Agric, key to nation's survival- Tukur

Dr. Bamanga Tukur

Dr. Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party has asserted agriculture to hold the key to the survival of Nigeria.

This he said at a grand reception held in his honour by the party in his home town, Jada, Adamawa State recently.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that Dr. Tukur said agriculture has the potentials for creating millions of jobs, eradicating poverty and arresting youth's restiveness.

"It is by massively investing in agriculture that we can truly eradicate poverty, create millions of jobs and reduce insecurity," he said that Nigeria is blessed with vast land and water.

He called on state governments in the nation to develop a minimum of 50, 000 hectare of arable land for round-the-year farming. "If we do that, youth's restiveness shall be a thing of the past." 

Source: DailyTimes

Admin/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

No other sector creates jobs faster than agric - Adeshina

Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, Agric & Rural Development Minister

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has described agriculture sector as the fastest in terms of employment generation.

The Minister, NaijaAgroNet learnt, said this in his remarks in Ekiti State at the Youth in Commercial Agribusiness Development Programme recently.

He also applauded the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for involving the state's youth in agriculture.

"To unlock the potential of agriculture to create jobs, we must engage the energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship of the youth," Adesina said.

"We are no longer treating agriculture as a development programme," the Minister asserted, adding that the goal of the government is to treat agric as a business and to make the nation an agriculturally industrialised economy.

He also made known the goal of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda to add an additional 20 million tonnes of food to the domestic food supply with the creation of 3.5 millions jobs in all the agriculture value chains.

He remarked that subsistence farming is not viable to feed a nation, pointing out that there is the need to expand the level of use of tractors in the country, which could be done by small, medium and large scale farmers.

In a bid to raise the level of use of improved seeds, Adesina said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development financed the entire seed supply for the country which amounts to N2.7 billion for the 2012 season.

The finance, he said is not from the government but the use of guarantees for banks to lend to seed companies. 

He also affirmed that the Federal Government was able to secure financing for the supply of fertilizers for 2012, at the level of N27 billion from commercial banks using guarantees from the Ministry of Finance.

Yinka Awosanya/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

FG targets 3.5m jobs in agric sector

Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said the Federal Government has plans to create about 3.5million jobs in the agricultural sectors by 2015.

He revealed at a convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, that an initiative would be put in place to enable existing Universities of Agriculture in the country to establish Departments of Transfer and Acquisition.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the president was represented by the Minister of Education, Mrs. Rukkayatu Rufai, who said the initiative would facilitate the development of appropriate technologies for eventual transfer to the farming communities of the nation.

“The federal government is putting an initiative in place to enable the three existing Universities of Agriculture in the country establish Departments of Technology Transfer and Acquisition as part of the curricula in their respective institutions,” she said, stressing that her ministry expects the university management and faculties to embark on innovative and creative means of complementing government are funding efforts. 

Source: ThisDay.

 Admin/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

Food price index reveals price stability

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in its latest Food Outlook released early May 2012 revealed that food price seems to have stabilised at a relatively high level of 214 points.

Also, FAO revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that the Food Price Index fell by 1.4 per cent of 235 points in April 2012 to 214 points, a figure still well above the under 200 which preceded the 2008 food crisis.

The May edition of the FAO Food Outlook, a global market analysis released twice a year also indicated generally improved supplies and continuing strong demand in the second half of the year.

Cereal production for year set a new record of 2.371 billion tonnes to beat 2.344billion tonnes of 2011.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the food import bill in 2012 could decline to $1.24 trillion, down slightly from last year’s record of $1.29 trillion.

According to the Food outlook, there is anticipation for a fall in wheat production to 675m tonnes, about 3.6 per cent decline, and countries that led the forecasted decline include Ukraine, Kazakhstan, China, Morocco and the European Union.

Also, world milk production in 2012 is forecasted to grow by 2.7 per cent to 750m tonnes with the expectation that Asia will account for most of the increase. 

World trade in dairy products is equally expected to continue expanding in 2012. Demand remains firm, with imports anticipated to reach 52.7 million tonnes of milk equivalent.

Yinka Awosanya/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology