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Tag: FMARD

  • FMARD to empower 2m youths, women in 3 years

    FMARD to empower 2m youths, women in 3 years

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( FMARD ) says it will empower about two million Nigerian youths and women in the first three years of its new initiative, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise ( LIFE ).

    The LIFE Programme Coordinator, Ms Keke Bongos-Ikwue, disclosed this on Tuesday at the commencement of registration of LIFE cooperatives at Ojokoro LCDA in Ifako/Ijaye Local Government, Lagos state.

    Bongos-Ikwue said that the LIFE was an initiative of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, targeting unemployed or underemployed women and youths.

    “We have been planning this programme for over two years and this is our first outing.

    “The pilot phase of the outing is being replicated in 24 states plus the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) simultaneously by different groups as we speak.

    Read also: Lagos empowers 150 women

    “We want to empower women and youths along the agricultural value chain of high value commodities like ground nut, palm products, wheat, rice, cashew nuts.

    “Also included are commodities like cassava, honey, cocoa, sugarcane, tomato, sesame seed, livestock dairy and aquaculture.

    “The second phase of this programme will cover the whole country within two years.

    “Research has shown that the major cause of insurgency is poverty and idleness; it has led many of the nation’s youth to look outside the country, causing them to become vulnerable and easily manipulated, and eventually some lose their lives.”

    The coordinator said the programme intended to directly empower approximately three million rural youths and women within five years of implementation.

    She added that it would also produce about 14 million metric tons of food in the 9,975 council wards across the 774 local government areas.

    According to her, the programme starts with registration of youths and women as LIFE clusters at the council/ward level to develop LIFE cooperative database.

    The LIFE coordinator said that all geopolitical zones in Nigeria would be visited, adding that the ministry was working with the state governments and local government authorities to achieve its aims.

    Ms Bongos-Ikwue said that the ministry was partnering with state and local governments, Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, international partners and other ministries and agencies on the programme.

    The Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, said that the programme was a developmental intervention, targeting an often overlooked and ignored group in Nigeria.

    Oyeleye said that the programme was to deal only with family enterprises, which had potential to grow.

    “This initiative is to help those already into small agribusiness to grow, who are constrained by finance or technology.

    “The team from FMARD has been divided into 12 to cover 24 states.

    “We will register the would-be beneficiaries and on the basis of the questionnaire they fill, we will collate and analyse to determine the kind of specific intervention to be given to each intended beneficiary.

    “The support we will grant them include access to finance, affordable agricultural inputs for sustainable production, agro-processing and packaging.

    “A robust marketing system that connects rural food surplus to urban cities will also be put in place for efficient market linkage and access,’’ Oyeleye said.

    Also speaking to the LIFE group in his office, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Oluwatoyin Suarau commended the initiative but called for caution by the team.

    “We are in the time of politics and you cannot afford to give these would-be beneficiaries money as past experience shows that they can misuse it.

    “Also the age group you are concentrating on, which is 18 years to 35 years, are still majorly students, you have to ensure that your beneficiaries have tangible, visible existing farms or enterprise.

    “You also have to monitor these farmers very well to ensure success of the programme.

    “On our part in the state, we will work with you to verify and identify your beneficiaries.

    “Once again, I want to thank you for including Lagos in the pilot stage of this intervention,’’ the commissioner said.

    NAN

  • Ogbeh wants soldiers to invest in agriculture

    Ogbeh wants soldiers to invest in agriculture

    The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Monday urged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to join other Nigerians and invest in agriculture.

    Ogbeh spoke at a sensitisation programme organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( FMARD ) for the Nigerian Army in Abuja.

    “We are here to sentisise army officers and create awareness for them to see agriculture as a business and to strengthen the resolve of those in crops, aquaculture and animal husbandry.

    “Food security is an integral part of national security; that is why the army, whose mandate is to provide national security, cannot afford to avoid attending to food security.

