Agriculture with Jimoh

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, said that mechanized farming would boost agricultural production and create more jobs for Nigerian Youths. Nanono made this disclosure during a town hall meeting with the All Farmers Associations of Nigeria (AFAN) and other relevant stakeholders in Kano weekend. Alhaji Sabo Nanono noted that the introduction of mechanized farming was necessary in order to shift from the traditional system of farming and embrace modern technology, enhance self-reliance and boost food production in the country He appealed that Nigerians should support the Present Administration In its Commitment to Position the Agricultural Sector to attain economic growth and food security. “We need to give the Government the necessary support and cooperation to enable it to achieve success in terms of food security, job creation and increased Internally Generated Revenue “. The Minister challenged the farmers to rise up t...

Dr Richardson Okechukwu, a cassava specialist, on Monday advised cassava farmers to always preserve 10 per cent of cassava stems during harvest for planting in the next season. Okechukwu, a specialist for the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), gave the advice while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “Cassava stems cannot be preserved, so when you are harvesting, do not harvest all the crops, leave 10 per cent of the stems for the next planting season. “By doing so, you will not lose the cassava variety which you already have,” he said. Okechukwu, however, said that fertiliser application was good for the cassava cultivation, adding that farmers should also engage in some kind of crop rotation in order to preserve soil nutrients. “It is not good for the farmers to be growing cassava year-by-year on same soil. “After two years of growing cassava, try to grow something like soya beans on the far...

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in partnership with some organisations would soon release locally adapted Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea varieties in Sub Saharan Africa(SSA). The Executive Director of AATF, Dr Denis Kyetere, said this on Tuesday at the AATF Annual Review and Planning Meeting of PBR Cowpea Project at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. He said the varieties were expected to reduce grain yield losses caused by the Pod Borer Maruca vitrata as well as reduce the need for insecticidal sprays. Kyetere emphasised that the expected yield improvement would impact on household national and global food security economic status. He pointed out that the deployment of a cowpea product capable of protecting itself from Maruca attack would make it easier and cheaper for farmers to produce cowpeas in areas where there was pest. “I am excited about the prospects that the project holds given ...

An agriculturist, Prof. Godfrey Nzamujo, on Thursday urged the three tiers of government in the country to adopt the Songhai model of agriculture to boost food security and fight poverty. Nzamujo, speaking in Abuja, said that the Songhai model, which involved integrated farming, should be adopted because of its capacity to boost agricultural productivity considerably. He said that the government should change its approach in its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that it should adopt the Songhai model, which relied on the use of God-given resources, to accomplish this target. He said that the Songhai model had demonstrated that with deliberate investment in agriculture, Nigeria would be able to increase its revenue and reduce its dependence on petroleum as its sole foreign exchange earner. Nzamujo said that the Songhai model was an innovative approach that could be used to tackle challenges, such as food insecurity and poverty, enviro...

The Federal Government has procured no fewer than 500 rice harvesters and threshers to reduce post harvest losses and achieve self sufficiency in rice production by 2018. Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, made this known while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday. Ogbeh said that the government had only taken delivery of 80 of the harvesters, adding that the remaining 420 would be delivered before April. He said the harvesters that would cost about N1.7 million each, would be manned by trained personnel in states. Ogbeh also noted that the rice threshers which were produced locally would cost between N800, 000 and N900, 000 each. The minister, who said that Kebbi have procured some of the machines, noted that Ebonyi and Jigawa States have also indicated interest to acquire the machines. According to him, if we have these machines in rice and wheat farms, the cost and stress of rice farming will reduce by 80 per cent. ...

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) office in Gombe State has trained 150 agricultural extension workers, Malam Muhammad Umar, the Permanent Secretary, SDGs Gombe, said. Umar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday that the trainees were graduates with diploma in Agriculture. He said they were deployed to rural communities across the state to assist farmers. The permanent secretary added that the training was part of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) project of 2015 which was not executed. According to him, the office still has some 2016 MDGs projects not executed but is trying to do them and round up before the commencement of SDG projects. He explained that the office initially wanted to train the agriculture graduates in fish farming “but because of shortage of extension workers in the state, we changed the plan. “We were made to understand that Gombe was in dire need of agricultural extension workers, hence the need to t...

By Jimoh Babatunde  The Federal Government has launched N10 Billion Women in Agriculture Environment Impact Fund (WAEIF) in Abuja as a means of using women to unlock the country’s food potentials. Speaking at the launch, the Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development Senator, Heineken Lokpobiri , said that the challenges of environmental impact have contributed largely to food scarcity in Nigeria. He noted that insurgency, gas flaring, oil spillage, desert encroachment, flood and other environmental hazards have prevented effective participation of women in Agriculture. Lokpobiri said that the fund will boost sustainable funding mechanism for women in Agriculture which will in turn generate employment and exchange of ideas in environmental agriculture. Lokpobiri commended the Women Association for National Agriculture and Environment Protection ( WANAEP ) for the effort of fund raising which will positively impact on the on-going process of economic diver...

