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Friday, January 13, 2012

Climate trends already impacting Sahel, West Africa - UNEP, 3 others


The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations University (OCHA-UNU) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control (PICDC) in the Sahel have raised an alarm that changes in climate trends are already impacting in Sahel and West Africa.

They also calls for major investments in climate change adaptation to reduce the risk of conflict and forced migration.

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south. It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. 

According to Wikipedia Online, a free online encyclopedia, the Sahel covers parts of the territory from the west to east; Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan including Darfur and the southern part of Sudan, as well as the northern Ethiopia and Eritrea.

While the West Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent, which has been geopolitically definite by the United Nations (UN) to include 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square kilometers.

The report, entitled Livelihood Security: Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in the Sahel, uses an innovative mapping process to identify 19 "climate hotspots" where climatic changes have been the most severe and which warrant focused adaptation planning and other follow-up activities.

A joint press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet endorsed by the UNEP spokesperson and Head, Media, Mr. Nick Nuttall, the Communications Advisor, Ms Julie Marks, CILSS Press Office represented by Harouna Kindo, Alice Fiser of UN University Head of Communication and Simone Dürr, Z_GIS Press and Communications , showed that the new evidence of changing climate trends in the Sahel and West Africa and their potentially profound implications for food security and regional stability were released recently at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, adding to the pressure on governments to stay on a course to reach a new international climate agreement.
 
The joint study, they said has analyzed regional trends in temperature, rainfall, droughts and flooding over the past 40 years and their implications for the availability of natural resources, livelihoods, migration and conflict in 17 West African countries from the Atlantic coast to Chad.
 
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the analysis detects significant changes in regional climatic conditions, including an overall rise in mean seasonal temperature from 1970 to 2006 of approximately 1°C, with a greater increase of between 1.5°C to 2°C observed in far eastern Chad and northern Mali and Mauritania.
 
The study shows that the frequency of floods and the area covered by flooding have increased in parts of the region over the past 24 years, citing an instance with large areas of southern Burkina Faso, western Niger and northern Nigeria where it was reported to have experienced up to 10 floods during this period.

Therefore, the study called for major investments in climate change adaptation to reduce the risk of conflict and forced migration before it becomes too late.

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Fortified Ponmo, cheap reprieve to poor Nigerians – Umar Bindir


The Director General of National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Umar Bindir has said that fortified Ponmo could be a reprieve to poor Nigerians.
He made this observation at a consumers’ forum organized by Bio-Organics Nutrients System, urging Nigerian scientists to move their researches from the shelves to action by adapting their conclusions to address some of the needs of Nigerians, reports NigComSat Connect.
According to him, this has become imperative at this time when criticism by experts of the rising cases of diabetes cardiovascular ailments and other non-communicable diseases due to life style related causes.
Bindir noted that the edible part of cow skin which is nutritious, could be very helpful in combing inadequate dieting especially for the poor.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Agricultural Scientist pointed out that fortified Ponmo is a cheap way of bringing reprieve to a huge proportion of Nigerians who are deprived of adequate and quality feeding.
He also expressed delight over the prospect over Ponmo as it’s fortified with micronutrients and vitamins which will make it nutritious against popular belief that it does not have any nutritional value which he says is possible.
As said by him, unknown to most Nigerians, fortified Ponmo contains protein like beef meats and would give majority of Nigerians a sense of satisfaction, serving as a meat of choice as it is cheaper compared to other available meat.
Sharing his views on the issue, Dr. Kenneth Acholonu, the chief executive officer, Bio-Organics Nutrients Systems, revealed that Bio-Organics has demonstrated some key critical attribute that could significantly impact on food security through animal protein security.
Acholonu urged regulatory agencies to make sure that standard of production of micronutrients are enforced, and that competent personnel must be employed and trained regularly in order to maintain a standard operating procedures.
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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Total elimination of hunger, my priority – new FAO DG


On assumption of office at the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FOA) of the United Nations, the new Director General, José Graziano da Silva said his top priority is to see total elimination of hunger and undernourishment in the world.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that he made this observation at his inaugural press conference, Mr. José Graziano da Silva said that a three and a half year term in office is no time to lose, stressing that FAO would start with scaling up support for a number of low-income, food deficit countries and especially nations facing prolonged crises.

"Ending hunger requires the commitment of everyone, neither FAO nor any other agency or government will win this war alone," da Silva said, adding that he want to work in the most transparent and democratic way with member countries and other United Nations agencies.

Further, he said hunger eradication is the first of five strategic priorities intend to pursue by FAO with other strategic priorities to be a move towards more sustainable systems of food production and consumption; achieving greater fairness in the global management of food; completing FAO's reform and decentralization; and expanding South-South cooperation and other partnerships.

