Nigerian stakeholders get FPMAWG

NaijaAgroNet:

The Nigerian stakeholders have setting up the Family Planning Media Advocacy Working Group (FPMAWG) as part of efforts at advancing their commitments on issues of family planning in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The FPMAWG executive committee includes Chioma Umeha – Chairperson, Angela Onwuzoo - vice chairperson, Mayuwa Adeniran – Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bukola Ajiboye – Secretary, Ijeoma Ukazu - Assistant Secretary, and Appolonia Adeyemi as Financial Secretary.

Setting up the FPMAWG in Lagos, the Associate Director of Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RH/FP) at Pathfinder International office in Nigeria, Dr. Habeeb Salami, defined advocacy as “organized, deliberate, systematic, and strategic process intended to bring about a new or revised social or economic policy or programme.”

He also said that advocacy involves setting of actions undertaken by a group of committed individuals or organizations to introduce change or obtain support for specific policies, programmes, legislation, issues or causes, precisely on Family Planning.

Salami urged FPMAWG to seek to draw and sustain the attention of critical decision makers at national, state and local and community levels on an issue of common interest to an individual, or a group of individuals or organizations, with the goal of getting these issues addressed in a mutually beneficial manner.

FPMAWG, he said, is a group of committed individuals who share a common social, political and economic interest over an issue.

“Willing to work together to change the FP situation,” he said.

Salami equally pointed out that advocacy groups could be very influential, but their influence is informal because they do not hold or control power, but try to influence people who either hold power or who may hold power, such as a candidate for an elective office, to support the positions the group is committed to.

“Advocacy groups are important players in local, state, federal, and even international social economic milieu,” he said, thus as diverse as the people and ideas they represent.

He urged for partnership with like-minded individuals or groups, noted that essentially, FPMAWG should advocate to national and local leaders that Family Planning needs high-level attention and improvements in quality and access.

Therefore, he encouraged FPMAWG to ensure the usage of the power of the media through deploying various platforms.

“Influence and make the political, policy, legal and community environments more suitable for FP,” he said.

Positing that qualities of a good and effective media AWG is predicated on the passion which he described as critical, even as membership is constituted from diverse team who are truly and genuinely committed to FP and willing to push for a change in that direction.

In her acceptance speech, the FPMAWG chairperson, Mrs Chioma Umeha assured stakeholders that her team will be up and doing in contributing their quotas to improved family planning in the country and solicited for support and understanding of all, especially the international partners.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Pix: A cross session of stakeholders at the inaugural meeting.

Novartis Access extends to sixth African country, Nigeria still aloof

NaijaAgroNet:

The Novartis Access has extended portfolio of high-quality medicines targeted at four key non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to the sixth country on the continent of Africa while Nigeria still aloof, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The latest addition being the Republic of Cameroon, just as NaijaAgroNet reports that Novartis Access had landed at Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Pakistan and Uganda before now.

According to Novartis Global Media Relations, Eric Althoff they were pleased to disclosed this in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon after they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement Novartis Access in Cameroon.

The collaboration, NaijaAgroNet also reports include capacity-building activities with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) on community awareness. Initially.

Althoff said, Novartis Access medicines will be made available through CBCHS hospitals and clinics, with the objective to extend the programme to other faith-based organizations across the country.

Novartis Access, NaijaAgroNet gathered, provides a portfolio of high-quality medicines targeting four key non-communicable diseases (NCDs), namely, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and breast cancer. This portfolio covers the world’s most frequently prescribed medicines for chronic diseases.

“Cameroon is increasingly affected by the burden of noncommunicable diseases,” said André Mama Fouda, Minister of Public Health of the Republic of Cameroon. “The government has established prevention and control programs for chronic diseases, and having access to high-quality treatments at low cost is critical to success. This collaboration with Novartis is part of the solution.”

According to the WHO, chronic diseases cause 31% (1) of all deaths every year in Cameroon, and a survey by the CBCHS showed consultations for NCDs at some of their health facilities rose by over 40% between 2011 and 2015 (2).

“We are pleased to help Cameroonian patients better manage their chronic conditions,” said Dr. Harald Nusser, Head of Novartis Social Business. “We believe new approaches such as Novartis Access that bring governments, the private sector and social sector together are needed to expand access to medicines and healthcare delivery.”

Beyond medicines, the collaboration will also offer activities to strengthen healthcare systems in Cameroon, for example by training healthcare professionals on NCD screening, diagnosis and treatment, quality assurance and by providing community education and awareness.

