Kaduna women, youths train on bull husbandry

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

A two-week training has been mapped out for the training of women and youths by Kaduna State in bull husbandry by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) in collaboration with office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and College of Agriculture and Animal Science in Kaduna

Funding for the training was from the MDGs office to provide skills in fattening of cattle for the women and youths in the state, as gathered by NaijaAgroNet.

Opening the training, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistic in the Ministry, Umar Farouk Hussaini decried Nigerian's reliance on imported food, stressing that the training was part of Federal Government's desire to build the capacity of 8,000 youths and women in various agricultural fields including fishery, cassava production, animal husbandry and poultry.

"Whatever we are providing here is a starter pack to the participants as something they should use to get a take-off in their lives. At the end of the training, bulls and feeds among others will be distributed to the participants to start with and sell later on when they are fattened," he said,

Provost of College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Dr Balarabe Jahun informed NaijaAgroNet that Nigeria spends over $5.2 billion annually on food importation, which is equivalent to 48 per cent of the country's total gross income.

He lamented that if the citizens of any nation no matter how rich they may depends on food importation the country  will still remain in a poor state and that is the situation in Nigeria.

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Canada invests N469m in Nigeria vegetable research

  

Anthony NwakaeghoNaijaAgroNet

Canadian authorities have invested the sum of $2.9 million, about N469 million into the Nigerian research project for the “sustainable production and utilization of underutilized Nigerian vegetables.”

The research study according to NaijaAgroNet findings is funded by the International Department of Research Centre (IDRC) and Canadian International Food and Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) in collaboration with the University of Manitoba and Cape Breton University, all based in Canada.

Also, the research which commenced after the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Osun State University, Osogbo, has been extended to Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States respectively.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the research is on six high premium underutilized vegetables that has nutritional value and abound in the South West Nigeria.

The essence of the research is to clearly define the agronomic practices, nutritional and economic value of the vegetables for the benefit of the farmers in Nigeria.

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Dansa votes N9.2m for energy food plant

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Dansa Group, a subsidiary of Dangote Group of the Companies has voted the sum of £36m about N9,183,250,000 billion for the establishment of Africa’s largest  energy food plant in Nigeria,

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina made this known toNaijaAgroNet in New York, stressing that the President, Dansa Group, Mr. Sanni Dangote, announced it at the meeting of a High Level World Advisory Group in New York.

The minister also said that the world leaders were excited about the country’s agricultural transformation agenda which is meant to diversify the nation’s economy.

“Already, Bill Gates is spending millions of dollars in Nigeria supporting this agenda, the African Development Bank is putting in $500m (N79, 655,500,000). So, this is about monitoring in Nigeria, giving it a push. Bill Gates said today that what Nigeria is doing in agriculture is extraordinary. And Kofi Annan said that what Nigeria is doing here makes it a leader in agriculture already in Africa; so, this is a further validation that Nigeria is on the right track,” he said.

Notable  world leaders  at the  meeting NaijaAgroNet learnt include the Chairman, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates; a former United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan; President, International Fund for Agriculture Development, Dr. Kanayo Nwanze; and  President, African Development Bank, Dr. Donald Kaberuke.

 *With additional report from Punch

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RSPO builds capacity for stakeholders on palm oil

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Solidaridad West Africa and Proforest Initiative (UK) have consolidated on their alliance with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) by supporting an awareness raising and programme in a two-day Africa Roadshow event in Nigeria.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that RSPO which is the Nigeria National Interpretation Initiative organised the event to raise awareness and build capacity among key stakeholders on the best practices contained in the RSPO, in addition to creating an enabling environment for the uptake of the RSPO standard.

Major stakeholders in the palm oil supply chain that were present at the event included growers/millers, processors, manufacturers/end-users, associations and NGOs/environmentalists, financial sector, development agencies, state governments, federal ministries and government parastatals and so on.

In his welcome speech,the Facilitator, RSPO Initiative in Nigeria, Mr. FataiAfolablsaid the event was to create more awareness and build capacity among the stakeholders in the oil palm supply chain.

Afolabi noted that RSPOrequires oil palm producing countries to develop their respective National Interpretation of the RSPO principles and criteria, and if Nigeria would aspire to rise back to the number one position, it has to develop its oil palm industry on sustainable and globally acceptable principles.

