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Tag: seeds

  • Fertiliser, seeds coming for farmers, says Ogbeh

    Fertiliser, seeds coming for farmers, says Ogbeh

    The Federal Government said it will commence the distribution of subsidised seeds and fertilisers at ward level from next week.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh disclosed this at the National Fertiliser Roadmap Stakeholders Consultation held yesterday in Abuja.

    He said the distribution of the farm input aimed at registered farmers would be used to support dry season farming through the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme.

    Ogbeh said: “Distribution of fertiliser seeds and other agrochemicals will commence next week to start dry season farming and these things are going to be given to them at the ward level.

    “Government is still interested in giving subsidy to farmers; there is no going back about that; we can only talk about how do we administer the subsidy which is very key, and for now, government is using the GES platform. For now, it may not be the best but there is no better alternative yet

    “This programme is necessary and essential to grow the fertiliser industry in the country. It is a dynamic one that we are always looking for improvement in the production, distribution and the cost of production; this is very germane for the development of the sector.”

    Represented by the ministry’s Director of Farm Input Support Services, Engr. Jatto Ohiare, the minister restated commitment of the Federal Government to the GES platform.

    Earlier, Senior Fertiliser Specialist, African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), Paul Makepeace advised the government to embrace the use of urea fertiliser rather than the MPK variety.

    He said about 30 million tons of urea flared yearly could be put to use and also serve as good source of foreign exchange as well as raw materials for other industries.

    He noted that MPK fertiliser could be more expensive for farmers.

    Makepeace advised the government to create an enabling environment for investors to take advantage of the potential of the country.

    He said with the investment from Dangote and other foreign investors, the nation stands to export as much as 4 million tons of fertiliser yearly.

    He said: “In Nigeria, there is a lot of flare and the gas is not been collected over a long period of time, there is the equivalent of 30 million tons of urea flared every year, so if it can be captured and cleaned, it becomes available for manufacture of other products.”

  • ‘Faking of seeds act of sabotage’

    The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) has warned distributors of fake seeds of severe penalties. The council said it was taking steps to  protect farmers against such seeds which cause crop losses.

    Its Director-General, Dr. Olusegun Ojo, said violators of the Nigerian Seed Act No. 72 of 1992, now being amended by the National Assembly, would not go free. Ojo, who spoke during  enlightenment programmes in Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi states, described adulteration of seeds as an act of sabotage.

    He said adulteration of seeds would not be tolerated, as agriculture is becoming the economic base of Nigeria. Seed, Ojo said, is the backbone of the sector.

    He said the council would regulate the quality of seeds  such that  black-marketing of seeds would be checked, as this is having a negative impact on farmers.

    To ensure that only quality seeds of proven cultivars get to farmers during the  wet season, NASC embarked on nationwide  enlightenment campaigns in Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi states.

    The campaigns were meant to educate the public on the activities of the unscrupulous seed merchants in the Northwest and to discourage such inappropriate trade tactics. The exercise, which lasted for four days, was spearheaded by Director-General, NASC in company of his senior officials, a team of plant breeders from the Institute for Agricultural Research & Training (IAR&T) Ibadan, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR/ABU), Zaria and National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi.

    Through the training, the trainee agrodealers were educated and taught on criteria to consider before buying improved seeds from the seed companies. They were also taken through awareness creation on how to differentiate quality seeds from adulterated and fake seeds.

    Places visited were Hadejia in Jigawa State, Dan Hassan in Kano State and Jega in Kebbi State at pre-control plots sites established to authenticate, assess, evaluate and monitor quality attributes of all notified and traded crop seed varieties produced by National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARIS) seed companies, and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) for marketing.

  • Better seeds, better yields

    Better seeds, better yields

    Sustainable improvement of crop productivity is dependent on  seed varieties that have been  adapted to all types of environment. This is one area that the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Nigeria has invested in to improve food productivity and turn around the fortunes of farmers. DANIEL ESSIET reports.  

    Earlier this year, farmers in Benue State suffered crop loss attributed to the  poor quality seeds. Some of them in Otukpo Local Government Area lamented that they did not get high yielding seeds, fertiliser and other inputs. They blamed the poor harvest of crops on the government agricultural representatives who, in their estimation, are not doing enough to distribute inputs through the right channels.