"We need to rebuild trust between the Secretariat and Member States to move forward, and I plan to do so by promoting a transparent and constructive relationship with Member States and FAO Governing Bodies," da Silva said.
He also made known his conviction that the organization could make a significant and growing contribution to food security and sustainable food production and consumption in the world.
'Yinka Awosanya/LS
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Nigeria loses N1.6trn yearly cash products - Lemo


Deputy Governor in charge of operations at Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Lemo has raised an alarm that the country is losing about N1.6trillion annually on products like cocoa, oil-palm, groundnut and cotton, reports Leadership.
Delivering a paper entitled "Agriculture: An Effective Tool for Accelerated Economic Growth" at the 3rd Annual Night of Excellence organized by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, he said, a huge amount of money is still been set aside for importation of agricultural products despite the abundance of natural resources in the county.
Information available to NaijaAgroNet quoted Lemo as saying that it is important for Nigerians to start looking for ways to boost agricultural activities in the country, believing that increase in agricultural activities holds the key to economic development in the country.
He affirmed that the security challenges facing the country is due to the high rate of unemployment amount the youths and that agriculture can be use to tackle the issue of unemployment. Read more
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20 Kenyan firms deliberate on extension advisory services

Twenty organizations under the leadership of the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Co-operation have their representatives in Nairobi, Kenya for a deliberation and discussion on extension and advisory services for farmers, reports FijiTimes.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that Kenyan Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Kareke Mbiuki while addressing delegates at the opening ceremony affirmed that there are people in Kenya who could not afford two meals a day and that one billion people all over the world are insecure when it comes to food, hence he said investing in agriculture is of great importance.
Also speaking was Niels Roling, an emeritus professor of Communication and Innovation studies at the Wageningen University in Netherlands who said "Extension and advisory services are sick but not dead."
"There are one billion hungry people today and the world population is expected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050. There will have to be a 70 per cent increase in food production to feed the world by 2050," said Xiangjun Yao, the director of Knowledge, Exchange, Research and Extension at the Food and Agriculture Organization. Read more
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Members task IFAD on new funding sources


Aside the new funds for the Ninth Replenishment Funds (IFAD9), Member States of the International Food for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have urged the organisation to find new sources of funding.
The new sources, according to the communiqué from the IFAD9 is expected to effectively share the development burden more broadly, including raising investment from non-members and others.
At the meeting conducted for the Consultations on the Ninth Replenishment of the Fund's resources (IFAD) in Rome, member states also recognized IFAD's commitments and works.
They further commended its work in delivering value for money and making unprecedented efforts to overcome the effects of widespread budgetary difficulties to ensure the funds has sufficient resources for its purpose to poor rural people worldwide.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that though some countries donated more than the amounts contributed at previous IFAD replenishments, IFAD9 is the highest percentage increase of contributions of any international financial institution in the current round of replenishment as some countries included in the United Nations (UN) list of ‘least developed countries’ has not been participating in previous replenishments has also announced their contributions.
The Governing Council of IFAD will receive the Report and Resolution of the Consultation for adoption in February 2012.

'Yinka Awosanya
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Monday, January 2, 2012

FG plans ban of imported cassava flour by March


The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has concluded plans to ban the importation of cassava flour by March this year, even as it offers 12 per cent rebate for attaining 40 per cent blending for cassava break bakers.

Addressing recently the members of the joint National Assembly session in Abuja, the federal capital territory on the 2012 budget, President Goodluck Jonathan disclosed this.

He said that the government is also introducing policies to encourage the substitution of high quality cassava flour for wheat flour in bread-baking.

Noting that wheat flour for bread-baking is usually imported into the country, but with the substitution, Nigeria would be saving huge sums of money, especially in the capital flight.

Bakeries, according to him, would have 18 months, that is, from March when the ‘cassava flour’ policy takes effect to make the transition and enjoy a corporate tax incentive of 12 per cent rebate if they attain 40 per cent blending.

“With effect from March 31st 2012, importation of cassava flour will be prohibited so as to further support this programme,” he said.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that as noted by him, all equipment for processing of high quality cassava flour and composite flour blending will enjoy a duty free regime as incentive to bakers for composite flour utilization.

Consultations, he said, is on-going with the sector to ensure a smooth transition.

“It is common wisdom that the best way we can grow our economy and create jobs for our people is for us to patronize Nigerian-made goods,” he said.

Jonathan said this is why his government is introducing enabling policies to drive this process. Hence, they are introducing fiscal policy measures that will encourage the purchase and utilization of locally produced commodities.

From July 1st 2012, he said, wheat flour will attract a levy of 65 per cent to bring the effective duty to 100 per cent, while wheat grain will attract a 15 per cent levy which will bring the effective duty to 20 per cent.

Equally, Mr. President revealed in his address made available to NaijaAgroNet that there will be a levy of 25 per cent on brown rice to bring it to 30 per cent and in addition, to encouraging domestic rice production, a levy of 40 per cent will be placed on imported polished rice leading to an effective duty rate of 50 per cent.

“Effective December 31st 2012, all rice millers should move towards domestic production and milling of rice, as the levy of 50 per cent will be further raised to 100 per cent,” he said, stressing that there will be no waivers or concessions for rice and wheat importation by end of this year, 2012.

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