Jonathan commends youth response to agriculture under his administration

 NaijaAgroNet

President Goodluck Jonathan has described as unprecedented youth response to agriculture under his administration, saying that such response to agricultural initiatives is one of the successes of his government, NaijaAgroNet  reports.

NaijaAgroNet learnt this much at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) swearing-in ceremony for the 2015 Batch 'A' ‎Stream I corps members, deployed to Lagos State, at the NYSC Orientation Camp , in Iyana-Ipaja.

Represented by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Jonathan stated that his administration has put in place many beneficial interventions, which have increased the skills, self-confidence and self-sufficiency available to the youth, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

"I'm particularly delighted with the unprecedented youth response to Agriculture," he said.
"Now, across the country, in cultivation, aquaculture, processing, packaging: all along the value chain, our youth are rediscovering their potential, making adequate incomes and producing more food, with modern, exciting techniques, and equipment."

Jonathan, NaijaAgroNet also said that his government has shown committed support for the NYSC scheme which has exposed millions of youths to the cultures and traditions of Nigeria's pluralistic society and hoped that the "next government will continue to support and encourage corps members.”

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NAGGW endorsed by President Jonathan Administration

NaijaAgroNet

In a efforts at improvingagriculture and increase environmental sustainability in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan has approve the upgrade of the great Green wall Programme implementation Unit (GGW/PIU) to become an independent agency reports NaijaAgroNet.

This is as a result to tackle the issue of Nigeria losing about 2,168qKM of its fertile land almost every year to desertification and putting the lives of many in jeopardy.

Desertification as gathered by NaijaAgroNet had radically affected the value of life in the northern part of Nigeria, and also had resulted in high levels of migration, instability, impacting negatively on the social fabric of the North and confining them to a future of small output, limited economic growth and marginalization.

Research by NaijaAgroNet showed that Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava with an output of over 45 million metric tonnes in 2014 according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Mr. Goni Ahmed who is an agricultural scientist and respected environmentalist, has called on stakeholders to support the Great Green Wall Programme thus to deliver dividends to Nigerians as the support and assistance from stakeholders would guarantee the desertification frightening the northern region was brought under control.

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Nigeria targets 1,200 agro-equipment hiring centres - Jonathan

NaijaAgroNet:

The Federal Government of Nigeria is targeting 1,200 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centres (AEHCs) by end of 2016, says President Goodluck Jonathan, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking to NaijaAgroNet recently in Abuja, the nation’s capital, at the launch of Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), President Jonathan also disclosed that before December 31, 2014 some 80 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs) will spring up.

He explained that AEHEs launch by his leadership is motivated to pave the way for the future agriculture programme pleasant to the youth generation who will see agriculture as business and devoid of undue hardwork will adequate fruit for their labour and as part of effort by Federal Government to mechanize agriculture.

Jonathan also explained that AEHEs is a private sector driven programme that will provide mechanized services for farmers across the country. 

“While over the next two years, a total of 1,200 of the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centers would be established across the nation,” he said. 

To achieve the drive to encourage young commercial farmers, Jonathan told NaijaAgroNet, concerted effort must be made to take the hoes and cutlasses away from the farms and replace them with tractors and mechanized equipment. 

“The Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), which I am flagging off today, will further change the face of Nigeria’s agriculture. YEAP has been designed to create a new generation of 750,000 young commercial farmers and agribusiness leaders (Nagropreneurs) that will make Nigeria’s agriculture more efficient, profitable and competitive. They will become the CEOs of their own farms and agribusinesses, create jobs in the rural areas and reverse the trend of high rural to urban migration. They will help to change the mindset of the younger generation on agriculture,” he declared.

These Nagropreneurs, President Jonathan said, will become models and champions for our newly launched National Agriculture Schools Initiative, as they project to younger school children, the image of agriculture as an attractive and wealth creating sector. 

 
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Nigeria ready to reclaim position on global cocoa industry

Dr Akin Adesina

Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akin Adesina, has expressed readiness of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to reclaim its position on global cocoa industry.

Addressing participants at the 23^rd partnership forum organised by the World Cocoa Foundation in Washington DC, United States of America, last Wednesday on theme “Meeting Tomorrow’s Demand: Productivity, Quality, and Farmers’ Livelihoods,” Dr. Adesina told stakeholders how Nigeria is “developing a sustainable vehicle built on a public-private partnership platform to coordinate the whole cocoa sector that will be public sector-enabled but private sector-driven with all stakeholders playing active role.”

To demonstrate the commitment of Nigeria in developing the cocoa industry, the minister disclosed the plans on rehabilitation of “200,000 hectares over the next four years through an aggressive plan developed in partnership with private sector to provide employment for skilled professionals called ‘Professional Cocoa Doctors and Grafters’ over the next five years who would be able to deploy their skills to earn a decent living and rehabilitate at least 200,000 ha cocoa farms in Nigeria.”

According to the special assistant on media to the Minister, Dr. Oyeleye Olukayode in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet, Dr. Adesina was quoted as saying, “with the support of MARS Incorporated, some personnel were sent to Indonesia to study Indonesia’s impressive cocoa plantation rehabilitation strategy.”

He also said the Nigerian Cocoa Investment Plan aligns with the theme of this partnership meeting very important to consider how to improve productivity, quality and livelihood to meet the growing demand for cocoa products estimated to reach some 5.0 million MT in 2020, some additional 1.0 million MT to the current cocoa beans output. 

Adesina outlined major problems militating against progress in cocoa business in Nigeria, to include production: practices, productivity, environment, labour, youth engagement; poverty issue; access to credits; market exposures; price volatility; land tenure; environmental issue; social issues such as  labour and migration. 

As said by him, despite these challenges, Nigeria still see a great opportunity in the face of emerging realities of the global cocoa economy.

“That is why we have put in place a Cocoa Transformation Agenda (The CocTA PLAN) with a vision of ‘Growing Nigeria’s Share of the World Cocoa market,” he assured.

Team leader for the Nigerian cocoa transformation agenda, Mr. Peter Aikpokpodion, noted that entrepreneurship in cocoa programme, hitherto lacking in Nigeria, is now being emphasised, as government is working towards facilitating stakeholders to recognise agriculture and cocoa production as business.

For the chief executive officer, Cocoa Products (Ile Oluji) Ltd, Akin Olusuyi, said that the federal government has been doing a lot to improve the cocoa economy under the present administration.

“We need to create institutions within a legal framework, within an act of parliament. We need to re-orientate the players in a cocoa value chain. We cannot develop the cocoa economy if all we do is produce for export. Cocoa plantations need to be seen as business, going beyond members of family, to generate wealth,” he advised.

Also speaking, Richard Rogers of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, advised that “work in cocoa has to be government-enabled and private sector-driven. Various players have to figure out what our roles are, how to work together collaboratively and what the opportunities are for the smallholders.”

Remmy Nweke/NaijaAgroNet 
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