Agric: Commissioner commends Edo State Young Farmers’ Club

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Edo State Chapter of Federation of Young Farmers Club has been commended for their innovation and breeding of young farmers who have been described as the future of the nation.

Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and National Resources, Hon. Abdul Oroh, made this commendation, while playing host to the chairman and members of the Edo State Chapter of Federation of Young Farmers Club who paid him courtesy visit in his office in Benin City.
Oroh who described agriculture as the spring board to sustainable economic development if modern techniques and process are adopted by farmers, noted that in order to sustain the agricultural transformation agenda of Mr. President, new generation of farmers must emerge to take over from old ones.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from Oroh that the success recorded so far in the agricultural sector of the state includes quality of Crop Production, researches to forestall post harvest causes and access to market which must be developed to enable the farmers to earn more income.

He advised the young farmers to remain focused, and called the school authorities to inculcate the study of agriculture into the school curriculum right from the primary level.
The commissioner, while responding to the request made by the chairman of the club promised the resuscitation of their monthly stipend from ADP when a formal proposal to their requests is received and channelled to the appropriate quarters for consideration.

The Chairman, Edo State Chapter of Federation of Young Farmers Club, Mr. Matthew Idemudia earlier in his speech disclosed that the club which is a voluntary youth organization with focus towards mechanized agricultural development in Nigeria has demonstration farms in Aihuobabekun in Ovia-North East and Obayantor in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area where they practice arable, mixed and cash cropping.


 Idemudia while appreciating the ministry for its support for the club explained that the club was mobilising students and community youths to key into the National Agricultural Transformation and food security programme, and solicited for sponsorship of members in the forth coming international training, committee workshops, and seminars both within and outside the ministry. 
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pix:Edo State Gov.Adams  Oshomoile

Quarra Rice Mill targets 30,000 tonnes paddy rice

  Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Quarra Rice Mill, one of the country’s largest rice processing mills which has an annual capacity of 30,000 tonnes of paddy rice is set to add pep to the Nigeria’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) to meet the rapidly growing domestic rice demand.

 NaijaAgroNet discovered that the mill which is located in Tsaragi, Kwara State is one of the country’s largest rice processing mills and is expected to process 150,000 tonnes per year by 2018.

The mill which is operated by Quarra Rice Limited would have output of parboiled rice and rice flour sold domestically to help alleviate food security and serve as substitute for expensive imports.

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that the estimated level of import of rice in Nigeria stands at 2.7 million tons of rice per annum, while Nigeria produces 2.85 tons of milled rice and 4.524 million tons of paddy rice per year.

At the commissioning of the mill, recently, the Governor of  Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed was quoted as saying that “it was alarming that Nigeria continued to spend about $2 billion annually on importation of roughly 2 million metric tons of rice, wasting scarce foreign exchange and stunting growth of local agriculture, while accelerating the growth of foreign economies.”

On his part, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Adewunmi Adesina, who was represented by Executive Director of National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation. Ike Azogu said that 9 million metric tons of food was added to the nation’s domestic food supply in 2012/2013, which is an increase of 80 percent more than the annual target of 5 million metric tons.

“Food imports declined by N857 billion by the end of 2012; for example, the nation’s import bill for wheat, rice and sugar was down by $3 billion in 2012. Agric exports expanded by 822,000 metric tons in 2012, as the sector’s contribution to non-oil exports expanded by N759 billion,” he said.

*Additional report from Businessday

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Agric: Banks’ lending set to rise to 7% in 10 yrs

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that bank lending to agriculture sector is expected to rise to seven per cent from its present 3.5 per cent within the next decade.

                                                                                                        

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Dr Kingsley Moghalu, dropped the hint on a sideline at the end of the Euromoney Conference held in Lagos, and said that the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) initiative has boosted agricultural lending to farmers  in the country.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the agricultural sector has received tremendous attention due to the transformation agenda of President Jonathan’s administration that has envisioned the sector as the key to economic growth and development in Nigeria.