He said that players in the consumption of oil palm products across the globe have set 2015 as deadline for investors in the agro-sector to have their products certify.

Currently, NaijaAgroNet gathered  RSPO is delivered via a set of eight principles and 37 criteria thatis subject to reviewing every five years, while Ms Audrey Versteengen and Mr. Isaac Abban-Mensan of Proforest and Dr. Harrie Hendricks of Solidaridad, conducted the capacity building programme for the stakeholders at the road show.

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Marketing agricultural products pose challenges-Minister

      Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The absence of market information systems, poor farm level storage, poor rural roads and lack of warehouses still pose as challenges to the marketing of agricultural products.

This assertion was made by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,MrAdewunmiAdesina during the recent  concluded conference of the Guild of Editors in Nigeria in Asaba, Delta State,  where he said that regardless whether it is crops, livestock or fisheries, the marketing of agricultural products pose challenges, as post harvest losses can be  high as 45 per cent for some agricultural commodities, especially perishables such as onions, tomatoes, fruits and horticulture product.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has completed a total of 10 new silos for strategic food reserves within one year and had expanded the silos capacity from 260,000 MT in 2011 to 1.3 million metric tons by 2012 which is a 400 per cent increase.

The Minister said that the silos are being provided under concessions to the private sector, for the establishment of world-class agricultural commodity exchanges.

Adesina said that one of the largest manufacturers of warehouses in the world, Blumberg Grains, has signed an agreement with the Ministry to invest $250 million in Nigeria as a regional hub for the manufacture and supply of modern warehouses to West African countries. 

He explained that infrastructure is which is also critical for Nigeria to become an agriculturally industrialized nation is being tackled through the establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones, which are agro- industrial clusters, where food-manufacturing plants will be located by the private sector.

“These zones will be provided with integrated infrastructure support including power, water and roads to lower the costs of doing business. From these agro-industrial zones, processed foods, fish and livestock products will move into our urban areas. Finally, our farmers will be fully connected to markets.

“To complete the connection of our farmers to markets, we are establishing marketing corporations to coordinate all the agricultural commodity value chains in the country. They will perform market coordination functions like the former marketing boards, except that they will now be run efficiently by the private sector,” he said. 

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Pix: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Dev, MrAdewunmiAdesina

FG agricultural incentive expands rice production - Study

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The implementation of the Federal Government’s incentives on agriculture, otherwise known as Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) has led to the expansion of rice production and changed perception that local rice is ‘inferior’ rice with stones and unsavoury odour.

Investigations by NaijaAgroNet revealed that in response to government policy and incentives for rice, 14 large-scale integrated rice mills were established by the private sector in two years, producing international quality long-grained parboiled rice.

The rice which is said to be in the market are well-packaged, long grained parboiled local rice, from Kano (Umza rice), Ebonyi (Ebony rice), Benue State (Mikap rice), are tastier and healthier than imported rice which are often 15 years old rice dumped on the Nigerian market. 

It was further revealed that, Dominion Farms, a foreign investor, has invested $40 million (N6442, 000,000) in a commercial rice farm, and 30,000 ha field, including community out-grower farms in Taraba State would hit the market in 2014. Olam has expanded its rice cultivation by 10,000 ha, in response to the policy incentives by the government. 

Lagos State Government is said to have recently bought seventeen trailer loads of paddy rice from Kebbi state, to Lagos to mill in the rice mill set up by the Lagos state government instead of importing brown rice from Thailand and India.

NaijaAgroNet discovered that this paddy rice fields in Kebbi has stimulated the economy by adding N37 billion of incomes to farmers in Nigeria, created 467,000 jobs, while Lagos State sells the milled  paddy rice from Kebbi State that has come to be known as Eko rice.

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pix: President Goodluck Jonathan

Agriculture, an information intensive industry-Johnson

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, has acknowledged that agriculture is an information intensive industry.

Speaking in Abuja, recently Mrs. Johnson NaijaAgroNet confirmed that agriculture employs the 

highest number of people, with the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Also, she said, ICT is the fastest growing sector in the economy today with increasing rate of contribution to GDP from 5.3 per cent in 2011 to about 8 per cent in first quarter of 2013.