“This month, CBCHS and Novartis will kick off a Know Your Numbers campaign to encourage individuals to know their vital health numbers through community awareness and screenings,” said Prof. Tih Pius Muffih, Director of CBCHS. “Activities such as this campaign are needed to ensure we combat NCDs effectively, thanks to stronger healthcare systems and high-quality medicines.”

The campaign will take place in seven health districts in five regions, reaching a potential population of 1 million people with education and NCD health checks.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

SOS: Ethiopia farmers need $10m to provide seeds

NaijaAgroNet:

In less than five weeks to the main cropping season in Ethiopia, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for urgent funding to the tune of $10 million, to help farmers sow their fields and prevent drought-hit areas of the country from falling deeper into hunger and food insecurity, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to FAO, if seeds are not delivered in time, help will be too late to secure a decent harvest from the imminent meher season, which produces 85 per cent of the nation's food supply.

FAO also said that while the food security situation is worsening, the overall funding response to the crisis has so far been disappointing, with just 15 percent of FAO's 2016 appeal for Ethiopia covered.

"The meher season will be critical to improving families' food security and self-sufficiency in 2016. Seed distributions allowing farmers to plant crops and produce food must be a humanitarian priority," said the agency's country representative Amadou Allahoury Diallo, stressing that decreasing dependence on external humanitarian assistance will diminish the costs of food aid.

Therefore, FAO said, some $10 million is needed within the next two weeks to distribute seeds to Ethiopian families at risk of hunger and losing their livelihoods.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that about 10.2 million people in Ethiopia are food insecure following successive crop failures and widespread livestock deaths caused by the El Niño-induced drought since early 2015. With this year's delayed and erratic spring rains, the situation may become worse in the most affected areas, particularly in the north.

Even as Ethiopia's government has already dedicated considerable resources to the El Niño response and is working closely with FAO to help ramp up joint efforts.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Grazing reserves: Yoruba youths ask southerners ‘Go and defend your lands’

NaijaAgroNet:

A socio-political organisation, Yoruba Youth Council, has rejected the agitation for grazing reserves for Fulani cattle rearers across the country, with a call on Southerners to go and defend their lands against external aggressors, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The group also condemned the recent atrocities of Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the South West and Enugu State, warning that it was an ominous signal that Fulani want to declare war against Southern Nigeria.

The position of YYC was contained in a communique signed by its President, Eric Oluwole and Publicity Secretary, Oladeinde 'Dare, after its emergency meeting held in Lagos but distributed to political correspondents on Monday in Abuja.

The group specifically called on "all members of the National Assembly representing the Yoruba people to ensure that the bill on grassing reserve die on its arrival."

The communique reads:

"We considered the position of the Northern governors and their leaders on the criminal display of their Fulani Herdsmen as an attestation to the colonisation agenda of the Fulani people on the southerners.

"The violent activities of the Fulani herdsmen that had led to the kidnap of notable Yoruba leaders like chief Olu Falae and their previous attack of Yoruba communities in Oke Ogun, Oyo state and the Imeko/Ipokai in Ogun state, without a feasible solution from government is a pointer that the Hausa/Fulani are momentrically mongering for war against the southerners as it was manifested in the recent attack of innocent and armless citizens in Enugu state.

"The planned grassing reserves by the Federal Government is a poly to impose the Fulani oligarchy agenda on the entire nation which aims at taking over our land through back door to further empower the Fulanis. If not, why is it that their echo is loudest when President Muhammadu Buhari, their kinsman is enthroned in the country?

"We state that we shall resist any incursion or attempt by the Fulani herdsmen and their sponsors to forcefully rear their cattle in any part of Yoruba speaking states including the territorial boundaries, if adequate and workable measures are not given.

"We however calling on our fellow southern brothers to ignore the disintegrative statement made by the Northern Governors, but to be more vigilant and focussed to ensure their lands and territory are properly defended.

"While we are reiterating our support for the stance of Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi that there is no land for grassing reserve in Oyo state, we are calling on all members of the National Assembly representing the Yoruba people to ensure that the bill on grassing reserve die on its arrival."

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Farmers urged to embrace corporatives, technologies

NaijaAgroNet:

Bank of Industry (BoI) has urged Nigerian farmers to embrace corporatives and technologies to boost agric-business development in the country, especially cassava so as to make it profitable, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Managing Director, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, represented by Group Head, Agro Processing Unit of BOI, Mrs. Kadafa Lolo Ruth made this call at a one-day stakeholders consultative meeting in Lagos.

BOI also noted that lots of farmers are individualistic and seldom come together as a team to have a registered corporative or association which could enable them to access loans from financial institutions.