 However, available data from CBN revealed that NIRSAL which guarantees up to 75 per cent of the bank loans to the sector was initiated in July 2013 to grow loans to the sector to four per cent of banks’ total loans, from the average of 1.5 per cent in 2009.

For the records, NIRSAL which is the initiative of the CBN, the Bankers’ Committee and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), seeks to create incentives and modify all the processes that will encourage the growth of formal credit, direct and indirect, for the agriculture value chain.

*With additional report from Nation

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Nigeria loses 41.6tn on rice importation annually – Nwosu

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Dr Kenneth Nwosu, the former Executive Director, National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia, said Nigeria loses more than 260 billion dollars annually on rice importation, reports NAN.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Nwosu made this statement while answering questions from members of the Abia House of Assembly during his screening as a commissioner nominee.

He disclosed that presently “Nigeria import more than 5.3 metric tonnes of rice from Thailand annually and that amounts to over $260 billion. As a nation, we have the potential to even produce more than 100 metric tonnes of rice as well as other commodities because our land is fertile and can grow a lot of things.”

He, therefore, advised the state government to key into agricultural policies of the Federal Government to boost food production in the state, while the youths should be engaged in the agriculture sector to check insecurity and unemployment problems.

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Provide special funds for agric sector, CIBN tells FG

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet:

 

The Federal Government has been called upon to intervene in the implementation of infrastructure development programmes in the country by providing a special intervention fund that will boost development in the agricultural sectors.
 

The President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mr. Segun Aina gave the charge while speaking at the just concluded 7th Annual Conference of the Institute in Abuja, stressing that the ongoing economic diversification agenda of the government become necessary due to uncertainties in the international oil market and the search by other countries for alternative energy sources.
 

NaijaAgroNet gathered from Aina that the Federal Government has done much in terms of policy frameworks and reforms so far in the power, financial and agricultural sectors to attract investment, while government need to do more by providing the infrastructure and critical need with cheaper long term loans.

“In the year 2009 and 2010, the conference recommended the fast- tracking of the proposal for the development of a Competency Framework and you are all aware that in November 2012, the Central Bank released the guidelines for the implementation of the competency Framework for the Nigerian Banking industry with the Institute as the sole accreditation and certification agency,” he said.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that the institute expect the government to look into their recommendations, especially in the issue of unique and coordinated National Identification Programme, diversification of the economy away from oil due its global uncertainties, search for alternative energy sources and the discovery of shale oil and gas.

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Asonye laments cost of rice productions, lauds CADP intervention

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

An Ofada rice farmer and the Chief Executive Officer of Chileo Farms, Mrs Chinasa  Asonye has decried the cost of rice production in the country.

Speaking to NaijaAgroNet at the 2013 forum organised by the Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP) under the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, in an exclusive interview, Mrs. Asonye noted that the cost of rice production posed a lot of challenges to the farmers in Lagos State, until the intervention of the CADP through the provision of equipment and other incentives. 

She said at the event with theme ”Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria” that despite farmers do not have enough land, CADP intervention to crop has helped to cut down cost to where it is now.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from her that the rice farmers produce once a year and gather all that they have to sell and after that they begin to look for where they can buy.

She called on government to intervene in the area of irrigation, fertilizer, equipment for winnowing the rice, planting the rice.

She explained that the Ofada rice farmers were packaging on their own which increased the cost, until CADP came with the intervention of sponsoring and packaging the rice for the farmers.

“There is nothing like one going into food business because without food you will not be able to satisfy everybody. People should venture in any business about food and agriculture no matter how small they produce; they must always sell to satisfy other people,” Chileo CEO explained.

She told NaijaAgroNet that her product and that of other Ofada rice producers are not in the market because they have limited market and says that they don’t have enough to get into the market, but only supply to people that want it.

