FG agricultural incentive expands rice production - Study

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The implementation of the Federal Government’s incentives on agriculture, otherwise known as Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) has led to the expansion of rice production and changed perception that local rice is ‘inferior’ rice with stones and unsavoury odour.

Investigations by NaijaAgroNet revealed that in response to government policy and incentives for rice, 14 large-scale integrated rice mills were established by the private sector in two years, producing international quality long-grained parboiled rice.

The rice which is said to be in the market are well-packaged, long grained parboiled local rice, from Kano (Umza rice), Ebonyi (Ebony rice), Benue State (Mikap rice), are tastier and healthier than imported rice which are often 15 years old rice dumped on the Nigerian market. 

It was further revealed that, Dominion Farms, a foreign investor, has invested $40 million (N6442, 000,000) in a commercial rice farm, and 30,000 ha field, including community out-grower farms in Taraba State would hit the market in 2014. Olam has expanded its rice cultivation by 10,000 ha, in response to the policy incentives by the government. 

Lagos State Government is said to have recently bought seventeen trailer loads of paddy rice from Kebbi state, to Lagos to mill in the rice mill set up by the Lagos state government instead of importing brown rice from Thailand and India.

NaijaAgroNet discovered that this paddy rice fields in Kebbi has stimulated the economy by adding N37 billion of incomes to farmers in Nigeria, created 467,000 jobs, while Lagos State sells the milled  paddy rice from Kebbi State that has come to be known as Eko rice.

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pix: President Goodluck Jonathan

Agriculture, an information intensive industry-Johnson

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The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, has acknowledged that agriculture is an information intensive industry.

Speaking in Abuja, recently Mrs. Johnson NaijaAgroNet confirmed that agriculture employs the 

highest number of people, with the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Also, she said, ICT is the fastest growing sector in the economy today with increasing rate of contribution to GDP from 5.3 per cent in 2011 to about 8 per cent in first quarter of 2013.

“At every point in time in the agricultural value chain there can be an application of technology and that varies from information systems including DSS/MSS/GIS etc., ICT-enabled learning and knowledge exchange, modelling solutions, sensory and proximity devices, ICT-enabled networking solutions, online commerce tools (eCommerce/mCommerce),” she said.

Omobola explained that the Federal Government saved N25billion in 2012 through the e-wallet programme of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Growth Enhancement Support Scheme, while Nokia Life which is a Nokia proprietary initiative complements the extension services to farmers as it gives information to farmers on weather, soil and so on.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the Minister that ICTs are becoming the channel by which inputs such as fertilizer are distributed to about 10 million farmers registered in 2012 and the e-wallet programme has helped in making sure that the farmers get these inputs at the right time and in the right quantities.

Based on this fact, it was discovered that ICTs through various interventions had made way for more efficient markets between buyers and sellers both locally and internationally.

However, the CommTech Minister said, that to get the full force of ICT in agriculture the connectivity gap, innovation gap and market gap have to be filled because about 50 per cent of rural population is not connected to any network at all, and  that the ministry is using ICTs to increase the attractiveness of the agric sector. 

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pix:Minister, Communication Technology,Mrs Omobola Johnson

O’Meal progamme boosts pupils’ school enrolment in Osun

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Enrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State Government

Enrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State GovernmentEnrolment of pupils in the Osun State public school is said to have increased tremendously following the introduction of O’ meal programme by the Osun State Government

The Osun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs) Temitope Ilori revealed this, while speaking at a workshop organised by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in partnership with Quick 

Impact Intervention Programme (QUIIP) on benefits of linkage between small holder farmers, cocoyam off takers and food vendors of O’meal programme.

Ilori commended the State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbosola for fulfilling his promises as contained in the six-point integral action plans of the administration to providing nutrient and proteineous meals for 254,000 public primary school pupils.

NaijaAgroNet discovered that aside the increase in public school enrolment the O’meal programme has improved the pupil’s healthy living in the state through over 3000 community caterers.

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pix:pupils in Osun State

Why youth shun commercial farming - CAPD

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The youths in Nigeria don’t want to take to commercial farming as some of them still see agriculture from the traditional perspective that put manual implements to use, according to the Lagos State Coordinator for Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CAPD) Mr Kehinde O. Ogunyinka.

In an exclusive interview with NaijaAgroNet, and said that the youth that don’t want to go into commercial farming can go into marketing, instead of crying day and night over unemployment.

Ogunyinka explained that the value chain of agriculture is so long from input to land preparation, production, harvest, transportation and the market, that even the old ones can still be engaged, while the cry for unemployment will be greatly reduced if not eliminated.

“As it is today agricultural production has been simplified. We have machineries to clear the forest/bush. 

There are ploughing, hallowing machines that will do the land preparation and the ridgers for ridges, planters to do the planting and combined harvesters that will do the harvesting and processing.

“So we have all these machines along the production line that will make production of any farming activity easy and remove drudgery from the farm. So the youths can be engaged, as the government under the auspices of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative has engaged 400 youths in rice production annually and they are doing well,” he said.

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Ogun engages 1,200 farmers on new Ofada rice farm

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The Ogun State Government has made provisions for direct and indirect jobs in order to engage 1,200 farmers in the newly cultivated 100 hectares Ofada rice farm at Shagbon village, Eggua in Yewa Local Government Area of the state, reports BusinessDay.

The Ogun State commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun disclosed this during an inspection tour to the farmland, and said that the project would employ 200 main farmers and at least 1000 farm assistants, while government will provide incentives such as rice seeds, fertilisers, and also buy back the produce after harvest.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the statement of the Commissioner for Agriculture,  that  Ogun State Government will not only be provide the land for the planting of the rice, but would be responsible for provision of  viable rice seeds and other inputs needed to ensure a bumper harvest

Based on the challenge over land clearing faced by the farmers,  she said, the ministry had embarked on clearing and ploughing of the land to be used for planting late maize, short Nerica rice, and then to make way for the Ofada farmers’ rice to be planted  and improved on their production.

In his response during the visit, a representative of the farmers, Azeez Adeniji commended the gesture of state government for the farmland project and pledged the farmers’ commitment to ensure that the farmland succeeds.

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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

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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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