    Despite that, the state received good rainfalls, the farmers recorded poor harvest.  Some of them complained of inability to access necessary inputs for high yield production. But, the State Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Aondona HembeKule, attributed the poor harvest to lack of adequate inputs at the disposal of the commodity farmers, saying: “They (farmers) couldn’t collect their inputs this year. There was a communication gap between the commodity farmers association and AFAN. We are doing everything to bridge the perceived gap so that it doesn’t happen again.”

    Of the many factors that keep small-scale farmers poor, quality of seed may be the least understood. A lot of local farmers have been given seeds that promise high yields but fail to produce enough. Sometimes, the results are disastrous.

    President, Federated FADAMA Community Association, Lagos State, Alhaji Abiodun Oyenekan has experienced it.

    He said there was a time he was using local seeds.  Yields were very low. When new varieties came in, he took advantage of it.

    To him, the huge adoption by small farmers in Lagos has resulted in very high yields.  In terms of productivity, he said improved seeds can make a world of difference for small farmers. This is enough to lift farmers out of poverty.

    For instance, some farmers get one to three tonnes but with improved varieties they get five to six tonnes per hectare. For him, local seeds are major barriers to agricultural growth. This is because of low yield.

    While he owes his present success to improved seeds, the challenge, however, is that improved seeds are not enough to supply the millions of farmers who need them.

    Presently, there is lack of trust in local seed markets even for large commercial farmers, some of whom have invested heavily to plant hundreds of acres with high yield hybrids that simply didn’t germinate.

    In an  interview with The Nation, the Farm Manager and Agric Technical Advisor, Kaboji Farms Limited, Niger State, Mr  Kobus De Jager  said  the  market lacked  good hybrid seeds  which  is  key to profitable commercial farming.

    For watchers, poor seeds make it impossible for farmers to adopt the modern agricultural techniques that lifted millions of farmers out of poverty.

    But  an  initiative hopes to change all that by enhancing farmers’ access to improved seeds.

    With West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria)’ support, poor farmers will be able to purchase high quality seed of local food crops

    The programme’s   support for the nation’s fledgling private seed sector is part of its comprehensive approach to catalyzing change. This includes supporting the national agricultural research institutions, to develop improved varieties with higher yields to   reach farmers. The step offers hope for small farms by helping ensure that new seed varieties with higher yields make it through the supply chain from breeders to farmers.

    Speaking  in  a forum  in Abuja, the National  Coordinator, West  Africa Agriculture Productivity Programme,(WAAPP),Professor Damian Chikwendu  said breeders, industry, farmers and others are  involved in the supply chain, it  is the first viable system for getting a top-down view of where choke points stifle seed access.

    With support from WAAPP, Nigeria is strengthening its seed systems as well as its research and technology transfer systems to make farming more resilient.

    With the help of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP), some   farmers have been able to revitalize their productivity through the planting of higher yielding varieties.

    WAAPP sponsors  research organisations to run experiments to develop higher yielding varieties.  Farmers also benefit from training, study tours, knowledge exchanges between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) stakeholders, and equipment prototypes during exchange visits, all of which help strengthen their technical capacities.

    Chinkwendu  said   getting improved seeds to small farmers is critical to raising agricultural productivity and reducing poverty.

    He   added that the main challenges facing the seed sector is equitable access to good quality seed due to poor infrastructure, poor market infrastructure and systems and a variety of logistical challenges.

    To ensure farmers have access to improved and adaptable seed varieties, he  said the  programme  was sponsoring  the implementation of  an effective breeding and seed systems approach across the country. He said the programme is promoting partnership to provide information and assist those who want to enter the seed trade sector.

    With food demand increasing, reflecting a growing population and  increased consumption, Chikwendu noted  that   a  higher yields will be needed to meet this demand.

    In a meeting with some Chief Executives of some Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs),Chikwendu said partnership with the ADPs would continue as long as WAAPP remained and expressed confidence that at the end of the programme, its impact would be felt by Nigerians.

    Meanwhile, WAAPP-Nigeria has distributed over 125 bags of rice, sorghum and maize hybrid improved seeds to over 200 farmers in Gombe State for this year’s farming season.

    Speaking during the distribution at Baure village in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, the Provost, Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, Professor Fatima Sawa, said the seeds were freely given to the farmers.

    “The seeds are improved, graded specifically for the Northeast ecological zone and from the reports we got from the farmers, the seeds are high-yielding and of better quality than the types our farmers were using before,” she said.

