WAAPP to produce 250m fingerlings, brood stock

NaijaAgroNet

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Nigeria has declared that it will produce 250 million fast growing fingerlings as well as high quality brood stock in one year for farmers.

The WAAPP’s National Project Coordinator, Prof. Damian Chikwendu, gave this assurance while addressing newsmen on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja and stressed that the programme is focused  to promote some newly introduced agricultural technology among farmers.

“We have about 120 communities we are working with while the research institutes and colleges are working with some secondary schools as well. We are trying to promote interest in agriculture among students in secondary schools. We are also working with research institutes to multiply breeder seeds, improve foundation seeds as well as working with the private sector to multiply certified seeds. We are also working with the research institutes and universities to multiply fast growing fingerlings and high quality brood stock; our target for fingerlings for one year is to provide 250 million fingerlings. The seeds and fingerlings that are being produced are for farmers and they are getting them already. The programme is also working toward popularising all local genetic materials, “Prof. Chikwendu said.

He mentioned the `Shika brown’ as an example  of a layer breed of chicken developed by the National Animal Production Research Institute, and said  that the “brown parent stocks” of the new breed would be reproduced with the parent stock and day old chicks distributed to farmers for adoption.

The World Bank Regional Task Team Leader in West Africa Dr Abdoulaye Toure, said the idea of the programme was to share innovations among countries to help develop the sector as well as food security and reduce poverty among West African countries, and urged countries to ensure speedy adoption of technologies and new approaches to development.

NaijaAgroNet recalls  that WAAPP is an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  initiative coordinated at the sub-regional level by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development, but  in Nigeria, it was approved by the World Bank and is being coordinated by the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to cooperate with the West African sub-region in technology generation and dissemination.

The ARCN Executive Secretary, Prof. Baba-Yusuf Abubakar, also said that WAAPP programmes were in line with the federal government  Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), as it has supported some of the research institutes to produce the foundation seeds that eventually go to the National Seeds Council and then finally to the farmers.

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Adesina inaugurates agric boards, commend research institutes

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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has inaugurated 15 boards of agencies and institutes under his ministry in Abuja with a charge to help the country generate revenue internally as well as become a  global player in the food export business, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Adesina said that the board should improve the relations between the management and staff among others things  within a period of nine months and commended the various research institutes, noting that “they are all operated under very harsh conditions, yet are doing very well.”

He said  that Nigeria can feed and sustain itself given its fertile land, labour and highly resourceful people and stressed that agriculture had been reformed from being a developmental activity to become a big business for all stakeholders at all levels.

“We have decided as a country to be more cohesive and efficient in achieving our agricultural dream of making Nigeria a food sufficient and food exporting country,” Adesina said.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the boards inaugurated include, the National Root Crops Research Institute, Abia, National Lake Chad Reasearch Institute, Maiduguri, National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries Research, Niger, Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research, Bank of Agriculture, and National Horticultural  Institute,  the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Cooperation, National Veterinary Research Institute, Agricultural Research Development Council, FCT, Cocoa Research Institute Of Nigeria, National Cereals Research Institute, Ibadan and National Animal Research Institute.

Speaking on behalf of the board members, Chioma Ohakim assured the president of their support and commitment to ensuring the success of his administration’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

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Pix:Minister of Agric &Rural Dev. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

Unilever says Royco 'Now Meatier than Ever'

NaijaAgroNet:

Leader in consumer goods, Unilever Nigeria Plc, has re-launched its Royco seasoning brand with a new Chicken flavor and reformulation of the existing Beef flavour.

Unilever sources confirmed this to NaijaAgroNet saying that with the brand re-launch and extension, Royco now comes in three variants – Chicken, Beef and Goat – all of which deliver on a culinary promise of taste that is ‘Now Meatier than Ever’ before.

Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria, Thabo Mabe said that: ‘At Unilever, we are focused on the needs of our consumers and provide innovative products that will meet these needs in a unique manner, while improving their lives. This Royco re-launch further reinforces this commitment and I am confident that our new Royco Chicken and reformulated Royco Beef flavour will receive positive reviews and acceptance in the Nigerian market.’

Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria, David Okeme said that the re-launch was done against the background of a new campaign theme tagged, ‘The Great Taste of Home.’ The campaign seeks to connect Nigerians with the essence of the brand which is all about bringing to life the great taste of home in every meal prepared with Royco seasoning.

Okeme said, ‘We are happy to introduce the new variant and reformulated cube flavours to Nigerians. This is a great time for Nigerians to try out dishes prepared with Royco seasoning and appreciate their local dishes irrespective of the kind of food that is being prepared.’

Category Manager, Savoury, Unilever Nigeria, Bolanle Kehinde–Lawal, said that the new Royco brings uniqueness to the taste of seasonings available to the Nigerian consumer. She said, “We are here today to introduce to Nigeria the new and specially formulated Royco seasoning that makes the taste of everyday meals now meatier than ever with an irresistible aroma.’
Royco Chicken, the latest introduction to the existing Royco family, is specially formulated to deliver ‘irresistible chicken taste’ and great aroma, in addition to the existing Beef and Goat variants.