“Many farmers come to the Bank of Industry to seek for loans but they do not have any tractable sales record or evidence of market sales, they cannot present convincing workable proposals or a clear thought-out business frame work that could enable them secure loans,” Olaoluwa said.

He, therefore, charged farmers to integrate and collaborate with like-minds, utilize technological tool to improve the quality of the produce and package them as premium brands that consumers will be willing to pay for.

Equally speaking at occasion, Sales Director for Bosch West Africa, Mr. Francis Omoniyi said, “Bosch will be giving one year free service maintenance to customers that purchase any of their tools and educate them on how to fully utilize the equipment” stressing that Bosch wants to assist in boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by structuring agric business via capacity building.

 

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Ailing economy: Aregbesola, Ajimobi identify agriculture as panacea

NaijaAgroNet:

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his Oyo State counterpart, Senator Abiola Ajimobi have urged Nigerians to see agriculture as a better alternative to oil in the resuscitation of the country's ailing economy.

‎
The Governors stated this in their separate speeches during the seventh Annual Lecture of Nigeria Association of Muslim Law Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun.

The duo noted that agriculture remains the largest employer of labour hence the need for individuals and government at all levels to encourage agriculture in a bid to revamp the dwindling economic fortune of Nigeria.

Aregbesola said since oil has been selling for less than $40 for the past months, it is quite predictable that the figures for November, when it is ready, would have dropped again.
‎
The Governor comparing the present situation when Osun collected N55.8 million to 2013 when the average  money distributed to states from the federation accounts was in excess of N800 billion, said Osun’s average allocation then was N3.6 billion.

According to him, "While our monthly wage bill is N3.6billion, the highest amount we have received this year alone was N2.1 billion. It went as low as N466 million in April while the figure for September was N55 million.

"Don’t think this is a problem for the states alone. The Federal Government under the last PDP administration had to borrow N476 billion from commercial banks to pay salaries of some of its workers (not all) for the last four months of that better forgotten tenure.”

Governor Ajimobi who was the Guest Speaker spoke on a topic titled "State Financing and Over-dependence on Oil: Issues and challenges"  identified a number of factors responsible for the on-going financial crisis in the country.

He called for true federalism as being practiced in advanced countries of the world, saying it is abnormal in any true federalism for any tier to be financially incapacitated as being experienced in the country.

Ajimobi stated that out of the 36 states in the federal structure, not as many as five could survive without federal allocation, saying apart from Rivers, Lagos, Enugu, Delta, Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Bayelsa State, which have tried to balance their budgets since creation, all the other States have had to depend more on Federal Government for survival.

He said, "Ordinarily, states are supposed to make use of their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for recurrent expenditure while statutory allocations are to take care of capital expenditure; but the reverse is pathetically the case currently.

"The current scenario whereby IGR and statutory allocation combined are not sufficiently for states to meet their financial obligations is indeed unfortunate. This has resorted to a situation whereby most states cannot generate the required funds needed to pay workers' salaries.

"Government at the centre is currently assigned 52.68 percent of Federation Account revenues, including 7.5 percent of the account originally earmarked for "Special" projects like the development of the Federal Capital Territory and the amelioration of national ecological emergencies.

"The state and the localities, on the other hand, respectively get 26.72 and 20.60 percent of Federation Account revenues. Nonetheless, over-dependence on oil has made nonsense of this Allocation Formula and what is allocated to each tier except the Federal Government.

"The problem of this heavy dependence on the oil sector, started as far back as 1992 when global crude oil prices started fluctuating from $18.4 to $61 per barrel in 2006 and reached $115.05 per barrel by June 2014. Beyond these latent facts, bureaucratic and political corruption combined have crippled a number of states financially" he lamented.

Ajimobi said the agricultural sector that has been neglected for long on what he described as "black gold" should be revamped to enhance food security, reduce importation of food items and engage able-bodied citizens who are presently either out rightly unemployed or under-employed.

He implored the students to imbibe the spirit of positive leadership qualities by joining the train of development as they explore technology positively to advance in the current and future world.

  

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Power generation exceeds 4,000mw in Nigeria

NaijaAgroNet:

Federal Government of Nigeria may have exceeded 4,000 mega watts (mw) which saw to increase in power supply to homes, offices and business across the country, according to the Kande Daniel, special adviser, media and communication to the minister of power, Prof. Chinedu Ositadimma Nebo, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A press statement endorsed by Kande Daniel and sighted by NaijaAgroNet informed that after grid information was released last weekend, Nigeria’s generation capacity has gone up in excess of 4,000mw to 4,105.90mw as at last Tuesday.