The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) says 350,000 families in Kebbi State have benefitted from Anchor Borrower Agricultural Loan disbursed to farmers in the last one year. Alhaji Muhammad Adamu, the Executive Director of the bank`s Corporate Services made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday. He said that 78,000 farmers directly benefitted from the loan, while 350,000 families were affected through job creation and income generation. He said that under the programme, the state had produced 700, 000 tonnes of rice, adding that the initial production target was one million tonnes. Adamu said that the loan was meant for every eligible farmer without special consideration such as religion, tribe or creed. He said that the Anchor Borrower Programme was aimed at promoting food security, economic sustainability and self reliance for the populace. He said that the bank would soon sign a memorandum of unders...

 The Federal Government says the current hike in price of fertiliser is as a result of security concerns as criminal elements are using its components to make bombs and other explosives. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a Special Town Hall Meeting for Youths organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture. The minister said that fertiliser being sold for N10,000 per bag was because the security agencies placed hold on its distribution. “Fertiliser came late this year due to security challenges. “We started moving fertiliser in February to meet up with the farming season but the national security agency stop us from moving it. “Over 400 trailer loads of fertilisers were held down in Lokoja for two months because Boko haram were converting urea among other fertilizer component to make bombs. “ It took two and half months to get arrangement from security agencies to escort fertilisers from the ...

The Federal Government has launched the African Water Facility/African Development Bank (AWF/AfDB) supported project for effective water resources management of the Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Basin. The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, made this known on Monday in Abuja. Adamu said that the partnership was to encourage efforts in delivering services for 15 million people who derive their livelihood from the basin. “ The ministry has encouraged and supported the Trust Fund to seek for a grant from the African Water Facility under African Development Bank for the implementation of the project to restore livelihoods in the basin,” he said. Adamu said that the fund would enable several interventions to reduce conflicts, douse tensions and restore lost livelihoods in the area. The minister appealed to the benefiting states and other agencies to make best use of the grant by supporting the implementation of the basin’s water resources projec...

 Dr Heiner Lehr, an International Expert on Value Chain with the United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO), has decried the poor method of grain storage being practiced by Nigeria farmers. Lehr said this in Abuja on Thursday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the sideline of the ongoing workshop of the ``Standing Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on Zero Reject of Agricultural Commodities and non-oil Exports.’’ He said that the poor practice was a major cause for the ban on Nigeria’s beans exportation by the European Union (EU). The expert expressed regrets that storage of grains, especially beans in Nigeria lacked adequate coordination by relevant authorities and was being done with excess pesticide. According to him, too much pesticide on farm produce could cause cancer and it has been claimed to have a link to obesity in children. ``There is lack of coordination in beans storage in Nigeria and this has led to over use of pestici...

 The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Jigawa has cautioned farmers against hasty sale of their entire farm produce at harvest. The AFAN Chairman, Alhaji Idris Maiunguwa, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia on Thursday. He said that the advice became necessary to guard against hike in the prices of grains and exposing their families to hunger. ``It is disheartening to see farmers who have nothing to eat few months after harvest,” he said. The AFAN chairman also urged farmers to imbibe good preservation culture by ensuring proper application of chemicals on farm produce. He added that the association had commenced sensitisation of its members on the need for them to preserve farm produce. NAN recalls that farmers recorded high yields, following appreciable rain recorded in this cropping season in the state. The chairman called on farmers to report pest infestation to extension workers to control the problem. He, howev...

ABUJA- THE Federal Government, yesterday, disclosed that it will annually produce 7 million tonnes of rice from 2017 with new technological approach to actualise it. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, during a visit by the Japan International Corporation Agency, JICA, in his office. The Minister also said the government has expressed determination to buy some rice milling machines from Japan which would be proposed in the 2017 budget, and added that possibly rice chaffs would be converted to briquettes for household use. While lauding the Rice Post- Harvest Processing and Marketing Pilot Project, RIPMAPP, developed by JICA, especially the new technology for small scale rice processors, he said rice production which was three tonnes per hectare has increased to seven tonnes per hectare in some states following the new technology in producing the commodity based on the new formula of fertiliser production, soil mapping and textur...

