Edo engages youths in rubber cultivation

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The Edo State government is planning to engage youths in rubber plantation as part of its effort to boost rubber production, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Edo State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Abdul Oroh disclosed this in Benin and said that investors had indicated interest to invest between N1 billion to N1.5 billion in replanting at the Urhonigbe Rubber Plantation.

NaijaAgroNet learnt from Oroh that the state has to develop new skills to train some people to be able to develop the skill in rubber production because almost 99 per cent of all those tapping rubber in Urhonigbe rubber estate are from Delta State and other states such as Cross River.

It also noted that the plan is to produce extension personnel that will be engaged in the cultivations of about 15,000 new hectares annually for the next 10 years, promote research being done at Rubber Research Institute at Iyanomoh, and to support nurseries production of modern seedlings of high yielding clones.

Oroh explained that it will provide employment, industrial raw materials, improve government’s revenue and the nation’s trade balance and also encourage introduction of high yielding clones that are not locally available at the moment.

*With additional report from BusinessDay

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pix Edo State Gov.Adams Oshiomhole

Lagos allays fear over meat consumption

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Lagos state government has debunked reports that meats from Oko-Oba abattoir are risky and unsafe for consumption due to unhygienic environment.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prince Gbolahan Lawal a press release made available to NaijaAgro Net refuted the allegation that 4,000 cattle 10,000 sheep and goat, 500 pigs and 10 camels slaughtered daily across the state could lead to outbreak of diseases and epidemic in the state .

Lawal described the allegation as unfounded and capable of misinforming the general public as there are veterinary officers who are qualified Doctors and animal Health workers at the various slaughter slabs across the state who ensure  that the animals slaughtered are of good health and safe for consumption.

 He stated that the animal hospital at Oko-Oba is well equipped with necessary equipment and also serves a referral centre.

While reiterating government effort at ensuring that only the certified wholesome meat is allowed to be circulated, he enjoined residents to patronise only the approved slaughter slabs in the state.

NaijaAgroNet noted from Lawal that the ministry is prepared to clamp down on illegal abattoir  to avert incidence of diseased infested animals.

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Allocate 10% of budget to agric research- CASON

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The Coordinator, Agribusiness and Youths Empowerment of Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON), Mr Sotonye Anga has called on the Federal Government to devote 10 per cent of the national budget to boost the capacity of research institutes towards the development of the agriculture sector, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Anga gave the charge at the presentation of his paper titled “New Path to Wealth: Micro and Small Scale Food Processing in Africa,” at the 29th Omolayole management lecture series in Lagos and stressed that government need to spend money in the sector in order to allow it add value to the lives of the people.

“I am worried how far our agriculture can go with budget allocation of less than three per cent of national budget allotted to agriculture. Let me state clearly that it will not be out of place to give at least 10 percent of our national budget beginning with 2014 to agriculture and maintain this trend for the next 10 years. This is the way to go if we are serious about accelerating development in the sector,” he said.

He called for more efforts to ensure that lending to the agricultural sector is on a single digit interest rate and said that “you will kill our farmers when you lend to them at 26 percent per annum.”

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EU seeks business partnership with Nigeria agric sector

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Indications have emerged that businesses of European Union (EU) origin are poised to seeking more business opportunities and partnerships in Nigeria, especially in the agricultural sector, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwunmi Adesina confirmed this after a meeting the stakeholders on European Union-Nigeria business forum in the  move being made by Europe and reiterated President Goodluck Jonathan’s support in getting the country to move towards this fresh produce export market with Europe.

 “There is a lot of opportunities for Europe and Nigeria for agribusiness investment partnerships. We plan to play big in the horticulture market in Europe because Nigeria is closer to Europe than Kenya, Tanzania or even Mozambique. We are going to take advantage of our big size in the horticulture market.

“The largest market is in Europe, but that market is quite difficult to penetrate because it is based on a lot of safety standards, consumer standards that we have to meet, so we have been working together with the ambassadors of the European countries to prepare Nigeria to enter that global horticulture market,” Adesina said.

He explained that issues such as certification, farm audits, and contracts with supermarkets were hurdles to be crossed which is being handled in consultation with the ambassadors of those European countries, while National Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), an agency under the ministry is the one that gives certification to farmers that want to export.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Nigerian German Business Association, Jennifer Ijeoma Anoika, that “a lot of Nigerians do not know the regulations or the changes in the regulations, the SMEs in particular. We want to see more small companies such as Tropical Natural, which is doing quite well with the Dudu Osun, with export products.”

Lawrence Ohue-Inegbenoise, from Friesland Campina, said the company‘s plans is to get more indigenous farmers and investors involved in sourcing milk for its production.

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Edo Fadama trains 26,000 farmers on crop production

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Edo State Fadama office has trained about 26, 000 farmers on crop production and farming techniques across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The Edo State Coordinator of the World Bank-Assisted Programme, Ms Judith Momodu, disclosed this to the press in Benin and said that the training which was designed to improve agricultural activities to guarantee bumper harvest was conducted by accredited service providers and agricultural consultants.

Momodu said the training was aimed at building the capacity of farmers to improve and broaden their scope of farming including livestock production, tree and crop production, fertiliser application, land preparation, disease and pest control.

NaijaAgroNet heard from the state coordinator that a total of N113 million had been disbursed to 29 Fadama community associations in the state.

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MSU host agriculture celebration October

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Montana State University’s (MSU) College of Agriculture and the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station are billed to host the 15th annual ‘Celebrate Agriculture’ two-day event on campus from October 25.

The Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, Glenn Duff made this known in a release sighted by NaijaAgroNet and said that MSU has a long heritage of supporting agriculture and the institution is thrilled that ‘Celebrate Agriculture’ will highlight the relationships that have been fostered between the MSU College of Agriculture and its regional clientele.

According to him, Agriculture experts from across Montana will address the role of cooperatives and timely issues facing Montana, share new information and discuss their latest research.

“The conference will host three guest lectures, including keynote speaker Carl Casale, President and Chief Executive Officer of CHS, Inc. CHS is a Fortune 100 business owned by United States agriculture cooperatives, farmers, ranchers and stockholders,” Duff said.

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OGBC plans to diversify into agriculture

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) has planned to diversify its operations by going into cassava production to generate more revenue.

The General Manager of OGBC, Mr Tunde Awolana Abeokuta made this known while playing host to members of Ogun House of Assembly Committee on Information, Culture and Tourism during their oversight visit, NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet learnt from Awolana that the corporation had about 25 acres of land at Ijebu-Itele in the Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state which it wants to turn into cassava plantation so that the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) of the corporation can improve.

``We already have a building we want to turn into cassava processing factory, where we can extract starch and do some garri and repackage them in a very attractive way. So, we are talking of a cassava revolution and talking with some packaging companies that can do the business with us. We are soliciting for fund allocation in this regard." he said.

The House of Assembly Committee Chairman, Mr Olayiwola Ojodu said the visit was to ascertain the extent of progress made so far by the corporation and assured it of the House of Assembly support to ensure that its situation improved.

*with additional report from NAN

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EU boosts Ethiopia food security with N10.9 bn

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The European Union (EU) as part of the Supporting Horn of Africa Resilience (SHARE) initiative has released a EUR50-million about N10, 873,196,311.82 aids to improve food security and build resilience to drought in southern and eastern Ethiopia.

This was made known in a press release signed by the EU Commissioners Andris Piebalgs and Kristalina Georgieva and made available to NaijaAgroNet that the new funds will help boost food security in the lowland areas of Ethiopia through a series of long-term measures.

"with this new program, we will be helping Ethiopian people in the longer-term; providing support to help them rebuild their lives, make a living, and make sure they are well equipped to deal with droughts that will inevitably come again in the future," Piebalgs said.

Georgieva explained that SHARE initiative is a prime example for how to ensure better coherence of EU external assistance instruments and a maximum impact of its aid for the benefit of the targeted populations.

NaijaAgroNet findings  showed that the Ethiopia is plagued by recurrent droughts, which often translate into emergencies, with high levels of malnutrition and food insecurity thereby increasing demographic pressures on natural resources, along with poor infrastructure, absence of alternative livelihoods, insecurity and  make people particularly vulnerable to droughts in this region.

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The Accelerating Resilience Capacity in Southern and Eastern Ethiopia (ARCE) project, which is part of the SHARE regional program, is said to be implemented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), FAO and the World Bank, along with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

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Invest in yam research and development-IITA

        

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The first ever global yam conference kicked off in Accra, Ghana with a call for an increased funding for yam research and development in order to help unlock the potential of the crop and enhance food security in Africa.

Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga said that what is needed to unlock the crop’s full potential is the political will by sustaining and enhancing funding support for yam research and development.

Sanginga commended the government of Japan, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) for supporting IITA on yam research and called on researchers to develop a vision for the crop.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the researchers that yam known as the ‘king of crops’ has high cultural value especially in traditional marriages in Africa and has contributed to incomes and food security, but under-researched due to low funding,

The Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Dr Yemi Akinbamijo noted that in spite of the contribution to food security and incomes, African crops such as yam have not commanded the attention they deserved, and have as a result remained underutilized.

The IITA Director for Western Africa, Dr Robert Asiedu  and the Convener of the Global Conference on Yam said that the event provided a platform for consultation and development of a global strategy for improving the yam sector based on genetic enhancement; crop protection and mitigation of risks due to pests, diseases and climate change; conservation of genetic resources; prevention of postharvest losses; improved seed systems; crop diversification; and enhancing industrial potential of yam and improved market access.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the Global Conference on Yams provides a platform for stakeholders to explore recent innovations in yam improvement, share lessons learned, identify research and development needs, and develop global alliances.

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Nigeria, first African country to develop e-wallet -Minister

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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has said that Nigeria is the first country in Africa to develop the e-wallet for input delivery to farmers which in turn generated  a total savings of N25 million in 2012 for the  federal government.

Adesina disclosed this at the second EU-Nigeria Business Forum that was held in Lagos, and explained the government was losing about N26.3 million annually to corruption before the introduction of the e-wallet scheme for distribution of fertilisers and seedlings to farmers.

NaijaAgro Net recalls from the minister that the federal government decided to reach farmers directly using mobile phones, which allow it to send farmers electronic vouchers to buy seeds and fertilisers, created the first national data base for farmers with identity cards and biometric information which allows the ministry to give their information to banks to open up the financial space.

"There is no reason why Nigeria is not self-sufficient in many of its food products and our goals are to achieve 20 million metric tonnes of domestic food supply by 2015, to create jobs and of course to create wealth,” Adesina said.

The Chairman of the EU-Nigerian Business forum, Mr. Andre Ronne described the forum as an exchange platform  to consolidate, leverage, improve, harness and deepen economic and business relations and opportunities that between Nigeria and EU member states.

The Trade Counselor for the EU trade delegation, Mr. Massimo De Luca said the Nigerian market was important to the region as conference was expected to create the enabler for viable engagements that will boost good services, quality products and effective operations within the country and EU members’ states.

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pix: Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina