Agriculture with Jimoh

ABUJA- THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the weekend disclosed that Nigerian Agricultural trade has hit N261. 92 billion in second quarter of 2017, which represents 4.60 per cent. Ogbeh made the disclosure at the launch of Nigeria Agribusiness Resource Centre, NARC, in Abuja, for agricultural investment and sponsored by Africa Lead. The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Buka Hassan, said agricultural export from the country was 0.9 per cent out of the total exports in second quarter of 2017. According to him destinations of exports in the second quarter include Asia- 66.38 per cent, Europe -24.98 per cent, Americas- 4.37 per cent, Africa -3.88 per cent and the Oceania- 0.39 per cent. Agricultural commodities exported were cashew nuts, which worth N13.5 billion representing 45.4 per cent of the total agriculture exports and 1.37 per cent of total exports. "Cashew nut export to Vietnam wa...

The Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria says it has secured approval for the release of three new high-yielding nutrient maize varieties for planting in Nigeria. The Institute made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos. The institute said the approval was granted by the National Varietal Release Committee at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology in Ibadan. It said that the maize was developed by IAR in collaboration with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. The institute said that the maize varieties tagged: SAMMAZ 52, SAMMAZ 53 and SAMMAZ 54 were offshoots of extensive “on-station, multi-locational and on-farm’’ evaluations with strong farmer participation. It said that the varieties were desirable to many maize farmers, seed companies, and food processing entrepreneurs, agro-allied industries as well as ...

Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Peoples’ Republic of China, has sensitised market men and women to mycotoxin contamination of agricultural and food commodities. A report signed by Dr Chigozie Nwodo, Head of Press and Media in NAQS, in Abuja on Monday said that the awareness activity took place in Kano, Benue and the FCT between May and June this year. Mycotoxins are produced by moulds or fungi growing on agricultural commodities and allied products under some favourable environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. Mycotoxins can be found in nuts, cereals, Oilseeds, tubers, seafood, spices, fruits, livestock and poultry, agro-allied products. When humans are exposed to mycotoxin, it consequently contaminates their urine, blood, semen, breast milk, serum, among others. Dr Vincent Isegbe, the Coordinating Director of NAQS, said that that the objectives of the workshop were to educate, infor...

National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, on Wednesday disclosed that the devastation of tomatoes by Tuta Absoluta pest had been reduced by 40 per cent. The Acting Executive Director of NIHORT, Dr Abayomi Olaniyan, said this in Ibadan at the institute’s In-House review with the theme “Role of Horticulture in Green Alternative for Improved Livelihood’’. Olaniyan noted that some of the major achievements of the institute in the 2016/2017 period included 114 tomato lines that were collected and under screening for bacterial wilt tolerance. He said that 44 pepper lines were collected and under screening for tolerance to viral infections, adding that five new varieties of mushroom were also collected from East Africa. He also said that 50 kilogrammes of organic fertiliser were produced from a mixture of horticulture waste, while four forms of soap were produced from horticultural waste and packaged. “ One micro garden demonstration centre was established at ...

The Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN), on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to support its efforts in popularising Organic agriculture (OA) in Nigeria. The Association’s National President, Prof. Victor Olowe, made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ibadan. The NOAN president urged the government to increase the contribution Organic Agriculture was making in the Growth Enhancement Scheme of agriculture, to enable the association achieve its goal. Olowe noted that OA was essential for the development of agriculture in the country, adding that it could improve farmers’ incomes with a lot of health benefits. According to him, the association has registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the aim to improve the livelihoods of stakeholders, especially farmers in agriculture. “ We are affiliated with the Intern...

Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN) says it is partnering with the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) to establish an insurance cover for its members across the country. Chief Daniel Okafor, the National President of the association spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday. According to him, the insurance will cover both agricultural produce and lives of its members. Okafor said that the initiative was as a result of losses recorded by some members of the association, especially during natural disasters like floods. He said the insurance was necessary following the commencement of the rainy season. “We are trying to provide all potato farmers with insurance cover. “NAIC is working with us in the process to achieve this. “Some of our farmers have died while some lost their produce. The insurance is what we are discussing now. “The insurance policy will also cover the lives and the agricultural produce of our farmers t...

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 ...