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*Pix: Launch of the new Royco.

WTO: G33 reopen talks on subsidies in December

Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet

A group of developing countries known as G33 plans to re-open World Trade Organization, (WTO) discussions on limits to support for farmers at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia in December.

The group said that the combined effects of the global economic slowdown and increasing climatic shocks are threatening food security in developing countries and want to exceed their agreed domestic support limits when they buy, stock and supply cereals and other food to boost food security among the poor, devoid of any legal challenge.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that the WTO rules do not prescribe limits on the amount of food that can be bought at market prices for food stocks, and it does not limit the amount of food that can be provided as domestic food aid at subsidized prices, except that WTO only disciplines buying cereals at administered prices.

However, developed countries and some developing countries are concerned that the G33 proposal which is backed by India, China and Indonesia could affect food security in neighbouring countries as these measures could lead to surpluses in stocks, which the G33 members might dump in the global market thereby disrupting global prices.

Chairman of India's Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices (CACP), Ashok Gulati, said that India wants more leeway to provide support for its farmers and consumers because the government is launching a massive subsidized food scheme through a public distribution system that will reach two-thirds of its population of nearly 800 million people.

 He explained that a situation where India would be in a position to dump excess stocks could arise "once in 10 years as the larger distortion will be domestic."

NaijaAgroNet noted that a representative from one of the G33 countries at the WTO, who preferred not to be named, said not all the members of the group were supportive of the proposal and stressed that “India is already the largest exporter of rice in the world... Small exporters will lose their competitiveness because of Indian subsidies... Rice prices are already going down, and with further subsidies it can lead to a price crash.”

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Cameroon cocoa sales decline by 45%

Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet

The National Cocoa and Coffee Board   (NCCB) said that Cameroon farmers’ cocoa sales  declined to 45 per cent from a year ago having sold 6,619 tonnes of cocoa beans for grinding in the first two months of the 2013/14 season, which began on August 1.

It said the Cameroon’s cocoa production hit 228,948 tonnes in 2012/2013, but months of dry, cool weather in the cocoa-producing Centre, South West and East Regions have sparked fears of a drop in production in 2013/14,

The NCCB said that Sic-Cacaos ,Cameroon’s largest grinder and a unit of Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut  purchased 4,057 tonnes of cocoa in September while Chocolaterie Confiserie du Cameroun (CHOCOCAM), the only other grinder in the world’s fifth-largest cocoa grower, did not make any purchases.

In the first two months of the 2012/13 season, by comparison, the two local grinders had purchased 11,984 tonnes, with Sic-Cacaos accounting for 11,183 tonnes and CHOCOCAM for 801 tonnes.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that Sic-Cacaos processes cocoa beans into cocoa cake powder and liquor to be sold in the six-member Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC), and CHOCOCAM, an affiliate of South Africa’s Tiger Brand, manufactures chocolate that is sold only in Cameroon.

Both firms have announced plans to set up another plant in the Ivory Coast this season, extend their markets, CHOCOCAM to the other CEMAC countries and Sic-Cacaos to West Africa, particularly Nigeria.

NaijaAgroNet also noted that Cameroon’s cocoa season runs from August 1 to July 31, with the main harvest period from October to January/February and the light crop harvest from April/May to July.

*With additional reports from Reuters

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pix:President Paul Biya of Cameroon

Access roads, bane of post harvest loss in agriculture

Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet

The huge deficiency in rural access roads had been described as the bane of post- harvest loss in agriculture in Nigeria, NaijaAgroNet reports.

This was the nexus drawn by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina who was represented by the Director of Rural Development, Azeez Muyiwa at the recent launch of second Rural Access and Mobility Project RAMP -2 in Abuja, stressing that this has resulted in low farm gate prices which is put at about 20 per cent annually.

He said that the country’s focus to treat agriculture as a business would not be achieved unless intensive efforts were made to tackle issues such as access and mobility, particularly the link between the urban and rural areas where majority of the population who are mostly farmers reside.

In order for the full benefits of the agricultural transformation agenda to be realised, he said the ministry in collaboration with the World Bank developed a rural travel and transport policy as one of its intervention strategies to addressing the inadequacy and deteriorating state of rural transport infrastructure in the country.

The World Bank Country Representative, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, said agriculture as the backbone of Nigeria’s rural economy could be accelerated by improving roads that are essential to increased productivity in agriculture, access to health as well as education for the rural communities.

 The Country Director of French Development Agency, Hubert Dognin, said that special emphasis need to be  placed on the sustainability of the road investments through adequate maintenance in partnership with the states in Nigeria.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the RAMP-2 that is set to aid access and mobility between the urban and rural areas will close in December 2018.

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pix: Minister of Agriculture & Rural Dev. Dr Akinwumi Adesina 

FAO advocates monitoring food loss, waste

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), José Graziano da Silva has advocated for innovative thinking to keep retailers and individual households from throwing away food in order to speed up efforts to eliminate hunger globally, NaijaAgroNet reports.