    “Active participation of the army can never be seen as an incursion into an unfamiliar ground but a step in the direction that agrees in principle with one of its core mandate, which is ensuring peace.’’

    Read Also: Agriculture: VC harps on value addition, improved electricity

    Ogbeh, who was represented by Mrs Winifred Ochinyabo, his Special Adviser on Special projects and General Duties, said the strength of a nation lay in its ability to feed itself.

    She noted that because security personnel were trained combatants and not business people, they were usually vulnerable in retirement.

    He said the ministry was determined to enlighten servicemen on the opportunities in agriculture with a view to broadening their knowledge on agribusiness.

    Mr Matthew Owolabi, the Director, Irrigation and Crops Development in the ministry, said the sensitization would strengthen them to choose any aspect of agriculture of their interest.

    Earlier, the Chief of the Army staff, Lt.- Gen. Tukur Buratai, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. I.R. Nicholas, Chief of Linguistics, said the sensitization would encourage them to fall back to agriculture.

    “We will retire to agriculture and we will also contribute to the need of the nation, family and also provide raw materials to the manufacturing companies,” Nicholas said.

    NAN

  • Conference will address farmers/herdsmen clashes – Osinbajo

    Conference will address farmers/herdsmen clashes – Osinbajo

    The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said the on going National Conference on livestock will address persistent clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the country.

    Osinbajo disclosed this yesterday during the livestock stakeholders conference organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and other stakeholders in Abuja.

    He said the conference was a deliberate plan to converge all key stakeholders in the livestock industry in order to provide a lasting solution to several challenges confronting the industry.

    Osinbajo said the effort will eventually contribute to national security stressing that the Federal Government has established agrorangers to protect ranches.

    The Vice President noted that about 3000 of the rangers are currently undergoing training in order to discharge the duty effectively.

    According to him, the agrorangers will be strongly armed to protect ranches across the country.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said the service will be rendered free while the rangers will be supervised by the Federal Ministry of Interior.

    He explained that if the strategy works in addition to stakeholder reccomendations from the national confeence, it will be recommended to other neighbouring north African countries to adopt.

    The VP expressed concerns that the nation’s national security is already threatened by the incessant crisis between the farmers and herdsmen.

    Describing the conference as timely, he said implementing the recommendations would help promote the economy and create jobs for the unemployed.

    “In the face of expanding human population, food production and demand have increased in a commensurate manner. The pressure on land is great. There is a decline in soil fertility and farm holdings are small while grazing lands are being degraded due to increasing livestock activities, poor management, effects of climate change and increased conversion to farmlands due to high population of humans.

    “We have heard so many have lost money, 300 cows rustled, 200 cows taken. We have now put together a new security group called agrorangers. This group is being trained by the ministry of interior. They are heavily armed. 3000 of them are heavily trained.

    “If you have a ranch or big agricultural project, approach us, we will post them to you at no cost. They will protect your investment,” Osinbajo said.

    The Vice President assured the farmers and pastoralist of providing an insurance cover to protect their investments.

    The Minister of Agriculture, in his personal remark lamented over lack of attention on the livestock industry by successive administrations.

    He said the pastoralist have been marginalised with their grazing routes and reserves already taken over while attention was mainly on crops.

    Ogbeh, who pleaded supports of the conference participants disclosed that about 13 States have provided 5, 000 hectares of land for grazing reserves.

    He said prior to this time, cattle don’t roam but because of need for survival they had to scout for pastures, adding that beyond cows reared by herdsmen in the country, there are foreigners who come into the country from Chad, Niger, Senegal in search for grass.

    Senate Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu in his remark called for holistic approach to addressing the situation.

    He said the livestock sector has suffered reject from the government stressing that the roles of pastoral farmers are significant to contributing to nutritional need in the country.

    According to him, grazing reserves and cattle routes were in the government Gazette before he was born.