    Sawa called on the farmers to use the seeds judiciously. “They should use them by way of planting them and observe all the agronomic practices in order to drive the maximum benefit from the seeds.”She said the college has signed an agreement with a pesticide company to supply the chemical directly to the college, which would  sell the chemical to farmers at a subsidised rate.She said doing so will solve the problem of adulterated chemicals and eliminate middle men who might increase the price.

    So far, WAAPP-Nigeria has  signed partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  with   States Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs).  The WAAPP-sponsored initiatives include Community-based Agricultural Seed Multiplication.  The community-based seed multiplication initiation is aimed at contributing toward seed sufficiency among rural farmers in the country.

    To this end, WAAPP-Nigeria has already invested in the production and supply of foundation seeds for cassava, maize, rice, sorghum, and yam to ADPs in  states.  WAAPP’s commitment involves covering the cost of the agricultural seeds, the farm inputs, farmer training, technical assistance, and a mandatory inspection regime by the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), as part of the processes for the production of Certified Seeds which will be available for farmers’ during  the  farming season.  The state ADPs are technical partners in the community-based seed multiplication initiative.

    The  Programme Manager, Agriculture Development Programme, Abia State, Mr Eyinnaya Elekwachi, said the local farmers are  benefitting  from  improved seeds   given  by WAAPP, adding  that they  enhance  their productivity and make farming a better business in the state.

    Speaking  with The Nation, the WAAPP Desk Officer , Abia State  ADP, Mrs Nnenna  Uche said  farmers  in the  17  local government  areas  of the state have  benefitted  from high yielding  seeds.

    These include   certified rice,  maize, yam and cassava seeds to enable farmers increase their productivity. The seeds, he said  were  made  available  to   farmers through  innovation platforms.

    The  seeds   were freely given to the farmers and they are of better quality than the local types they  were using before.

    According  to  the  Chairman, Cassava Value Chain Innovation Platform, Abia State, Kalu Iche Kalu, several   new cassava varieties have come from collaborative breeding efforts supported by WAAPP and   improved varieties resulting from such works have doubled average crop yields.

    Kalu said the impact is great, yielding enormous returns for agro businesses.

    Consequently, he said, cassava is one of the most dynamic sub sectors in the  state, helping to drive industrial development while delivering higher incomes to investors. Under the WAAPP Nigeria Programme,  the mandate, he said, is root and tuber, specifically yam and cassava. The platforms are in nine states and have given small holder farmers support on farm inputs such as fertiliser and the top five cassava varieties, including the pro-vitamin A  umu-cass 36,37 and 38.

    Under the WAAPP assisted project,  he said the  target in the first phase is to reach out to 300,000 farmers, and  they have reached  167,000.  “This year we are providing seven processing centres across seven states  of which two are almost completed.  Our target is to complete these processing centres before the end of May next year.

    To experts, the   seed industry is growing in many ways. But the level of investment in research and development, rate of annual yield gains and overall crop and seed values should be at equal   levels. All these, they believe, will help to maintain growth while sustaining the environment, creating excitement, competition, investment and change in the seed industry.

  • Sowing the seeds of stable agric

    Sowing the seeds of stable agric

    As climate change poses a threat to food security, the World Bank, through the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), is working with local scientists to produce improved seed varieties adapted to drought farming environment, DANIEL ESSIET reports. 

    In some parts of the North with a precarious history of food insecurity, seasonality means that there may be food shortage during parts of the year, attributed to drought and climate change.

    To tackle this, farmers resort to planting a variety of early-to later-yielding crops, storing or selling harvests to minimise losses and drawing on social obligations of reciprocity when food is scarce. Some of the farmers also take to other economic activities to diversify and ensure income in off-agricultural seasons.

    Despite these, prolonged or multiple years of shortage is still being experienced in parts of the country.

    The situation is not helped by changing temperature and rainfall which determine when and how often crops can be sown.

    Compared to their farming counterparts in the South, who are able to harvest, sometimes, three times in a year, food production in many parts of the North is nearly halted during dry seasons because of heat and other climatic changes capable of ruining harvests.

    For the present, drought is the most widespread climatic threat to production in the North. West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) response, therefore, is drought-tolerant seeds which can be made affordable to farmers.

    Stressing the need to provide drought-tolerant seeds to farmers, the National Project Coordinator, WAAPP-Nigeria, Prof. Damian Chikwendu, said agriculture has become very precarious, with production and livelihoods vulnerable to fluctuations in weather.

    To address this, he said the programme is taking the issue of seeds very serious, adding that delivery and release of improved crop varieties is a major focus of WAAPP, especially considering the situation in the North.

