Nigeria is richly endowed with enormous flora and fauna but some factors have made the country perpetually food insecure. Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, who recently toured some rural communities within the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara, captures the sights and sounds of the region’s predominantly farming communities
To say Nigeria is blessed is to simply state the obvious. A visit across the states is all that is required to know how blessed the country really is in terms of natural endowments, i.e. land, water, livestocks, etc.
For instance, the semi-arid of the far north through the Guinea savannah of the north central to the thick mangrove forests of the south of Nigeria is cultivated with abundant varieties of fruits. Water melon, pineapple, pawpaw, citrus, banana, guava, mango and cashew, to name but a few, are the common fruits grown and harvested in abundance across the country. Each region of the country produces at least three of these seasonal fruits in commercial quantity.
But the irony, however, is that much of this potential remains a mirage, because Nigeria still imports about $22billion worth of food annually, especially on foods that can otherwise be grown locally, namely: wheat, rice, dairy, fish and sundry items, including fresh fruits.
Thus, Nigeria is not food secure as wastages remain high in production areas, thus reducing supply of feedstock to processing factories, requiring them to keep importing supplies. The net effect is limited job growth across the agricultural value chain from inputs production to market systems, and continued use of limited foreign currency earnings to import vast quantities of food.
Challenges of agriculture development
Speaking on the nation’s unrealised agricultural potential, Ada Osakwe, Chief Executive of Agrolay Ventures, said there is need to harness this untapped potential, as it is a key priority for the country.
In the view of Nneka Okekearu of Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), “There’s no way we can say we’ve done a good job at exporting or encouraging the agriculture space if we don’t look at things like standards, like certification and that’s where NAFDAC and SON come in. It’s a very, very trying thing to try to get your products certified and to try to get them NAFDAC approved in this country. Moving your goods from one point to the other is also very difficult. For people that are farming in the South-south and the North-east, you have a minimum of 31 checkpoints. If you’re moving your pineapples from the South south to Lagos, for instance, you will come across at least 31 checkpoints and these checkpoints you know what the financial implications are at the end of the day. When you also add the losses and wastages encountered on the road due to the bad roads when you transport these goods then you can imagine the economic loss to the farmers. Until we address some of these issues, the talk about agriculture being the new gold is still talk.”
Investigation by The Nation further revealed that the country is facing shortages in staple crops because of overdependence on imports.
Information sourced separately from data drawn from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, CNBCAfrica, Food and Agriculture Organisation and private estimates show that the country requires 6.3million tons of rice annually, but is only able to provide just about 2.3million tons, thus filling the gap with import. Ditto for wheat, whose domestic consumption is 4.7million tons but the country produces a paltry 60, 000 tons. The demand is driven mainly by various types of wheat required for the production of white, hard and durum for bread, biscuits and semovita.
Perhaps, the only crop the nation easily produces is maize/corn. While it requires 7.5million tons, it produces 7million tons.
Like maize/corn, the country also has self-sufficiency in the production of yams. The nation requires 39million tons annually but produces 37million tons.
Whereas the nation requires 2million tons of milk and dairy per annum, it is only able to produce a paltry 600, 000, leaving a shortfall of 1.4million, which is sourced from overseas market.
The demand for tomato is 2.2million tons but the actual amount produced locally is 1.5million tons. But over 700, 000 tons is lost to post-harvest.
The country also produces 4.5million oil palms but the local demand is 8.5million tons.
Surprisingly, Nigeria requires at least 3.6milliuon tons of cocoa, but it is only able to produce 250, 000 tons.
The demand is 700, 000 while 200, 000 is produced and 7million tons with 6.2million tons is produced for cotton and sorghum respectively.
A review of ATA
From 2010-2011, the Federal Government began the reform of the agriculture sector. To refocus the sector, the government implemented a new strategy, the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), built on the principle that agriculture is a business and therefore policy should be about supporting it.
The strategy was in place from 2011-2015. The ATA focused on how to make Nigeria’s agriculture more productive, efficient and effective. ATA, however, did not deliver on all the targets identified.
From ATA to APP
Expectedly, the President Buhari administration through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has come up with the Agriculture Promotion Policy tagged: ‘Agric Sector Policy Roadmap, the Green Alternative.’
According to the ministry, the “Efficiency Team” is made up of 10 officers, drawn from the core external advisors to the Minister; Minister of State and headed by a Permanent staff member of the Ministry.
Inaugurating the team in Abuja, FMARD Director of Planning & Project Coordination, Mrs Bunmi Shiyanbola, said: “The need for the team to be headed by a permanent member of staff of the ministry is to guarantee sustainability and institutional memory.”
Information obtained from the ministry’s website described the responsibilities of the team to include: Monitoring performance and result-oriented interventions towards the realisation of the Green Alternative; Making meaningful impact on the entrenchment of efficiency, transparency and accountability in the utilisation of resources by the Ministry of Agriculture and serving as a secretariat to the ministry’s project coordinating committee headed by the Permanent Secretary, with all directors in the ministry as members.
