) conducted  by  the  university  showed that Integrated fish farming is more profitable than unitary system of farming as it ensures a spread of financial risk for its varied and diversified nature in rearing of fish, animals and crops;

    A Comparative analysis of biological productivity and yield of Integrated Aquaculture system (IAS) with conventional fish pond system showed that mean Food Conversion Ratio and Specific Growth Rate of 1.90± 0.18; 3.96±1.02 (convectional system) and 1.25±0.22; 3.16±0.29 (IAS) were recorded respectively. The total yield of rice harvested after 12 weeks in the paddy area of the pond in IAS was 20kg which can be extrapolated to 3.3tonne/hectare. Extrapolated figures between 1.63t/ha and 2.3t/ha was recorded in conventional system of rice production. Mean egg production of 52±1.50eggs per day and 53±1.0eggs per day were obtained in IAS and convectional system respectively. Water was about 17 times more efficiently utilized by integrated system of rice production than conventional irrigation system. Mean phytoplankton recorded in unfertilised pond was 12.71x 106/l, while 78.18X106/l was recorded after 12 weeks manure loading. Mean zooplankton population in the unfertilised pond was 15.4X106l, and 67.4X106 after 12 weeks of manure loading.

    Four adopted schools have been selected for the project intervention in Nigeria with infrastructure almost at 80 per cent completion in two of the selected adopted schools.

    The project has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) on fingerlings multiplication and dissemination of the integrated fish farming across twelve states in Nigeria;

  • Ministry: no bird flu in Obasanjo farms

    Ministry: no bird flu in Obasanjo farms

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has dismissed a media report claiming that bird flu has attacked Obasanjo’s farm.

    The ministry described the write-up as “a false alarm, a misleading assertion and an attempt to exaggerate the bird flu outbreaks within the nation beyond proportion so as to set off undue panic”.

    The ministry claimed that following the report, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, dispatched the Federal Director of Veterinary Services and his workers to ascertain the facts on the ground.

    He also contacted Ogun State Commissioner of Agriculture Ronke Sokefun to get the state ministry to verify the veracity of the said publication.

    “Based on thorough investigation of the published outbreak, which did not emanate from any of the official channels of bird flu reporting, it has been found that no such outbreak occurred.

    “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, therefore, hereby appeals to the general public to disregard the reported bird flu case(s) on Obasanjo Farms,” the ministry stated.

  • Plateau launches cassava nursery farms

    Plateau launches cassava nursery farms

    Determined to ensure food security for the people, the Plateau State government has established cassava farms for the breeding of improved cassava stems for commercial purposes. They are located in each of the three Senatorial zones to guarantee accessibility to farmers.

    The government said the 100 hectares of cassava seed multiplication and nursery farms are a deliberate effort to boost cassava and make food available to the populace.

    The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Stephen Barko, said this during a meeting with some officials of the ministry, Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP), Fadama III and members of Plateau State chapter of Cassava Growers’ Association.

    He said the multiplication farms are to generate seeds to be distributed to farmers free for massive cultivation of cassava, adding that when operational, the processing industry would be producing 50 tonnes of starch.

    Barko further disclosed that 100 hectares of the multiplication farm would produce cassava cuttings that would be planted in 1,000 hectares.

    Giving the breakdown, Barko pointed out that 51, 30 and 19 hectares would be allotted to the Southern, Central and Northern zones respectively. He stated that the objectives would be achieved through collaboration with relevant agricultural agencies of the state.

    He hinted that about 500 bundles of one-metre cassava cuttings were needed for 100 hectares of the multiplication farm, while 5,000 bundles would be needed for 1,000 hectares.

    Barko, who described the development as a win-win situation for farmers, said the ministry would procure the cuttings from farmers to plant in the multiplication farms and later provide them to the farmers free.

    He indicated that requisite training would be provided by Fadama III while the ministry would help farmers to obtain soft loans from financial institutions for effective development of the programme.

    The chairman of Plateau Cassava Growers’ Association, Bawa Tsenlong, expressed his appreciation over government’s gesture, saying it was the first time the association was included in such programme.

    He pledged that with the new development, members would triple the quantity of cassava needed for the industry and ensure that much was achieved in cassava cultivation.

  • ‘Permanent parks ‘ll ease traffic in Apapa’

    ‘Permanent parks ‘ll ease traffic in Apapa’

    •Fed Govt plans relocation of Tank Farms

    To quell the traffic logjam bedeviling Apapa area of Lagos State, the federal government yesterday urged the state government to build permanent holding bay for trucks and tankers to park.

