Agriculture with Jimoh

“Stunted children today will lead to stunted economies tomorrow” – Adesina African Union endorses African Leaders for Nutrition Initiative By Jimoh Babatunde The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has said that stunted children today will lead to stunted economies tomorrow, adding that the impact of stunting is irreversible but preventable. He spoke yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as African leaders made a landmark commitment to remove nutrition-related barriers that prevent children and societies from realising their full potential. The leaders made the commitments at the launch of African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) − an initiative championed by the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission – in Addis Ababa, where they agreed to jointly overcome malnutrition and elevate nutrition as the driver for economic growth and sustainable development. Adesina said poor nutrition is responsible for stunting children’s ...

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had recorded tremendous achievements in agriculture. He disclosed in Abuja that the feats of the party in agriculture were, however, not adequately reported. He berated some media houses for always making headlines with negative stories while ignoring such success stories. The President of the Senate noted that in the area of rice farming and processing, Nigeria under the APC government, had risen to a point where it would soon be completely self sufficient. “You can see what the APC government is doing in agriculture but this is something we don’t talk about, the success that the APC government has made is tremendous. “Am sure in a few years time we will be self sufficient in rice and that is a major achievement for a country that is always importing rice to now get to the stage where we no longer have to import rice. “But how often do y...

Jigawa Government on Tuesday announced plans to distribute ultra-modern mini rice mills, harvesters and other implements to boost rice production in the state. Alhaji Jamilu Usaman-Danmalam, Special Adviser to the state governor on Rice Production and Value Chain said the implements would be distributed to youths under the government cluster farming scheme. The special adviser said in an interview on Tuesday in Dutse, that the items would be issued to the young farmers on loan. He listed the farming implements to include 100 mini rice milling machines, 100 single row planters, 100 double row planters, 100 mini thrashers, 300 handheld harvesters and 574 manual sprayers. “The government has concluded all arrangements for this exercise and all the items are on ground. “We are done with compiling the names of the beneficiaries and we will soon call them for distribution. “This is part of our plans to empower and encourage youths to go into farming. ...

David Patrick, Acting Country Representative, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has identified lack of policy and comprehensive regional strategy as major challenges facing fishery and aquaculture sector in the ECOWAS region. He said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the stakeholders’ meeting on the Development of ECOWAS Fisheries and Aquaculture Regional Policy and Strategy Framework for member countries. The stakeholders in agriculture from the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and ECOWAS are currently meeting in Abuja to develop a framework on Fishery and Aquaculture for ECOWAS countries. Patrick observed that lack of framework to improve coordination and ensure effective cooperation in actions for the benefit of the sector was hindering the development of fishery and aquaculture at the regional level. “It also includes the weakness of human domestic and regional capacities, and weakness of information systems to inform the political decisi...

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 ...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Federal Government have initiated a public awareness strategy to educate livestock owners and veterinary officers on the impact of trans-boundary livestock diseases. Mr Patrick David, the FAO Representative in Nigeria, made this known at a workshop in Abuja on Tuesday. He said that the strategy would consolidate the successes recorded during the eradication of rinderpest and sustain the rinderpest-free status of the country. Rinderpest — also known as cattle plague or steppe murrain — is a contagious viral disease affecting cattle, domestic buffalo, large antelope and deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthogs. David said that the workshop was also targeted at enhancing the communication capacity of pastoralists and policy makers to avoid the re-occurrence of rinder-pest and other trans-boundary livestock diseases. He noted that livestock accounted for one-third of Nigeria’s agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP), pro...

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...

Rice millers in Kano State have attributed the high cost of locally-produced rice to the increasing cost of production of the commodity in the country. Mr Liman Muhammed, spokesperson, Medium and Small Scale Rice Millers Association in the state, said this during a visit to some rice mills in Kano on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the price of 50kg locally-produced rice ranges between N20,000 and N22,000 while that of imported rice is between N12,000 and N15,000. “For locally-produced rice, the cost of production is high. Our people are used to the imported rice but with government’s intervention, we are seeing good quality rice. “Most imported rice have spent more than 10 years in the storage and are not good enough but the local rice has more nutritional value. “The number of people consuming local rice is increasing and if everybody along the rice value chain is empowered, the cost of production will reduce,’’ he said. He ...

The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) says Nigeria exports over 70 per cent of its improved seeds to other West African countries. Mr Mmoeyak Usua, the Council’s South-South Regional Head, said this while speaking with journalists in Yenagoa on Monday. Usua, who harped on the use of improved and certified seeds, said that increased usage of the seeds by the country’s farmers would facilitate plans to boost agricultural productivity and the farmers’ income. While commending the efforts of Nigerian farmers in agricultural production, the NASC official, nonetheless, stressed that the importance of improved seeds to agricultural productivity could never be over-emphasised. “Nigeria now exports improved seeds to other West African countries; over 70 per cent of the improved seeds, used by farmers in the sub-region, come from Nigeria,’’ he said. Usua pledged the commitment of NASC to building a market-driven seeds industry, so as to facilitate the production and dis...