Daniel further revealed a breakdown of how generated capacity was shared, with the industrial nerve-centre Lagos and environs getting the highest, a maximum load totaling 985.0mw, while the maximum load allocated to Abuja through Katampe and Gwagwalada power line was 410.80mw.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that Nigeria’s generation capacity as at mid last week stood at 3,795.30mw.

“The latest grid information has dismissed insinuations in some sections of the media that power generation dropped to less than 2,000mw,” Daniel declared.

Pointing out to NaijaAgroNet that the general view since mid-last week suggests that many households now enjoy enhanced power supply in their domains.

The ministry went on to assure on government’s resolve to consolidate efforts at removing all bottlenecks to sufficient power supply.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology
Photo: Chinedu Nebo, power minister

Explore investment in Palm Produce – Jonathan

NaijaAgroNet:

The President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has called on investors both at home and abroad to explore investments in the Palm produce in the country, NaijaAgroNet reports.

President Jonathan made this call recently while declaring open the first International Palm Produce Conference (IPPC) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

He said investors could explore available opportunities in palm produce industry in Nigeria by taking advantage of investment friendly climate and various incentives that have been put in place by the present administration.

The 3-Day conference which was jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) has as its theme “Investment in oil palm and its derivatives, a panacea for economic growth and sustenance”

In his address, delivered by the Hon. Minister of State for  industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, President Jonathan pointed out that the aim of the landmark conference was to bring together global stakeholders to share ideas on new technological development and ways of improving the quality and availability of palm produce in order to maximize the growing investment opportunities in both domestic and international palm produce trade.

Also, a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet by the Director, Press at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Bolaji Kazeem, the Minister of State was quoted as saying that President expressed satisfaction with the timing of the conference because, it was holding at a time when the government has put in place all necessary policies to create enabling environment and framework for sustainable business and economic growth in agriculture commodities such as the oil palm where we have significant comparative advantage.

 “As one of our cardinal goals under the Transformation Agenda, we are unrelenting in our effort to explore and unlock the enormous potentials of our agriculture. We are doing this through the rapid transformation of key agriculture value chains in order to meet our objective of adding additional 20 million metric tonnes of food to the domestic supply by 2015 and stimulate the creation of over 3.5 million jobs along the agriculture value chains,” he said.

Further, President  Jonathan noted that his government has identified oil palm as one of the important commodities and key drivers to promote and has intensified  efforts to provide enabling environment to accomplish this task.

He pointed out that Nigeria is an oil palm producing nation and was a foremost producer and exporter especially in the fifties and sixties, when the nation dominated the palm produce industry and became world largest producer and marketer between 1961 and 1965 contributing an average world production share of 39 percent. He regretted that we allowed this position to slip out of our hands.

Reassuring investors, he said his administration has resolved to return to the former glorious level of performance which is part of our overall commitment towards embarking on the sustainable expansion of the area under cultivation, promoting the replacement of semi wild grove with improved planting material, upgrading the quality and number of palm oil mills and vegetable oil refineries in the country, and expanding our domestic and international market outreach.

He commended the government and the people of Akwa Ibom state, his excellencies the Governor of Akwa Ibom state and  the Governors of Palm oil producing states, government agencies, corporate bodies and international partners for various contributions towards the successful hosting of the conference.

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

C.A.R: FAO warns on potential food security crisis

NaijaAgroNet:

The continuous security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is giving the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) some nightmares, hence it warned on the potential food security crisis in the country.

NaijaAgroNet reports that FAO says that despite security challenges in half of the prefectures, farmers in the Central African Republic are counting on the next agriculture season to restore their food production capacity to avoid risks of famine and malnutrition.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that since last year when they had to flee the violence, farming communities had to abandon their fields along the main roads to replant deep in the bush.

This disruption, experts say has led them to produce much less than previous years with a major impact on their food reserves that will last till February instead of July 2014.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that FAO of the United Nations is already working to provide farmers with seeds and tools for the next campaign however more funds are needed for the food security component of the 100-day response plan.

According to NaijaAgroNet, the initial assessments conducted in the past weeks indicated a deteriorating situation in terms of low food stocks, widespread disruption to village food markets and a lack of purchasing power overall among other issues.

Acting FAO Representative in the Central African Republic, Alexis Bonte, who recently visited Bossangoa revealed to NaijaAgroNet that the combination of food shortages and poor sanitary conditions in the camps and deep in the bush, as well as extreme poverty, risk triggering serious malnutrition.

