The Nation Newspaper

Tag: input

  • CBN boosts rice farming with N4b cash, input

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday in Katsina, Katsina State,  disbursed over N4billion and farming inputs including fertilizer, Urea, water pumping machines, rice seeds and pesticides to rice farmers in the sttate, under the bank’s  ‘Anchor Borrower Scheme’’

    Addressing the rice farmers on the occasion, the bank’s Head of Development and Operations, Katsina branch, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed, said the scheme was designed to boost the nation’s economy, reduce import of agricultural products as well as checkmate the flow of economic resources to other countries through imports

    The CBN official said over 4000 rice farmers in the state are benefitting from the programme, adding that beneficiaries were selected through the association to ensure prompt repayment of loans

    On the challenges faced by the scheme especially during dry season farming, he said these include lack of sufficient water, incessant attacks by diseases and insufficient farming inputs

    He further maintained that the bank is currently engaging relevant stakeholders and partners to ensure adequate sensitisation and orientation of the farmers on the use and application of the tools given to them

    The Chairman of the state’s Rice Farmers Association, Alhaji Shuaibu Wakil, in his welcome address, thanked the Federal Government and the CBN for the gesture, which he assured will boost production and reduce the importation of rice into the country.

    He further listed the categorisation of beneficiaries according to the number of hectares of land held by each member, with members holding as much as five hectares of  farm land getting as much as N1,392,485, 10 bags each of Urea, fertilizer and rice seedlings, water pumping machines, pesticides and so on.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture who is also the deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Manir Yakubu, who was represented by a director in the Ministry, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’id Mohammed, said the scheme has been adopted as part of the restoration agenda of the state government on agriculture. He assured the farmers of continued government assistance and encouragement to boost food production.

     

     

    The representative of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Alhaji Isah Bello also used the occasion to advise the farmers to always partner with the agency to secure their farms and products against natural disasters and loses

  • FADAMA gives input to 8,000 farmers

    Niger State Fadama 111 Additional Financing Project have distributed farm inputs to over 8,000 farmers this year to boost agricultural produce in the state.

    The state Project Coordinator, Aliyu Usman Kutigi made this known  at the opening of a workshop on ‘Developing the Rice and Sorghum Value Chains under the Niger state FADAMA project” in Minna.

    According to him, the farmers who were mainly sorghum and rice farmers were supported with the inputs in the bid of developing and supporting the rice and Sorghum value chains in the state.

    Kutigi also said that over 2, 000 farmers have been trained and desks officers have been trained in various capacity building trainings which was aimed at strengthening their capacities in the execution of their primary functions.

    He urged the participants of the workshop to utilize every medium in towards improving their productivity to enable them bring positive changes into the spectrum of rice and Sorghum value chain and disemminate vital agricultural information to the farmers.

    The Coordinator expressed the determination of FADAMA in improving the overall agricultural productivity a d the general improvement in the socio-econnomic well-being of small farmers throughout the state.

    In his address, the Executive Director of Nagarta Nigeria Limited, AlhajiSalihu Yusuf said that the e capacity workshop of the desk officers and farmers in order to keep them abreast of world best practices.

  • Lagos boosts farming with input

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Council seeks input to budget

    The Ejigbo LocalCouncil Development Area (LCDA) Sole Administrator, Ibrahim Adigun has urged the people of the area to bring forward their needs to form part of the new budget the council is preparing.

    He made the appeal at the Stakeholders’ Forum on the budget tagged: ’Budget of sustainable development’.

    He said the forum was aimed at getting input from the residents to enable them benefit from the dividends of democracy.

    The council’s Budget Officer, Ismail Ogunbambi, explained that the budget known as Medium Term Expenditure framework.

    Adigun urged the people to pay their rates promptly to boost the council’s internally generated revenue so that it could do more work.