Zero oil plan
As to be expected, the Federal Government is really desirous of diversifying into the non-oil sector, especially agriculture. Speaking with The Nation on the Zero Oil Plan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said it was actually inspired by President Muhammadu Buhari, when in 2015, the crude oil prices below US$30 a barrel.
“With the Zero Oil plan, we have designed a Nigerian economy without crude oil exports. The plan lays out the journey for us to make US$100 billion annually from non-oil exports, with a first milestone of reaching US$30 billion a year in non-oil exports. Today, Nigeria does less than US$5 billion of non-oil exports a year. The plan identifies 11 key products where Nigeria will make the most money through exports, as well as other export sectors that have less financial impact, but are essential to employment. Under our One-State One Export product programme, we tie Zero Oil into the existing assets and resources which can be mobilised within each of the 36 states of Nigeria. This links federal policy to state economic policy, and turns every state into a major export hub, based on their specific areas of export advantage.”
In the view of analysts, it is strongly believed in economic circle that Nigeria could reap a huge foreign exchange fortunes from export of fruits produce just as South Africa, Kenya and Ghana are doing.
Economists are of the view that the Federal Government needs to draw up an industrial development policy that would transform its agriculture sector and upgrade its produce to attain the specified global standard. The country would then equally tap and take full advantage of the opportunities in the agriculture sub sectors, just as these other African countries.
Northern Nigeria holds the aces in agriculture
There are many reasons why northern Nigeria continues to hold the aces as far as food production is concerned compared to other states of the federation.
Anyone who doubts the region’s ‘supremacy’ in the area of food production needs to visit any part of the north to erase every iota of doubt in his mind. Truth is the north still dominates the rest of the country in agriculture. Yes, if there is an area where the north literally suffers from an embarrassment of riches of some sort, it’s her rich heritage of agriculture resources including flora and fauna.
A road trip from Okene in Kogi to Abaji in FCT, Abuja, to Langtang in Plateau, Kafancha in Kaduna, Ningi in Bauchi to Mayo Belwa, Mubi, Yola, all in Adamawa across other northern states of Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kebbi shows that economy is driven largely by farming activities, whether in sorghum production, tomato, pepper, cowpea, millet, wheat, cotton, rice, yams, to mention just a few.
A combination of factors may be responsible for the north’s good fortunes in the area of farming when compared to other parts of the country.
Mallam Muhammed Usman, RUFIN Coordinator in Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara and Katsina states, while assessing the level of agricultural development in the northern states he oversees, said quite a lot has happened in that regard.
“We’ve strengthened them and built their capacities and we’ve linked them to sources of finance, especially to microfinance banks, financial cooperatives, financial NGOs. Hitherto they had no interactions with such institutions. As a result of our activities in the states, they now deal with the banks. They transact their businesses and their lives have improved seriously.”
RUFIN to the rescue
It is, however, instructive to note that the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development – a specialised agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, implemented Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) – have been doing a lot to assist smallholder farmers scale up production in some parts of the country.
The total cost of the project is US$40 million with IFAD contributing the sum of US$27.58 million.
Thanks to initiatives like RUFIN, a pro-poor programme, today many women in the north constitute themselves into different cooperative societies known in local parlance as ‘Adashe’ with the sole purpose of working their way out of poverty through a common front: agriculture.
Thankfully, most of these women are beginning to earn their deserved respect from the otherwise chauvinistic male folks.
More than that, the men are also lending their full support to the women in a way that clearly suggests that the long held stereotype about the demeaning status of women has now given way for respect and honour for the womenfolk in their newfound roles as breadwinners.
One of such economically empowered women is Fatima Sirajo in Sanawa village, in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.
The programme aimed to develop and strengthen Micro Finance Banks (MFBs), other member-based Micro Finance Institutions (MFls), to enhance the access of the rural populace to financial services in order to expand and improve agricultural productivity and Micro-Small Rural Enterprises.
The programme uses group lending methodology to form over 18,000 women groups in 12 implementing states.
The north western states of Katsina and Zamfara are among the 12 pilot states, where RUFIN is being implemented.
When The Nation visited Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, our correspondent saw several rural women groups who shared their success stories and the challenges they have had to grapple with thus far.
The 55-year-old mother of five leads Noma da Kiwo, a cooperative group involved in crop and livestock production. Speaking with The Nation, Hajia Sirajo, a mother of five, said many of her members have accessed about seven to eight circles of loans from microfinance institutions and microfinance banks respectively.
Hajia Sirajo, who spoke in Hausa, recalled: “My journey out of poverty started with micro-credit I received from a microfinance bank. We were linked to the FG/IFAD rural financial inclusion programme for the smallholder women. Through the loan, I was able to buy farmland on which I cultivate soya beans, sorghum and millet.
“I bought two calves, which I raised to bulls that can fetch me N300, 000 or more. I also have three rams and four sheep. Also, I bought one goat, which today has multiplied to six goats. Today, my husband is proud of me because I bought a new motor bike for him,” Hajiya Sirajo said.