    “We have to make-up our mind on what to do to achieve transformation in the livestock industry,” he added.

  • FrieslandCampina, FMARD cooperate for food security, dairy devt

    FrieslandCampina, FMARD cooperate for food security, dairy devt

    Dairy  giant  Royal  FrieslandCampina  of  the  Netherlands  and  the  Federal  Ministry  of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) have signed several pacts to roll out new dairy programmes designed to safeguard food and nutrient security in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the Chief Executive Officer, FrieslandCampina, Mr. Roelof Joosten, signed a Farmer2Farmer agreement during the minister’s two-day working tour of the Dutch company’s facilities last week.

    “With the Farmer2Farmer programme, FrieslandCampina aims to deploy member dairy farmers to train and advise local dairy farmers on feeding and watering of cattle, calf-rearing, milking hygiene and practice, milking machine maintenance, hoof care, housing and barn design,” the Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Ore Famurewa, explained in a statement.

    To ensure training for undergraduates in Nigerian tertiary Institutions for FrieslandCampina WAMCO’s ongoing Dairy Development Programme (DDP) , the firm’s Managing Director, Mr. Rahul Colaco and a member, Board of Directors of Wageningen University and Research Centre, Dr. Martin C. Th. Scholten, signed an expression of interest for academic and technical support.

    During the Minister’s visit, FrieslandCampina announced its decision to invest N3 billion in its dairy development small holder dairy farmer programme in Nigeria. To step up its current activities, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and FrieslandCampina WAMCO also agreed to renew their memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the company’s dairy development programme in June 2016. FrieslandCampina WAMCO intends to provide support to a FMARD subsidiary, Milcopal in Kaduna, under the terms of the revised MoU.

    While in the Netherlands, the Minister and his team visited FrieslandCampina and the Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden, FrieslandCampina Innovation and Research Centre in Wageningen and the Vollering Family Farm.

    In his remarks, Ogbeh commended FrieslandCampina for taking the lead in dairy development in Nigeria. This is one of the most important visits for the Ministry, Ogbe said, adding that his team will go back more reinforced to ensure dairy development succeeds. He further said the partnership between FrieslandCampina WAMCO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is indeed a promising one, as there is complete concurrence of plans and actions.

    “We will support pasture development; building of Paddocks as we intend to ensure the Fulani cattle herders settle down.  Over 60,000 hectares of land are already available in eight states and more are still coming.  It is key to tie up with what FrieslandCampina is doing in Oyo and ensure cattle breeding improvement as well as training and developing skills for artificial insemination of local breeds with the best breed fit to cross breed.  We need the support of FrieslandCampina WAMCO and Wageningen University in training of trainers in dairy farm management.”

  • NSIA lifts agric fund with $10m

    NSIA lifts agric fund with $10m

    Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), through its Nigeria Infrastructure Fund, is commiting $10 million to the Fund for Agricultural Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN).

    The deal is being done alongside the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and KfW, the German government-owned development bank, its Chief Executive Officer Uche Orji has said.

    According to a statement, the Fund is an innovative initiative, designed to transform the agriculture finance landscape in the country. With a $100 million target, FAFIN will provide tailored equity and debt capital and technical support solutions to commercially-viable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and intermediaries across the country’s agricultural value chain.

    The Fund will be dedicated to catalysing an agriculture-led inclusive economic growth in through enhanced agricultural productivity, value-added processing and market linkages. The $100 million target will be reached through further contributions from private sector investors.

    According to NSIA, its participation in this initiative is a firm demonstration of its agriculture strategy as one core area of focus alongside power, housing, healthcare and motorways, among others. Through this strategic decision, the NSIA hopes to support the realisation of government’s Agriculture Transformation Agenda and facilitate national food security.

    Orji said: ”Agriculture is a sector of strategic  importance to the NSIA and an area we see opportunities for significant growth and profit through the facilitation of the enhancement of Nigeria’s  critical agriculture infrastructure.”