 Graziano da Silva told participants at the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) in Copenhagen that FAO estimates shows that each year, one-third of about 1.3 billion tons food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted and stressed that this lost or wasted food costs around 750 billion dollars, about N119, 557,350,388,487.12 annually and if reduced to zero would give additional food to feed two billion people.

According to him most food loss takes place in post-production, harvesting, transportation and storage, and is primarily related to inadequate infrastructure in developing countries, while food waste is largely a problem in the marketing and consumption stages in more developed countries.

"One of my priorities in FAO is opening our doors to potential allies. Fighting food loss and waste is clearly one area in which partnership is needed. Developing a global protocol can help provide clear measurements and indicators on which we can base guidance on how to reduce food loss and waste.

“Zeroing food loss and waste is one of the elements of the Zero Hunger Challenge launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Rio+20 Conference last year. Because of all this, FAO has a huge vested interest in bringing about rapid reductions in food losses and waste," FAO Director said.

NaijaAgroNet recorded that FAO launched the SAVE FOOD initiative together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Messe Dusseldorf while more than 150 public organizations and private sector partners are currently conducting case studies on food losses in specific chains that will help give guidance on strategies to upgrade the sectors concerned.

The organization also collaborates with UNEP, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and other partners in the Think.Eat.Save  campaign designed to target and change wasteful practices, especially at the retail and consumer end of the food-supply chain. 

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Austria reiterates support for African farmers

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Austrian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Reinhold Lopatka has reiterated the support of the Austrian Development Cooperation’s (ADC) to fight against hunger in Africa.

Lopatka, in a public statement made available to NaijaAgroNet  pointed out that ADC supports African farmers to improve food security and provided Semien Gondar in north Ethiopia is worth more than 14 million euros about N3, 062,599,677.83 aimed at improving the living conditions of more than 500,000 small farmers in the area.

He explained that food shortages in the region have been caused by population growth, depleted soils, and overgrazed areas, while ADC came to assist in teaching farmers to adapt cultivation methods including the use of more resistant crop varieties and improved animal husbandry.

Through improved storage methods, he said farmers can also more easily store surplus crops through which later crop failures or droughts can be more easily overcome, and the additional income allows them to better finance the schooling of their children.

NaijaAgroNet noted from the release that despite the positive news, that one in eight people worldwide has too little available food, and while the number of hungry had decreased in most regions, it had increased in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and West Asia.

“Through sustainable resource management, Austria is trying to combat this development as effectively as possible,” he said.

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Presidential aide tasks youths to embrace agriculture

 

Anthony Nwakaegho /NaijaAgroNet

 The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Dr Precious Gbeneol has called on youths to take advantage of the various policies of the government especially in agriculture and embrace it as a means of viable employment.

Dr Gbeneol gave the charge on the occasion of World Poverty Day, and said that the most sustainable way to eradicate poverty is to engage more people to work and called on the private sector to come up with more creative ways of creating employment as a means of alleviating poverty.

NaijaAgroNet noted from presidential adviser to MDGs that the country has made meaningful progress in trying to eradicate extreme poverty since it adopted the MDGs in 2000 alongside other countries.

She explained that the country has partially accomplished goal one by reducing the proportion of people suffering from extreme poverty and hunger by 50 per cent ahead of the target date of 2015 and stressed that the country was honoured earlier in the year for the feat at the week-long 38th session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)  event in Rome.

The Ministry of Agriculture, she said had been able to train 5,000 youths in 10 different value chains, provided start-up packages for 6,000 youths, as well as access to credit and other inputs through the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES); trained 2,500 women in poultry, bull fattening, sheep and goat production, bee keeping, crop value chains and extension, among others in the past three years.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that FAO gave the award to Nigeria for being able to reduce the number of its citizens suffering from hunger from 19.31 million in 1990 and 1992 to 13.38 million in 2010 and 2012.

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Pix:President Goodluck Jonathan

Training: US, India promote food security in Africa

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The India-U.S.-Africa Triangular Training Program has marked the completion of the first training program on agricultural marketing management for 30 visiting African agriculture professionals to improve agricultural productivity, NaijaAgroNet reports.

 U.S. Ambassador to India, Nancy J. Powell, who presided over a graduation ceremony at the Chaudhury Charan Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM), said that the programme is under the strategic partnership between the Governments of India and the United States to strengthen agricultural value chains, and support market institutions in Kenya, Liberia, and Malawi.

 “The successful completion of this training program is a concrete example of the growing relationship between India and Africa and the emerging peer-to-peer relationship between India and the United States in addressing global food insecurity. Under the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, our governments have agreed to work together to develop, test, and replicate technologies to extend food security in India that can also benefit Africa. The India-U.S.-Africa Triangular Training program is a key step toward that goal,” Powell said.

NaijaAgroNet recorded that a total of 180 African agricultural professionals from Kenya, Liberia, and Malawi will be trained over the next two years at NIAM in Jaipur and at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Hyderabad, India.

Ambassador Powell was joined by High Commissioner of Kenya to India Florence Imisa Weche, High Commissioner of the Republic of Malawi to India Dr. Perks Ligoya, and Director General of NIAM Dr. R.P. Meena at the ceremony.

*^{With additional report from Odisha Diary Bureau}                       

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