“Thanks to programmes like RUFIN which has taught us how to fish today, as we speak most of our women are dutifully engaged in one form of business across the agriculture value chain. Most of us are into mechanised farming as a group. We plant cash crops like wheat, millet, sorghums. We also rear goats, rams and cows.”
Shedding more light on the RUFIN initiative, Mrs. Mrs. Unekwu Ufaruna, Deputy National Programme Manager, RUFIN, said the programme has helped in no small measure to alleviate the sufferings of rural women in terms of providing empowerment for those engaged in farming.
“Before the advent of the programme, there was dearth of credit facilities for women, especially the rural poor. But so far, we’ve helped to facilitate the women into groups. We linked them to financial services providers.”
To ensure sustainability, she says there are ongoing discussions as to how the states government can take ownership of the programme.
At Sanawa village in Dutsina Local Government Area of Katsina State, many of the womenfolk have all been empowered. Thanks to RUFIN, they are all involved in farming – crop and livestock production – in addition to engaging in agro-enterprises like trading in farm produce and processing.
For Malama Nana Murtala, 25, who is the scribe of the group, she raised her livestock from initial two to seven sheep and three rams, with a loan of N20,000 she got.
According to the young mother of five, she used the four circles of the micro-credit, which went up to N50,000 to raise livestock which she later sold and bought a groundnut processing machine and later expanded her farm.
“In the last five years, I have been accessing micro-credits which I use in raising livestock to sell and make more money. I thank God, at least I’m doing better now,” Nana said.
Aisha Bishir is the president of another women group called “Dogon Ruwa” with 16 members in the same area.
According to the 49-year-old mother of 10, thanks to RUFIN intervention, her family has moved away from the poverty trap and has so far accessed over nine circle of loans.
Life, she notes, literally is good for her household. Now financially independent, she has been able to send two of her wards to Isa Kaita College of Education in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.
“After the capacity building, I accessed credit ranging from N20,000 to N60,000 nine times. Through these loans, I bought animals – sheep, goats and cow – and farmland (1.5 acre) at N225,000 where I grow groundnut, millet, sesame and then bought a house for N170,000,” she said.
Aisha said she sold one of the bulls she raised at N145,000 and some of the rams along with her farm produce which fetched her the sum of N225,000 with which she bought land, stressing that “I couldn’t have done that without the RUFIN loan.”
Another group led by Aisha Hamisu, in Gidan Makera, in Dutsin-Ma, is into rice production and has so far harvested 27 bags (100kg) with more yet to be harvested.
In neighbouring Zamfara State, ‘Kainuwa Dashen Allah’ women group, led by Aisha Abubakar and Hindatu Usman, has made investment into orchard farming – planting orange, guava and date palm trees in a land the group collectively bought at N300,000 from their monthly group savings out of the profit they get from the micro credits.
The 4-year-old 20-member association with individual credit access of between N30,000 and N70,000 has helped many of the members to strengthen their production capacity – farms expanded, more animals bought and more engagement in meaningful enterprises.
Da Rarrafe Ake Tashi Tsaye, another cooperative, pooled its profit to buy cows at group level. When the cows were sold, proceeds were shared among members.
For Islamiyya women group in Tsafe, the members have seen good value in groundnut processing. Processing oil and cake, with processing machines acquired through the loan, they have been able to extend loan to their members to undertake good farming or trading activities.
A women cooperative group known as Dongoruwa, headed by Hajia Rabi Alkali along with other executives including Hajias Turai Audu, secretary and Wazata Sanni, treasurer, are predominantly farmers involved in palm produce marketing, produce millets, cowpea, groundnut, soybeans, sorghum, rice, etc. Most of them are enjoying a good time, thanks to their association with RUFIN.
Speaking on the Zamfara agric endowment, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said, “Over 89% of the entire Zamfara population are all into farming activities.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Alhaji Mainasara Ashiru, State Programme Coordinator, RUFIN, in Zamfara State, said, “Farming is our pride in Zamfara. We will remain committed. Our plan is to move our farmers from peasant farming to commercial farming in the not too distant future.”
An elated Hajia Awawu Mode, 46-year-old, who speaks English fairly, said the loan she got through RUFIN really strengthened their finances. “The coming of RUFIN has brought a great change and development to us. Our businesses are going on fine. So far we have collected four circles of loans both from DEC, LAPO and BOA. I have bought a house at the cost of N650, 000, which I want to put up for rent. Before the advent of RUFIN, life was terribly bad. By the end of the year, I hope to raise money to go on holy pilgrimage to Mecca.”
The RUFIN group’s methodology has made lending and repayment easier to micro finance banks to deal with the women as most of them require as little as N10, 000 to make them more productive.
The challenge for the women groups, however, is that of sustainability as the RUFIN programme is billed to end in 2017. But Mallam Appeh Auta, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh on Donor Programmes, has hinted of plans by the Federal Government to expand funding channels for the project to enable it continue in states that were willing to pay their counterpart funding.
Auta gave this assurances when he led a delegation of RUFIN to the office of the Katsina State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KTARDA), where he was received by the agency’s boss, Mallam Ibrahim Shehu Musawa.