“We are clamouring for more campaign so that the campaign for awareness by the media can work. We need more land for farming because it takes a lot especially this red rice that I specialise in producing. The red rice is the short and stunted, brownish in colour from Abeokuta. A lot of people like it, but its more expensive than the Agasa rice which is the long green rice. There are 270specie of Ofada rice so it depends on the one you want to specialise.

“I specialised in red rice and the CADP has helped us with land, winnowing machines and inputs like fertiliser, while we only provide the labour. The CADP intervention has helped, and that is why we can cut down cost. If we do everything by ourselves, consumes of the Ofada rice cannot buy it at N300. They will buy it at almost N800 per kilogramme, so we build in all these cost,” she said.

NaijaAgroNet was informed by Chinasa that her red packaged Ofada rice are in 500kg,1kg and 50kg in bags and the prices are N300 for 500kg, I kg is N600 respectively.

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Dangote to engage 50,000 youths in sugarcane market

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Dangote Group is set to engage about 50,000 youths in sugarcane market following the acquisition of the 80000 hectares of land by company for sugarcane plantation from the Kebbi State Government.

The Kebbi, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Sani Kanya, dropped the hint in Kebbi, and said that the President of the group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote would soon lead a team of experts on sugarcane production  Kebbi State to meet with all stakeholders on the project which would be sited in Uru, Bagudo, Koko/Besse and Shanga local government areas.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the famers in the state that partake in the project would benefit from improved sugarcane seedlings, fertilisers and modern production implements that would be given by the government.

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Flour Mills invest in large-scale commercial agriculture

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

In line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration the nation’s agricultural sector received a boost from the Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, as the company began investing in large-scale commercial farming of different crops across the country.

The Group Managing Director, Flour Mills Mr Paul Gbededo made the disclosure at the company’s 53rd annual general meeting, and said that as the country is diversifying away from oil, agriculture is now seen as the next frontier to grow the nation’s economy.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the company in keeping with its focus on vertical integration of agro –allied business has invested in the cultivation of 2,000 hectares of maize, 1,000 hectares of soybean, 1,000 hectares of cassava and 50 hectares of sorghum in its 10,000 hectares Kaboji Farm near Kontagora, Niger State.

Gbededo said that the company’s achievement during the financial year ended March 31, 2013, includes the acquisitions of Thai Farm International Company Ltd, a leading cassava flour processing company, and ROM Oil Mills, an integrated edible oil processing company.

According to him, Thai Farm in Ososa, Ogun State has proven to be one of the two leading suppliers of high quality cassava flour (HQCF) to flour millers in Nigeria under the cassava flour inclusion initiative of the Federal Government.

He explained that the company with its focus on joint venture possibilities, acquisitions, mergers and take-over is planning to  engage reputable partners to grow and consolidate on its agro-allied business in line with Federal Government‘s agricultural and industrial transformation agenda.

“We are growing our food business. We are also expanding into the agro-allied space and we think we will be able to add more value to the country. We are still restructuring. We are consolidating. We are looking for areas to create and add value, not only to our stakeholders, but also the Nigerian populace,” he said.

The Company Secretary and Director, Olalekan Saliu, said the company effort is in the direction of food security in the country by growing soya beans, cassava, sorghum and sugar cane on the 17,000 hectares of land in Sunti, Niger State.

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CADP contributes 12% to Lagos agricultural GDP

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP)  Lagos State, has disclosed contributing about 12.75 per cent to the State Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012, through its intervention fund to the commercial farmers.

The State CADP coordinator, Mr Kehinde Ogunyinka confirmed this to NaijaAgroNet while speaking at the forum with the theme:”Media and the challenges of food security in Nigeria” organised for stakeholders in the industry, Wednesday, to showcase the results and impacts of CADP on small-medium commercial farmers in the State.

Ogunyinka also said that the project had supported 1,483 farmers under the aquaculture value chain with various inputs including collapsible fish tank, extruding technology; fish seed; solar submersible pumping machine smoking kiln; pen and cage culture system and tricycle and so on.