“At every point in time in the agricultural value chain there can be an application of technology and that varies from information systems including DSS/MSS/GIS etc., ICT-enabled learning and knowledge exchange, modelling solutions, sensory and proximity devices, ICT-enabled networking solutions, online commerce tools (eCommerce/mCommerce),” she said.

Omobola explained that the Federal Government saved N25billion in 2012 through the e-wallet programme of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Growth Enhancement Support Scheme, while Nokia Life which is a Nokia proprietary initiative complements the extension services to farmers as it gives information to farmers on weather, soil and so on.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the Minister that ICTs are becoming the channel by which inputs such as fertilizer are distributed to about 10 million farmers registered in 2012 and the e-wallet programme has helped in making sure that the farmers get these inputs at the right time and in the right quantities.

Based on this fact, it was discovered that ICTs through various interventions had made way for more efficient markets between buyers and sellers both locally and internationally.

However, the CommTech Minister said, that to get the full force of ICT in agriculture the connectivity gap, innovation gap and market gap have to be filled because about 50 per cent of rural population is not connected to any network at all, and  that the ministry is using ICTs to increase the attractiveness of the agric sector. 

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pix:Minister, Communication Technology,Mrs Omobola Johnson

O’Meal progamme boosts pupils’ school enrolment in Osun

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Enrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State Government

Enrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State GovernmentEnrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State Government

The Osun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs) Temitope Ilori revealed this, while speaking at a workshop organised by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in partnership with Quick 

Impact Intervention Programme (QUIIP) on benefits of linkage between small holder farmers, cocoyam off takers and food vendors of O’meal programme.

Ilori commended the State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbosola for fulfilling his promises as contained in the six-point integral action plans of the administration to providing nutrient and proteineous meals for 254,000 public primary school pupils.

NaijaAgroNet discovered that aside the increase in public school enrolment the O’meal programme has improved the pupil’s healthy living in the state through over 3000 community caterers.

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pix:pupils in Osun State

Why youth shun commercial farming - CAPD

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The youths in Nigeria don’t want to take to commercial farming as some of them still see agriculture from the traditional perspective that put manual implements to use, according to the Lagos State Coordinator for Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CAPD) Mr Kehinde O. Ogunyinka.

In an exclusive interview with NaijaAgroNet, and said that the youth that don’t want to go into commercial farming can go into marketing, instead of crying day and night over unemployment.

Ogunyinka explained that the value chain of agriculture is so long from input to land preparation, production, harvest, transportation and the market, that even the old ones can still be engaged, while the cry for unemployment will be greatly reduced if not eliminated.

“As it is today agricultural production has been simplified. We have machineries to clear the forest/bush. 

There are ploughing, hallowing machines that will do the land preparation and the ridgers for ridges, planters to do the planting and combined harvesters that will do the harvesting and processing.

“So we have all these machines along the production line that will make production of any farming activity easy and remove drudgery from the farm. So the youths can be engaged, as the government under the auspices of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative has engaged 400 youths in rice production annually and they are doing well,” he said.

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Ogun engages 1,200 farmers on new Ofada rice farm

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Ogun State Government has made provisions for direct and indirect jobs in order to engage 1,200 farmers in the newly cultivated 100 hectares Ofada rice farm at Shagbon village, Eggua in Yewa Local Government Area of the state, reports BusinessDay.

The Ogun State commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun disclosed this during an inspection tour to the farmland, and said that the project would employ 200 main farmers and at least 1000 farm assistants, while government will provide incentives such as rice seeds, fertilisers, and also buy back the produce after harvest.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the statement of the Commissioner for Agriculture,  that  Ogun State Government will not only be provide the land for the planting of the rice, but would be responsible for provision of  viable rice seeds and other inputs needed to ensure a bumper harvest

Based on the challenge over land clearing faced by the farmers,  she said, the ministry had embarked on clearing and ploughing of the land to be used for planting late maize, short Nerica rice, and then to make way for the Ofada farmers’ rice to be planted  and improved on their production.

In his response during the visit, a representative of the farmers, Azeez Adeniji commended the gesture of state government for the farmland project and pledged the farmers’ commitment to ensure that the farmland succeeds.

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