The Federal Government has said that it would re-capitalise the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) to the tune of three trillion naira in order to make farmers in the country have access to fund at affordable interest rate. The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri disclosed this yesterday at the inaugural harvest of a Tillapia fish farm of Premium Aquaculture Limited, Oyan Dam in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital. Lokpobiri said further that access to funding remained one of the biggest challenges being faced by farmers in Nigeria, noting that commercial banks were not ready to fund agriculture, hence the decision by the FG to recapitalise BoA to fast track the diversification of the country's economy to agriculture. The minister, disclosed that the nation's fish demand stood at 3.1 metric tonnes per annum but currently hovering around 1.1 metric tonnes per annum, leaving a deficit of 2.1 metric tonnes. He said the government reso...

States in the north-eastern part of the country, still struggling to recover from the devastating effects of Boko Haram insurgency, are recording bumper harvests in rice cultivation. In a recent survey by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), rice farmers, millers and dealers attributed the development to the pragmatic agricultural policies put in place by the Federal Government. They also ascribed the development to the positive lessons learnt from harrowing situation brought about by the economic recession in the country. They observed that apart from the enhanced patronage of local rice, which had boosted the economic status of rice farmers, the price of the produce had stabilised and might even fall drastically due to massive production. Alhaji Baba Kaye, Chairman Rice Dealers Association in Gombe State, noted that the intervention of the Federal Government had stabilised the price of rice for some time now. “The price has remained stable without fluctuating; we are grateful...

The interim Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Dr Kabiru Adamu, says his management will reposition the bank to stimulate Federal Government’s policy on economic diversification. Adamu made the promise when he took over leadership of the BoA’s management in Kaduna on Friday. According to him, the new management will evolve new skills and strategies aimed at optimal service delivery of credit facilities to farmers’ groups in the country. “The government of President Muhammadu Buhari, as you are aware, is focusing on agriculture and the simple reason is to diversify the economy. “Therefore, our team is coming in to continue with the good work the outgoing management has put in place. “I assure you that my team and I are eager, ready and committed to reposition the bank, “he said. Adamu, who expressed the readiness to operate open door policy, solicited the support of the bank’s union leaders and members of staff to enable the new management ...

Focus is on food security and helping poor farmers by enhancing crop resilience and adapting to climate change FAO and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have agreed to cooperate more closely to support sustainable rice production in developing countries to improve food security and livelihoods while safeguarding natural resources. An agreement signed today seeks to better pool the scientific knowledge and technical know-how of the two organizations so that they can expand and intensify their work globally. The partnership primarily aims to enhance sustainable rice-based farming systems through capacity building activities - including assisting governments draw up and implement national and regional policies and strategies - to the benefit of small-scale farmers, especially women. "The world faces very significant changes over the next few decades to produce the volume and quality of nutritious food to feed a global population heading for 10 billion pe...

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 ...

Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita, the Managing Director of Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Kadawa, Kano State, has commended the Federal Government for banning the importation of tomato paste into the country. The managing director said on Tuesdayin Kano that “I want to use this opportunity to commend the Federal Government for the singular act. “The information reaching us is that government has banned importation of tomato paste and the Central Bank of Nigeria will support tomato growers with loan under the Anchor Borrower programme,” he said. Kaita noted that enforcing total ban on importation of the commodity would enable local tomato processing factories to thrive, in addition to providing job opportunities to the teeming number of unemployed persons in the country. “The importation of tomato paste from China had adversely affected the local tomato processing companies as local product was not being patronized adequately.” According to him, his company plans...

The Kaduna State chapter of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) has appealed to Federal Government to maintain its ban on rice importation so as to boost local production. The State Secretary of RIFAN, Mr Ishaya Audu, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kaduna. Audu urged the government to ignore calls from various quarters to lift the ban on rice importation through the country’s land borders, saying that the ban should be sustained to encourage rice farmers to increase their productivity. “ Our farmers produce at a loss due to their lack of access to fertilisers, agro-chemicals, high-yield seeds, tractors and loan facilities to expand rice production in the state. “ We were among those who encouraged the Federal Government’s ban on importation of rice, although we cannot meet up with the current demand for the commodity due to these challenges. “ We still insist that the ban be sustained while all these challenges are ...

Researchers working under the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture led Cassava Weed Management Project (IITA-CWMP) will this week share findings and recommendations on how to tackle weeds in cassava farming systems. The sharing of research findings is part of activities marked for a week-long annual review and planning meeting and Steering Committee meeting scheduled to hold 27-30 March 2017 at IITA in Ibadan. “ We are optimistic that the key findings from our research will help farmers to tackle the problem of weeds in cassava, with the view to having more yield,” says the Project Leader of IITA-CWMP, Dr Alfred Dixon, who is also a Director with IITA on Monday. Declaring the meeting open, Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnership for Delivery, said the goal of the project was to take off drudgery due to weeding in cassava farming systems. “ I am happy that this meeting will share findings that will impact positively on weed ...

ABUJA- THE Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, and Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice),have commenced training of 300 community based rice farmers on quality rice seeds production to boost yield and consumption. This was disclosed by the FAO Deputy Representative to Nigeria, Nourou Macki, who said it has become necessary to build the capacity of farmers on production of quality rice seed, which will be for youths and women, and also rice seeds producers. According to Macki the training being conducted was under the Partnership for Sustainable Rice Systems Development in Sub-Saharan Africa agreement between FAO and AfricaRice. The trainees are drawn from six states, which include Ekiti, Edo, Anambra, Abia, Nassarawa and Jigawa for the project, which 50 participants will benefit from the training in each state and also demonstration plots and backstopping mission established as part of sustaining the project. It will facilitate the emergence of efficient rice productio...