The success of the next planting season Bonte noted is crucially hinging on the return of farming families to the fields, stressing that families who are unable to plant in March will have to wait one whole year before they could hope to harvest again.

“Failure to help these families will have dramatic consequences on the food security for a quarter of the Central African population. The low production perceived from the last harvest coupled with a prevailing situation of chronic country-wide malnutrition is setting the stage for a full scale food and nutrition security crisis should the next planting season fail, reports the Organization today,” FAO official said.

Ayo Omidele/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

Asonye laments cost of rice productions, lauds CADP intervention

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

An Ofada rice farmer and the Chief Executive Officer of Chileo Farms, Mrs Chinasa  Asonye has decried the cost of rice production in the country.

Speaking to NaijaAgroNet at the 2013 forum organised by the Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP) under the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, in an exclusive interview, Mrs. Asonye noted that the cost of rice production posed a lot of challenges to the farmers in Lagos State, until the intervention of the CADP through the provision of equipment and other incentives. 

She said at the event with theme ”Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria” that despite farmers do not have enough land, CADP intervention to crop has helped to cut down cost to where it is now.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from her that the rice farmers produce once a year and gather all that they have to sell and after that they begin to look for where they can buy.

She called on government to intervene in the area of irrigation, fertilizer, equipment for winnowing the rice, planting the rice.

She explained that the Ofada rice farmers were packaging on their own which increased the cost, until CADP came with the intervention of sponsoring and packaging the rice for the farmers.

“There is nothing like one going into food business because without food you will not be able to satisfy everybody. People should venture in any business about food and agriculture no matter how small they produce; they must always sell to satisfy other people,” Chileo CEO explained.

She told NaijaAgroNet that her product and that of other Ofada rice producers are not in the market because they have limited market and says that they don’t have enough to get into the market, but only supply to people that want it.

“We are clamouring for more campaign so that the campaign for awareness by the media can work. We need more land for farming because it takes a lot especially this red rice that I specialise in producing. The red rice is the short and stunted, brownish in colour from Abeokuta. A lot of people like it, but its more expensive than the Agasa rice which is the long green rice. There are 270specie of Ofada rice so it depends on the one you want to specialise.

“I specialised in red rice and the CADP has helped us with land, winnowing machines and inputs like fertiliser, while we only provide the labour. The CADP intervention has helped, and that is why we can cut down cost. If we do everything by ourselves, consumes of the Ofada rice cannot buy it at N300. They will buy it at almost N800 per kilogramme, so we build in all these cost,” she said.

NaijaAgroNet was informed by Chinasa that her red packaged Ofada rice are in 500kg,1kg and 50kg in bags and the prices are N300 for 500kg, I kg is N600 respectively.

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

Flour Mills invest in large-scale commercial agriculture

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

In line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration the nation’s agricultural sector received a boost from the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, as the company began investing in large-scale commercial farming of different crops across the country.

The Group Managing Director, Flour Mills Mr Paul Gbededo made the disclosure at the company’s 53rd annual general meeting, and said that as the country is diversifying away from oil, agriculture is now seen as the next frontier to grow the nation’s economy.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the company in keeping with its focus on vertical integration of agro –allied business has invested in the cultivation of 2,000 hectares of maize, 1,000 hectares of soybean, 1,000 hectares of cassava and 50 hectares of sorghum in its 10,000 hectares Kaboji Farm near Kontagora, Niger State.

Gbededo said that the company’s achievement during the financial year ended March 31, 2013, includes the acquisitions of Thai Farm International Company Ltd, a leading cassava flour processing company, and ROM Oil Mills, an integrated edible oil processing company.

According to him, Thai Farm in Ososa, Ogun State has proven to be one of the two leading suppliers of high quality cassava flour (HQCF) to flour millers in Nigeria under the cassava flour inclusion initiative of the Federal Government.

He explained that the company with its focus on joint venture possibilities, acquisitions, mergers and take-over is planning to  engage reputable partners to grow and consolidate on its agro-allied business in line with Federal Government‘s agricultural and industrial transformation agenda.

“We are growing our food business. We are also expanding into the agro-allied space and we think we will be able to add more value to the country. We are still restructuring. We are consolidating. We are looking for areas to create and add value, not only to our stakeholders, but also the Nigerian populace,” he said.

The Company Secretary and Director, Olalekan Saliu, said the company effort is in the direction of food security in the country by growing soya beans, cassava, sorghum and sugar cane on the 17,000 hectares of land in Sunti, Niger State.

NaijaAgroNet
... Linking agrobiz, people & technology