MAKURDI...........At least 5,000 cassava farmers in Benue state have been offered over 10,000 bags of free fertilizers, herbicides and other inputs valued at over N100million by International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, to boost food production in the state. Flagging off the presentations at Ogbadibo, Okpokwu and Guma local government areas of the state, Benue IFAD-VCDP State Project Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Igbaukum said each of the benefitting farmer was to receive two liters of herbicides from the organization at no cost. He said aside the contribution of his organization to boost cassava cultivation in the state, each of the 2,500 benefiting farmers through their cluster groups would also receive same quantity of counterpart support from the state government. Igbaukum said, "with the arrangement, each farmer is expected to cultivate a hectare of farmland with four bags of fertilizer and four lit...

 Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed, President of Kaduna State Fadama Farmers' Co-operatives Federation, said on Wednesday that non release of counterpart funds for Fadama III, has slowed down the project. Muhammed said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that participating states and local governments must release their contributions to allow the project run successfully. He noted that the successful implementation of the FADAMA III+ programme would boost food production and agriculture value chain in the country. Muhammed also appealed to the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to provide more fertilizer and other inputs to farmers participating in the Fadama programme, to optimise production. ``More than 600 cooperative societies in the state are in the programme and each farmer gets two to four bags of assorted fertilizers, which is far below their need.`` Muhammed advised that the programme be extended to cover all the 23 local government ar...

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina has reiterated the AfDB’s commitment to support empowerment of women in Agriculture in order to unlock the sector’s potential. He was speaking on 16 July at a high level meeting for Heads of States and Governments and partners for the implementation of Empowering Women in Agriculture (EWA) and of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiatives, held at the sidelines of the 27 th  African Union Summit that took place from 17 July to 18 July in Kigali, Rwanda. “To transform agriculture we must recognise the critical role women play in agriculture in Africa. We must invest in measures that target the needs of women farmers including access to land, improving market access, increasing access labour-saving tools, and providing improved seeds and quality fertilisers,” he said. From left to right Bineta Diop, Founder and Chair of the Femme Africa Solidarite; Emmanuel Nnadozie, African Ca...

 No fewer than 35 African countries are to partner with CGIAR centres in the implementation of the investments in agricultural transformation, an initiative of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). A statement  by IITA Communication Officer, Mrs Bola Adewole, said that in furtherance of this objective a project pre-appraisal meeting would hold at the institute in Ibadan from July 18 to July 30. The statement said the meeting was to brainstorm on the AfDB’s initiative, Feeding Africa or Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme. ``To date, about 35 African countries have been identified as potential partners with CGIAR centres in the implementation of the investments in agricultural transformation,” it said It noted that the TAAT programme was a critical strategy for transforming agriculture on the continent that would ensure that Africa is able to feed itself through agriculture. ``The pre-appraisal meeting is taking place almost t...

) The World Bank has approved the disbursement of N1.55 billion to Bauchi FADAMA III Project for execution of two agriculture programmes during the 2016 cropping season. Dr Ali Garba, Projects Coordinator, Bauchi State Fadama III Project, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Bauchi. Garba explained that N600 million was additional financing to Fadama III projects for the production of rice and sorghum. He said that 4,000 rice and sorghum farmers across the state would benefit from the project. Garba said that under the project, farmers would be given fertilizer, chemicals, seeds, sprayers and other inputs to enable them participate in the programme. He said that the participating farmers were expected to produce 240,000 metric tons of rice and 7,200 metric tons of sorghum. Garba said that the balance of N950 million was for the "North East Food Security and Livelihood Support Project for IDPs." He said that under the project,...

 The Federal Government says it has taken proactive steps towards ensuring the safety of farmers and investors in the agricultural sector. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, stated this on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of a two million dollars U.S. Government/Private Partnership towards strengthening Nigeria`s agricultural sector. Ogbeh said plans were underway to engage the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to provide security for the nation`s big-time farmers and investors in agriculture. ``We have challenges; it is a matter of joy USAID continues to partner with us, to support us. ``We are looking forward to more intensive partnership; we are looking forward to investors, local and foreign and we want to say that we are aware of the new security challenges we face naturally. ``We have to anticipate that investors whether they are Nigerians or foreigners, we require security to protect them.” Ogbeh ...

The Bauchi State Government has approved the purchase of 20,000 tonnes of assorted fertilisers for the 2016 cropping season. Gov. Mohammed Abubakar announced this at the launching and sales of fertilisers for the season in Jama'are town on Wednesday. Abubakar announced that NPK brand of the fertilisers would be sold to farmers at N4,000,while Urea would attracts N4,500 as against N2,270 and N3,000 in 2015, respectively. He further said that 200 trucks out of the 666 trucks meant for the state had been received, while the balance would be delivered in the next two weeks. The governor said that the state government had negotiated for two billion naira loan for farmers in the state from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Abubakar said the state government would pay for equity and training of farmers as required by the CBN to enable farmers access the loan. He said that the state had targeted 100,000 farmers of sorghum, rice and maize for 2016 cropping season. The governor sa...