    Describing good seed as basic to sound agricultural growth and prosperity, the coordinator said the programme is ready to foster a more stable agriculture by encouraging research institutes to produce varieties that can be used as certified seed.

    As part of its mandate, Chikwendu said WAAPP Nigeria supports and participates in disseminating new technologies resulting from research to farmers, including production and use of quality seed of improved varieties and hybrids.

    So far, he said the organisation has cooperated with universities and research institutes in the introduction and distribution of seed stocks and propagation of materials of improved crop varieties.

    The project, according to him, is supporting research activities conducted by 15 institutes and 13 Federal universities and 11 colleges of agriculture. Each of these institutions, he added, are demonstrating improved technologies in some adopted villages and schools, a new approach promoted by WAAPP to bridge the gap between researchers and communities around them. To boost its activities, he said the project has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 29 states for the dissemination of improved technologies.

    These include improved varieties of sorghum, maize, rice, cassava and yam, fish fingerlings and improved post-harvest and processing equipment.

    From initial results, Chikwendu said beneficiaries are happy with the quality of technologies disseminated as they contributed to doubling yields for various commodities.

    Under component 11, Chikwendu said the target commodity for the project is aquaculture.

    Working through National Centres of Specialisation (NCoS) on aquaculture, consisting research institutes in the areas of fish fingerlings, fish feed and post-harvest for the sub region, Chikwendu said the project  has scale up adoption of improved technologies to improve  aquaculture business.

    According to him, all the released technologies by NCoS show an improvement in yield of at least 15 per cent.

    In terms of beneficiaries, he said the number increased  from 600,000 in April to 1,277,000 in November last year.

    In addition, he said the number of women beneficiaries under the project increased from 29 to 37 per cent during the same period.

    Expectedly, also, the number of hectares under improved technologies increased from 238,000 hectares (ha) in April 2014 to 330,244 ha representing about 38 per cent increase.

    So far, about 300,000 beneficiaries have adopted improved technologies generated/promoted by the project.

    According to him, farmers are going to benefit more from WAAPP. The National Corodinator said WAAPP is training farmers on technologies in food processing.

    Overall, he said there are several economic benefits of the project, such as increasing the value of a primary agricultural commodity, local production of food products and reducing imports of equivalent ones.

    To ensure the high quality of agricultural produce and keep them competitive in the market, he said the programme is sponsoring targeted research for sustainable development.

    It also offered training to small and medium-sized enterprises and technicians in the farming industry, agricultural extension workers, among others.

    Chikwendu explained that  WAAPP, a sub-regional Programme, involves 13 ECOWAS countries. The development objective of the first phase of the programme, according to him, is to generate and accelerate the adoption of improved technologies in the participating countries’ top agricultural commodity priority areas that are aligned with the sub-¬region’s top agricultural commodity priorities, as outlined in the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP).

    Leading the World Bank team to  evaluate the project, its Lead Agricultural Economist and Regional WAAPP Task Team Leader GFADR, Dr Abdoulaye Toure said it has been implemented in line  with the expectations of the bank.

    The project, the team noted, has  implemented 90 per cent of the agreed actions from last April’s  mission.

    On disbursement rate, the team  said  it   significantly increased from 42 to 63.88 per cent for assistance  from International Development Association (IDA) while  that  from Global Food Crisis Response Programme (GFRP) increased  from 22 to 56.67 per cent since the last mission.

    However, with the GFRP TF closing in May, this year, the team stressed the need for increased disbursement to ensure the full use of the resources.

    On the basis of performance and activities, the mission rated the progress made by WAAPP Nigeria as satisfactory. Nevertheless, the mission agreed that the project should continue to scale up and out dissemination of improved technologies through Innovation Platforms (IPs), adopted villages and schools.

    The  team also  urged  the  project  to  speed up the implementation of the full scheme of the e-extension; establishment of the tissue culture laboratory through Public–private partnershipand  job creation initiatives  for youths.

    On  the  restructuring of Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) – WAAPP funded study tours to Brazil, China and India for officials from the council  and Federal Ministry of Agriculture of Nigeria, the. team submitted a comprehensive report to the Federal  Government, which it considered  the way forward.

    Outlining a proposal and the next steps to be taken, the team identified some consultants from Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation as ready to launch the technical studies on the restructuring.

    The mission, however, noted that no major progress was recorded on the restructuring process since the last mission and that apart from WAAPP; the government has also requested the Melinda and Bill Gates foundation to support the restructuring process.

    According to the team, Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation  decided to contact the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for implementation.

    Other members of the mission  were Agricultural Economist and Co-Task Team Leader, SheuSaiau ; Lead Agriculture Specialist,El HadjAdamaToure; Senior  Agriculture Economist, AdetunjiOredipe ;  Senior Environmental Institutions Specialist, Joseph Ese Akpokodje ; Senior Procurement Specialist, Mary Asanato-Adiwu;  Senior  Financial Management Specialist ,AkinrinmolaOyenugaAkinyele; Social Development Specialist ,Michael GboyegaIlesanm; Senior Communications Specialist, Obadiah Tohomdet; Nieyidouba Lamien of West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), Emmanuel Ajani  of National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) and Programme Assistant, Abiodun Elufioye.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the cassava processing initiative  by WAAPP in collaboration with the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) in Oyo State project at Apete-Onidoko in Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, Abdoulaye Toure said hope for food security in Nigeria was rising as a result of the adoption and adaptation of variety of new agricultural technologies by practising farmers across the country.

    He noted that the adoption of new agricultural technologies has impacted positively on Nigerian farmers as shown in their cassava (gari), among others.

  • ‘How high-yielding seeds can boost productivity’

    ‘How high-yielding seeds can boost productivity’

    For farmers in rural areas, the use of high-yielding crop varieties holds the key to bountiful harvest. DANIEL ESSIET writes that unless urgent and deliberate efforts are made to encourage rural farmers to embrace the use of high-yielding varieties, hope of boosting the productivity and yield of rural farmers would remain a mirage. 

    Hajia Asabe Musa (not real name) is luckier than most farmers in the Northern part of the country. She heads a women farmers group in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State, a position that allows her access to tolerant varieties to help farmers in her group to overcome the negative effects of climate change in the region. The varieties, which are either early-maturing or drought-tolerant, have more than doubled her yield and those of farmers under her group. She has since been tapping into the opportunities presented by the use of improved seeds and agronomic practices to better her life. Other farmers in the state have also seen their yields double, using improved varieties and agronomic practices on the same plot of land.

    However, the beneficiaries are few. Most of the farmers have been witnessing crop failure in their farms in the north in particular and the country generally. This is because in most cases, the farmers do not have access to improved seeds, which makes their situation critical because of climate change and decreased rainfall. Experts attribute this largely to farmers’ lack of adoption of improved varieties, which is responsible for the low yields. Although, huge resources have been invested in breeding better crop varieties, the adoption rate of the improved varieties is still considered very low by agric experts.

    Addressing a workshop on ‘Seed Production Planning’ organised by West Africa Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Nigeria in Minna, its National Project Coordinator, Prof. Damian Chikwendu said production of high-yielding varieties of crops gives communities easy access to improved seeds. He said efforts are underway at a number of universities, institutes and organisations to make agriculture and farming practices more efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly. The ultimate goal, he said, is to increase crop yields, which will result in a greater quantity of food being produced per area of farm land.

    Chikwendu noted that as farmers get improved commercial opportunities for their crops and processed products, chances of accessing and purchasing improved seeds and other input increase. Sadly, however, he said the percentage of farmers with access to improved seeds in the country is about five per cent, compared to 25 per cent for East Africa and 60 per cent for Asia. This gives concern when agric machinery use is about 10 tractors /1000 hectares compared to 241/1000 hectares in Indonesia, for instance.

    By targeting small farmers, he said the programme intends to change the situation in line with the vision of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda aimed at achieving a hungry-free Nigeria through the agric sector. One approach the programme is taking, he said, is to get community-based seed producers move in to fill the gap. Through this means, the programme will help to increase the availability of improved and quality seed varieties to small scale farmers.

    It will also support the government to open seed markets to private enterprises. Last year, he said WAAPP-Nigeria inaugurated seven private seed firms to provide various quantities of certified maize, rice and sorghum seeds. The firms produced 432.5 Metric Tons (MT) of different improved varieties of maize seeds, 434 MT of various varieties of rice seeds, and 150 MT of improved varieties of sorghum seeds. Out of these, 150.986 MT of maize, 172.25 MT of rice and 15.603 MT of sorghum seeds have been distributed to some farmers in the adopted villages of National Agricultural Institutes (NARIs), universities and Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs).