He listed other beneficences to include 1,284 farmers under the rice value chain, with 300 farmers in the estate with input in poultry from point of lay and cage, day old chicks’ hatchery and incubator, deflowering machine, blast freezer and cold room.

“The promotion of the use of fitted battery cage for poultry birds by the project beneficiaries has resulted in the reduction of mortality and disease transmission by over 15 per cent, increase in egg production 20 per cent, feed wastage by over 40 per cent,” he said.

NaijaAgroNet equally gathered that CADP has intervened in the area of infrastructure, constructing a total of 22.19Km rural roads in 10 locations which has impacted the travel time to the nearest market within the communities to reduce from 22 minutes before the intervention to 18.77 minutes.

The project coordinator also said it has intervened in the area of energy support to compliment Agro processing activities, supported 3,508 beneficences and indirectly influenced over 80,000 beneficences, created over 6,000 jobs and indirectly created over 12,000 jobs.

He explained that CADP has now opened a market information Kiosks (MIKs) known as CADP/CADA MIK at Agege Main Market, Ayetoro Market and Ayeangburen Market in Lagos to offer services to people looking for current and easy access to information on products and prices.

“I urge the farmers to ensure that they contribute their quota to the state as the state government  is prepared to increase the quality of food for the over 21 million. It is a herculean task because lands are used for housing, but the farmers should make proper use of the available land,’ he said.

Also speaking with NaijaAgroNet, a farmer and Media Consultant BridgeWorld Communications, Mr Gboyega Akosile said that the farmers are the real heros of the nation,  while food insecurity is a global crisis and urged the media to “access and disseminate information while acting as a link between the farmers, government, policy makers and donor agencies.”

Akosile said that the media should canvass that the National Assembly legislate that the Federal Government should implement the 10 per cent Africa Union Maputo Declaration that will assist farmers to develop the agricultural sector in the country.

NaijaAgroNet visit to the exhibition stands of the beneficiaries and their products, including Chileo Farms-Packaged Red Ofada rice, Obest Rice, Pedro Farm Limited-Packaged frozen chicken, Timmod Investment Limited- packaged Dry fish, Mts Ofada rice and Jiyo Super Eggs.

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CAADP gets 34th endorsement with Lesotho

NaijaAgroNet:

With the recent signing of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact by Lesotho, it has become the 34^th countries on the continent to endorse the deal.

By signing the Compact, Lesotho has committed and joined with a promise to achieve the goal of raising agricultural productivity by six per cent and ensuring that 10 per cent of its budget allocated to agriculture.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the signing ceremony took place in Maseru, penultimate Wednesday with a pledge to increase investment in Lesotho’s agriculture through the principle of CAADP by supporting stakeholders.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Litsoane Litsoane said the Lesotho CAADP Compact marks an important milestone in the long journey towards the transformation of the agriculture sector.

Lesotho, he said, has now become the sixth country within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to sign a Compact, which is an agreement between Ministries of Agriculture and Finance, non-state actors and the private sector on the priorities and strategy for a country’s agricultural development.

CAADP, endorsed by African Heads of State through the African Union in 2003, aims to stimulate the reforms necessary for agriculture to have a positive impact on socio-economic growth and sustainable development.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that according to Lesotho’s census report, 76 per cent of its households depend on subsistence farming, with only nine per cent of the country’s available land being arable.

The government’s recognition of the importance of prioritising agriculture and food security, therefore, is seen by stakeholders as outlined goal in Lesotho’s vision for the year 2020 and their National Strategic Development Plan.

Equally gathered by NaijaAgroNet was that the CAADP Compact signing event was attended by the Lesotho Prime Minister, Dr. Motsoahae Thabane, later represented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Litsoane Listoane. 

Other stakeholders present included representatives from the African Union Commission, NEPAD Agency, SADC, development partners, the private sector and the National Farmers Union.

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