    ‘’I will like to implore all of us on our civic duty which is prompt payment of rates to the local government, because for us, to deliver on the dividend of democracy as promised, we need to help the government so that we can equally deliver on our promises. We implore the community not to be hostile to our tax/rates collectors,” he said.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ejigbo Mr Michael Adegoke urged Adigun to exploit other means of generating funds.

    Among others, he suggested, that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Depot in the area should be taxed.

  • Union canvasses input to NLNG Act, others

    Union canvasses input to NLNG Act, others

    Oil workers have called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to ensure that stakeholders in the oil and gas industry are engaged in the  implementation of the new Joint Venture (JV) Cash Calls, passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIB) and  amendment of the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Act.

    The workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), made the call after their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. In a communiqué issued after the NEC meeting, the senior staff trade union commended the Federal Government’s efforts at exiting the JV Cash Calls that led to its indebtedness to the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the attendant challenges associated with the system.

    The communiqué read in part: “The NEC-in-Session appreciates the Federal Government efforts in the payment of arrears of Joint Venture Cash Calls, particularly the establishment of a roadmap to clear outstanding Cash Calls arrears.

    “The NEC-in-Session reiterates the need for the Federal Government to engage the labour unions in the implementation of the proposed new Joint Venture Cash Calls structure which is scheduled to commence in January, 2017.”

    Expressing its observation on a recent attempt to amend the NLNG Act (Fiscal, Guarantees, Assurances and Incentives) by the House of Representatives, PENGASSAN said the consequences of the proposed amendment, which among several things, will impinge on the continued existence of the nation’s most productive public corporation.

    It also noted that the proposed amendment will discourage inflow of foreign investment, lead to loss of $25 billion investment, loss of 18,000 potential jobs, reverse gains in gas flaring reduction and constrain NLNG’s development initiatives in the Niger Delta region.

    The association, therefore, advised the House of Representatives to seek wider stakeholders’ inputs before commencing the proposed amendment of the NLNG Act.

    While commending the recent efforts by the National Assembly to start the speedy passage of the PIB, the PENGASSAN noted that the delay in passage of the bill has been a disincentive to investments in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

    The trade union, particularly, commended the thoughtfulness of the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum for facilitating the public hearing held between December 7 and 9; but demanded that an all-inclusive industry Stakeholders’  Summit be convened to ensure that various stakeholders’ input, especially NUPENG and PENGASSAN positions with regards to labour matters are adequately represented in the bill.

  • ‘Lagosians should make input into budget’

    The Chief Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru, has called on the people to make inputs into next year’s budget.

    The lawmaker, who spoke during a parley with stakeholders at the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Secretariat, enjoined residents to support the government.

    He explained that the fundamental objectives of the meeting was to brief constituents on the activities of the House in the last one year, stressing that information from participants on the peculiar security problem will assist the government.

    Abiru said the requests made by residents at the parley were given considerable attention by the government, especially in the area of infrastructural development across the state in the 2016 budget.

    He said: “I wish to state that, it is in our determination to give meaning to good representation and good governance that we have come again with the second edition of the stakeholders’ meeting, which will enable us sit together to brief you on our activities in the last one year.

    “We submitted the collated complaints and requests of our constituencies to Governor Akinwumi Ambode for executive action. I’m pleased to inform you, that the report has been receiving the attention of the Governor and part of your requests and our recommendations are being implemented across the State.”

    “In line with the policy of the State government of inclusive governance, the process leading to 2017 budget commenced with the yearly budget consultative forum, which provided an avenue for citizens and residents of the State in the three.  Senatorial Districts to make inputs into the budget. MDAs are enjoined to incorporate these inputs into their budget proposals. In addition, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly held constituency stakeholders’ meeting across the 40 constituencies of our State and the reports are equally available as inputs into 2017 budgets.”

    The Chief Whip, who acknowledged complaints, requests and pieces of advice to government from participants, promised to channel them to the appropriate authority.

    Abiru said he appreciated all the encommium showered on him by the constituents, noting that it will encourage him to do more for the people at the Lagos House. He said the issues raised at the interactive meeting will form the basis of next year’s budget.