    WAAPP Nigeria has been funding National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi to produce improved rice breeder and foundational seeds; Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, to produce maize breeder and foundational seeds; Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, to produce maize and sorgum breeder and foundational seeds. He said the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike is producing improved cassava stems and seed yams. Besides, WAAPP, he said, is working with some universities in seed multiplication. The seeds will be introduced by local extension agents to farmers through farmer-managed demonstration plots.

    The Deputy Director, Seeds, Katsina Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Yusuf Abubakar, said improved varieties have become popular among farmers who are impressed by the performance of the improved seedlings hence, they accepted them. He said deployment of improved seeds, backed by the dissemination of innovative agricultural practices, have improved the lot of farmers. For instance, when the programme introduced improved maize, the farmers got over 15 bags for a quarter of an hectare.

    Abubakar said rebuilding rural supply networks and marketing systems is critical to encouraging farmers who have the means and incentives to produce more. The difficulties of transportation mean that out­lying areas are often not covered by private buyers, a problem faced by suppliers of fertilisers, seeds, and other farm inputs as well. For him, expanding private sector involvement in rural marketing and supply activities is a long-term solution.

    Programme Manager, Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme, Mr. Onyema Nwodo said the adoption of improved varieties by farmers has brought relief to those who face poor harvest. He said the fortunes of farmers have improved in terms of increased crop productivity as a result of using new maize varieties. So, an increase in yields can have effects on livelihoods. Nwodo said the challenge, however, is lack of proper storage drums to eliminate losses to weevils and vermin. He said the government needs to train groups to store their improved seed varieties. He noted that “seed production is a serious business, which needs proper planning to make good quality seeds available to farmers at affordable prices”.

    WAAPP is also working with scientists and agronomists to develop high yielding seeds that are also more nutritious and drought and climate resilient. The Head, Rice Research, NCRI, Dr. Myimaorga Abo, said the institute has achieved success in producing rice, soyabeans, beni-seeds and sesame seeds with higher yields. He said the institute is working with high-yield varieties that are suitable to the country’s climate.

    Abo added that the sector should apply science and technology to agricultural problems to get solutions quickly. For him, good seeds are not just the driving force behind good harvests to eliminate poverty and hunger, it’s the foundation for rapid economic growth. For farmers to improve their livelihoods and increase their income, he said the sector needs to ensure simple science such as improved seeds is available to people. “If we do not get our acts together, the continent will be left behind,” he warned.

    He said the programme has supported the development of new seed varieties and the commercialisation of over 200 firms. The challenge however, is how to address the gap between the released varieties and the commercialised ones.

    Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu thanked WAAPP for hosting the meeting. Aliyu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, said the state has 10 per cent of the arable land in the country, adding that it has water bodies that would add aqua culture. The governor stressed the need for mechanisation, saying that less than one per cent of fish farmers has access to facilities to dry their fish. He therefore, solicited the support of the private sector for the programme, saying that the state had allocated 50,000 hectares to Dangote Group to cultivate rice in the state. He assured WAAPP of government’s support to make the programme a success.

    The meeting was attended by chief executives of some Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs). Others are the Agricultural Research Institutes and the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).

  • Akpabio: Abiola watered seeds of democracy

    Akpabio: Abiola watered seeds of democracy

    Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State yesterday paid tribute to the late politician and business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, saying “he watered the seeds of democracy we are enjoying today”.

    The governor debunked, for the umpteenth time, that he rigged election in favour of a member of the National Assembly.

    He noted that what was often referred to as rigging was a pre-primaries consultation and preparation of a suitable aspirant, which was done to protect the interest of the people of Ini and Ikono local governments of the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, who are in the minority with only two councils.

    Akpabio spoke at the 20th anniversary of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election organised by the June 12 Movement at the Ikeja home of the Abiolas. It was chaired by an Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

    Represented by his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, the governor said he needed to clear the wrong impression “because of the campaign of calumny against me and to put the record straight on what happened before the senatorial election in my state. I did not rig any election. In fact, I have never and will never rig any election because I am a product of free and fair elections, which Chief Abiola stood, fought and died for.”

    Akpabio said: “Abiola paid the supreme price. He died so that we may live and savour the joy of a free people. Freedom, which is concomitant with democracy, is not negotiable. It is an inalienable right of every human being. That was what Abiola fought and died for and we must not allow that death to be in vain. We must continue to engage our leaders until our collective dignity as a people is fully realised and restored.”

    He went on: “Because democracy cannot be said to have thrived without its fruits, which are democracy dividends, my administration in the last six years did its best to live MKO Abiola’s dream of a better society for Nigerians by turning around the living conditions of my people for good”.