FG to establish 774 agro ‘one-stop-shops’ by 2015, commissions Iseyin centre

The Federal Government has concluded plans to establish an agro ‘one-stop-shop’ centre in all 774 Local Governments (LGs) in the country by the year 2015, with the first phased commissioned at the weekend in Iseyin LG, Oyo State.

(L - R) Prince Fehintola Oyelade, Chairman, All Farmers' Association, Iseyin LGA,   

Mrs. Areola Aderibigbe, Association of Women Farmers of Nigeria (AWFAN), 

Oyo East, Princess Ayobami Temilade, State Secretary of AWFAN, Oyo State.

Disclosing this to NaijaAgroNet, at the official commissioning of the Iseyin centre, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, said these centres will be constructed by the federal government for the purpose of ensuring the availability, accessibility and affordability of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, agro-chemicals, quality seeds, livestock feeds, veterinary drugs, tractor hiring, primary processing and extension services and to serve as access warehouse facility for inputs for farmers.

She also said that the task of making food available, affordable and accessible to all Nigerians through promotion of food security programmes has been the major focus of the federal government in pursuance of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

She said her ministry is very mindful of the serious impediment of inaccessibility of good quality agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, agro-chemicals, seeds and seedlings, livestock feeds, veterinary drugs, tractor hiring, primary processing and extension services by farmers in a bid to maximising aggregate production output for the nation.

This impediment as well as the federal government’s intention to withdraw from direct procurement and distribution of all agricultural inputs, she said, informed the decision of the ministry to establish at least one ‘one-stop-shop’ agro-input centre in each of the local government areas in the federation by the year 2015.

These centres, Mrs. Odusote said are established as part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda in the agro-input sub-sector to strengthen the food security programme of the federal government.

“They are aimed at providing market information services, promote private sector investment in viable commercial agriculture and enhance food security,” she said.

Each of the centres, she revealed, has facilities for about 500 tonnage storage capacity for fertilisers, seeds and agro-chemicals as well as provides tractor hiring, primary processing and extension support services. The centre will also enhance the activities of the Growth Enhancement Supports (GES) programme of the federal government to a large extent.

“The first phase of 62 one-stop-shop agro-input centres was awarded in October 2010 for execution nationwide while the second phase of 18 was awarded in December 2011,” she disclosed.

She noted that three of these centres were being established at various locations in Oyo State, namely each at Iseyin, Fasola and Ago Amodu, in Iseyin, Oyo West and Saki East LGAs.

“The projects, after completion, are envisaged to be concessioned to private sector operators, through approved concessioning process in accordance with federal government Concessioning Act,” she said.

Presently, the Perm Sec pointed out that most of the centres in the first phase have been completed and ready for commissioning and utilisation.

“Within the constraint of time, one representative centre per geo-political zone of the country has been selected for official commissioning,” she said, emphasizing that the Iseyin commissioning symbolises inputs such as seeds, fertiliser, chemicals and tractors with attachable implements will be available for sale and hiring respectively.

“With the sales of these inputs, it is hoped that the productivity of the potential beneficiaries will be boosted,” she said.

Remmy Nweke/NaijaAgroNet
... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

AfDB Plans to spend N91, 160m for food security programme in horn of African

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed a N91,1660 million, about N ... loan agreement for the multinational Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (DRSLP) in the Horn of Africa (HoA) with Kenyan government, reports The Tribune.

This brings to N3.04 billion the bank’s commitment in various areas of the country in the northern Africa, according to AfDB Regional Director for the East Africa Resource Centre, Mr. Gabriel Negatu.

The programme will be carried out in stages, with the first stage beginning in 2013 in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenysaid.
He said the entire programme would cover eight countries in the horn of Africa over the next 15 years, including Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, in addition to the three countries in the current stage.

“It is necessary to have all the countries in the programme, because if one country has better water, pasture and livestock services, the pastoralist will move there and this could lead to overgrazing, transmission of trans-boundary animal diseases and conflicts” he said.

A press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet quoted the Regional Director as saying “The next stage is expected to start as soon as funds are available for the remaining countries. This could be as early as the end of 2013”.

In Kenya, he said, the project will cover the counties of Baringo, Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and West Pokot, as it seeks to provide assistance to improve drought resilience and improve sustainable livelihoods of the communities in the arid and semi-arid lands of the country.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the Horn of Africa region is often affected by recurrent droughts and food insecurity as in 2011, the region faced the worst drought in decades that destroys crops and livestock and left over 12 million people, mainly the pastoralist communities, in total distress.

NNEKA ALAMAEZE/LS

DSBNews

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

ECOWAS commissioner urges stakeholders on food sufficiency

The Principal Programme Officer for Agriculture and ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Ernest Aubee, has said that stakeholders must ensure that there is food sufficiency in the region, reports Pan Africa New Agency (PANA).

Speaking Tuesday at a two-day sub-regional council and board meeting in Banjul organised by the West African Network of Peasants and Producers Association (ROPPA) and the National Coordination Organization of Farmers Association in Gambia (NACOFAG) in collaboration with Aub-Rural, a sub-regional civil society organization, he said “stakeholders must ensure that the region moves from the region of food deficit to that of food surplus.”

The two-day meeting which opened on Monday was intended to renew commitment and reflect on the importance of policy connection on the ECOWAS Policy on Agriculture (ECOWAP) and the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) programme and to hasten the implementation of actions at the regional level.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Mr. Aubee also said that the challenges of food and nutrition security remained a top priority if countries were to achieve continental and global development commitments and targets such as the CAADP and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He further said, the complexity of the agricultural sector, compounded by issues of climate change, skewed terms of trade give rise to global economic imbalances and growing levels of inequality and poverty,.
He therefore, called for a more innovative and concerted approach to agricultural development in West Africa, stressing that “The ECOWAS Commission since 2003 has taken bold steps to put in place a holistic policy for the development of the agricultural and rural sectors of West Africa”.

NNEKA ALAMAEZE/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology

UNEP report tasks African leaders on air pollution

A new report compiled by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released at the weekend, states that African leaders should carry out environmental and health issues at the top of their national and continent-wide policies if growing challenges such as air pollution, vector-borne diseases and chemical exposure are to be addressed in Africa.    

African Environment Outlook-3 (AEO-3) commissioned by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), places special focus on relations between environment and health, pointing to the fact that environmental risks contribute 28 per cent of Africa’s disease burden. Diarrhoea, respiratory infections and malaria report for 60 per cent of known environmental health impact in Africa.

The report also highlights the lack of capacity to deal with the growing effects of climate change; inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. The AEO-3 Summary for Policy Makers is planned to provide information that can assist AMCEN member countries strengthen ability for policy making and support on national, regional and global levels.

In particular, the air pollutant with great impact on human health is of great concern in poor rural areas, where little or no access to cleaner stoves and fuels causes significant health impacts through indoor pollution. Air pollution in Africa can be 10 to 30 times higher than World Health Organization limits.

UNEP Executive Director says that “Africa’s population is growing at the fastest rate in the world and its economy is expanding at a commensurate rate, yet not enough focus has been placed on the role environmental concerns play in ensuring the wellbeing of this expanding, dynamic continent’s citizens,”   

The report highlights emerging issues and assesses trends related to environmental change and the consequences for human health in the region, and proposes new policy directions for enabling transformative changes for a sustainable future. In addition, the report found that many good policies to address environmental change already exist but are hindered by weak implementation. However, the AEO-3 assessment points to a number of actions, which if adequately taken can make promising policies work effectively.

NNEKA ALAMAEZE/LS

... Linking agrobiz, people & technology