    The Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, made the call at the headquarters, Western Naval Command (WNC), Apapa, after being led on an assessment tour by the Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade.

    Obanikoro, who said the bay would keep the trucks and trailers, who hinder free flow of traffic off the roads, stated that the 500-truck park being constructed by the federal government at Tincan Island would serve as holding bay.

    While noting that the deplorable state of the roads he visited (Coconut, Liverpool and Creek), also compounded traffic situation in the area, the minister assured that the federal government would speed up rehabilitation actions to save the situation.

    He said: “There are plans and we are also working with all the stakeholders to ensure that the area is kept under check. It is not easy to close all these things overnight but what is important is to call for more vigilance on the part of the operators. Let me assure that all the security agencies in this country are alert to what is at stake and everything humanly possible is being done to contain such misfortune.

    “There is need for the state to have a permanent holding bay for trucks. It is when that is provided that there can be a radio link between the port and the bay so that whenever the port is ready to have them, a radio message would be passed across and the affected trucks can go into Apapa. We cannot afford not to do that and we need to do it as quickly as possible. I believe that Lagos State Government will act fast.”

    “The park at Tincan Island is still under construction. We will do everything possible to complete it in the shortest time possible but is not a permanent holding bay. For some time now, we have been looking at the security implication of allowing trailers and trucks use the road as parks rather than for movement. With the activities of Boko Haram and other elements, we believe strongly that people may want to negatively take advantage of the chaotic situation around the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA).

    “I am happy that the Nigerian Navy (NN) moved in and so far, all the standing trucks have been moved and passage way created to ensure smooth vehicular movement in the area, thus, eliminating the security threat of having trucks and containers littering the entire area. Naval officers have been assigned and are still on the road to ensure free traffic and they have almost completed eliminated the congestion except for the issues we have with the roads, which is affecting movement,” he added.

    Obanikoro further said: “As you can see, Julius Berger (construction firm) is trying to bring relief. I have it on good authority that there is significant improvement and I commend the navy for bringing in other stakeholders to contain the situation. Though there is significant socio-economic benefit of having traffic-free movement in and out of the port, the main element that prompted the navy to swing into action is security.

    “Blame game does not solve issues. It is a common problem and we need every stakeholder to be part of the solution. We all have responsibilities to the people of Lagos and Nigerians. So, the state government should join hands with the NPA and other stakeholders in finding a lasting solution. It is not the navy’s duty to clear traffic and so, their effort towards ending the gridlock cannot be permanent.”

    Also speaking, Alade said it took the navy about four days to achieve sanity after flagging off the operation to clear the congestion, adding: “For now, we are still on the road. The operation is still active and until we call it off, naval personnel we remain on the road.”

    However, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) as well as the truck and trailer drivers accused one of the concessionaires of compounding traffic situation in Apapa.

    The deputy chairman of RTEAN, Anthony Agbanosi, said the concessionaire has a holding bay that can accommodate about 300 trucks but does not allow them in because it makes more money from the renewal of loading permit.

    “However, between now and September, all the empty containers would no longer line up along the road but they will park at the International holding bay and if there is any need to bring an empty container to the port, the vehicle will produce its empty container certificate.

    “The holding bay is along Badagry road and this is to ensure that any vehicle that has no business at the port does not enter APAPA to cause traffic. Hence, any vehicle parked on the road would be impounded and the owners prosecuted,” Agbanosi said.

    An Apapa resident, Kayode Animasaun, said they were working actively with the committee set up by the navy to ensure free flowing traffic, adding: “The traffic situation has been paralyzing, but I commend the navy because they have remained committed to reducing the plight of the people since they started controlling the situation.”

  • A push for family farms

    A push for family farms

    In line with the United Nations declaration of 2014 as the ‘International Year of Family Farming’ (IYFF), the first of its kind, Daniel Essiet looks at the prospects of leveraging on it to create jobs. 

    With its declaration of 2014 as the International Year of Family farming, the United Nations has made a case for the return of the family to the farms. It realised that there cannot an adequate local food system without family farming, which produces the food that feeds billions.

    Family farms are defined as farms that rely primarily on family members for labour and management. Such farms, according to the FAO, produce the food that feeds billions of people across the world. In developed and developing countries alike, they are the main producers of food consumed locally, the primary stewards of food security.

    According to FAO statistics, there are over 400 million family farms in developed and developing countries.

    In its declaration, the UN must have drawn inspiration from experiences in many countries, which show that family farmers respond well with increased production if the appropriate policies are put in place. The thinking is that nothing comes close to sustainable food production than family farming.

    Taking a cue from other climes where family farms are thriving, the Federal Government has introduced a growth enhancement scheme to support farmers to rebuild the local food system. It is aimed at supplying farmers with farm inputs auch as seeds and fertiliser, among others. by encouraging family farming.

    The government, recognising the import of family farming, which is almost extinct in the country, has made the success of Kelvin Obaji, an indigene of Ikom in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, on his farmily farm a reference point.

    Obaji has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a university in the United States. On his return to Nigeria, he took over his father’s cocoa farm. The farm, until the death of his father, was a family business and its main source of income.

    With his successful exploits, Obaji is showing the way for many to turn to family farming. A return to this aspect of farming, many experts agree, will boost local food system as it is mainly practised in the rural areas.

    According to them, rebuilding the local food system via family farming provides enormous opportunities for the nation to feed its teeming population while creating millions of jobs.

    They said a growing number of countries, aid organisations, including the UN, have been insisting that unless urgent efforts were made to raise crop yields and sustain family and other farming methods, most countries, particularly the developing ones, will fail to reach their development goals.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Acting Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora, Oyo State, Prof. Jacob Adewale, said with the declaration, the quest was on for a truly sustainable farming system that can meet future food needs. He stressed that family farmers are the main solution to food security and sustainable development, adding that owners manage the farm land, producing a high proportion of a country’s food. He also said family farmers are agents of employment generation. They also play critical roles in inclusion for millions of poor rural communities.

    “They promote inclusion, teach sustainability and offer a space where youths can meet, learn, share and build social capital,” Adewale said, noting that when family farmers are economically and socially empowered, they become a potent force for change.

    For him, how farm land is acquired, held in ownership, operated or rented has always been a matter of national interest.

    The problems of farm tenure, however, are not limited to matters of ownership, inheritance, tenancy and the interests of farm labour, but include credit, prices of farm land, land appraisal, land-use programmes, land-settlement policies and rural living standards.

    On access and control over land, Adewale said family farmers have an advantage over others as they have an inheritance to rely on, which helps them to cope with the challenges of land tenure system.

    The Acting Head of Department, Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Dr Eniola Fabuson, said urban family farmers could use gardens to mainstream organic farms to produce food and eradicate malnutrition and poverty.

    With many Nigerians buying into organic farm produce, Fabuson said urban gardens are a part of nutrition education, food security programmes and offer a variety of benefits to the sector. He said policies for family farming should promote regional centres and small towns, which provide alternative employment in the artisanal, industrial and service sectors, and stimulate the local economy, thus, reducing migration.

    A researcher with the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, Dr Ola Ogunyinka, also recognised the importance of small – and medium-scale farmers in a nation’s development agenda.

    According to him, family farmers play a pivotal role in the local production, marketing and consumption circuits that are so important not only in fighting hunger but in creating jobs, generating income and stimulating and diversifying local economies.

    Ogunyinka, therefore, urged the government to empower family farmers by creating policies conducive for equitable and sustainable rural development. To him, encouraging family farms to scale up business could be the next growth frontier. He said boosting agriculture and building family farms was crucial as it would create millions of much-needed jobs and create wealth which guarantees food security.

    The Country Manager, Cassava Adding Value to Africa,Tanzania, Mrs Grace Mahende, said financial and infrastructural support for small-scale family farmers was crucial to winning the fight against hunger. She said roads, access to stable electricity, energy, potable water and good governance are also key to making the business environment attractive in developing countries. Smallholder agriculture needs to be seen as a business, Mrs Mahende said.

    According to her, securing land tenure and access to resources for family farms are among the key solutions to improving the livelihoods and food security of communities.

    She said the benefit of rebuilding a local food system would go to those who need it most: small farmers not well suited to producing crops on an industrial scale.

    She said most of farmers do not have access to local markets to sell their produce and are quitting farming.

    Mrs Mahende, therefore, urged the government to enhance its infrastructure provision to ensure farmers can sell their produce to stem the drift by families from farming. She also implored the government to include more incentives in its scheme so that families that have abandoned farming can go back to it.

    Obaji said he had no regrets leaving engineering for farming, urging other graduates across the country who have family farms to return and take up the challenge farming them instead roaming about searching fo non existent white collar jobs.