Agriculture with Jimoh

Agri-tech can turn African Savannah into global food basket – African Development Bank Des Moines, Iowa, 24 October 2018 – The African Development Bank is championing a new regional and global effort to transform the African Savannah from a “Sleeping Giant” to the cradle of the continent’s green revolution. “This sleeping giant needs to wake up,” the Bank’s Vice-President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke, told an audience at a 2018 World Food Prize side event in Des Moines, Iowa last week. Blanke described Africa’s nearly 400 million hectares of Savannah zones as “the world’s largest agricultural frontier,” and if a small fraction of that cultivatable land – some 16 million hectares - is transformed, it could well set Africa up to decrease dependence on food imports, feed itself and contribute to feeding the world. Africa is host to 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, but currently spends an estimated US$35 billion per year ...

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 leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been urged to galvanise the political will to implement developmental programmes that would engender the socio-economic growth of their countries. Stakeholders in agriculture from the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and ECOWAS gave the advice at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday. They said the advice had become imperative in order to address the challenges that are impeding regional integration and growth. 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. Dr Aboubacar Sidibe, Senior Official, Fisheries and Aquaculture of FAO, said it was unfortunate that African leaders always found it easy to append signatures to regional integration interventions without bothering about implementation. He decrie...

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...

The World Food Prize Foundation has explained why Dr Akinwumi Adesina won the 250,000 dollars 2017 World Food Prize Laureate prize on Monday. President of the Foundation, Amb. Kenneth Quinn said Adesina won the prize “for driving change in African agriculture for over 25 years and improving food security for millions across the continent”. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), was announced on Monday as the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Quinn explained that the selection of Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture for the prize also “reflected both his breakthrough achievements as Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria”. He said Adesina “led a major expansion of commercial bank lending to farmers as Vice President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and as Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, introduced the E-Wallet system”. Adesina also “introduced initia...

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, may become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021 LAGOS, Nigeria, April 17, 2017/ -- Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote (www.Dangote.com), may become the largest exporter of rice in the world by 2021. Speaking at the Mo Ibrahim Forum in Morocco over the weekend, Adesina said Africa must focus on agriculture to drive growth and create jobs on the continent. “I remember when I was minister of Agriculture in Nigeria. Aliko Dangote was there, and he was our biggest importer at the time, and he and I used to have all the time to dialogue,” Adesina said. “One day, I was in my office, about 10 O’clock, Aliko walks in, Ngozi was minister of finance. Aliko bangs on my door and said ‘minister I came to see you’, and I said ‘what are we going to disagree on this time?’ “H...

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) say they are targeting provision of food and livelihood for 1.8 million persons in two Northern states. Mr Douglas Mercado, the Deputy Country Director of WFP, said this at the National Consolidation Workshop on Cadre Harmonise of Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis in 16 states of Northern Nigeria. Mercado said in Abuja on Friday that the move was to assist vulnerable households to recover their livelihoods and achieve food security following the crisis in the area. He said the assistance would come through the distribution of food items and cash transfers of N23, 000 each to the affected persons. “By December last year, we reached one million people in Yobe state through food distribution, cash transfer and supplementary nutrition. “ We plan to scale up to reach 1.8 million people between April and May. We will continue to use the Cadre Harmonise’ to reach th...

The Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Kadawa, Kano state has concluded arrangement to purchase fresh tomatoes from farmers in Gombe and Sokoto States. The company had already signed an agreement with Tomato Growers Association for the procurement of the commodity from the two states. The Managing Director of the company, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Tuesday. He said that the company found it necessary to go into the agreement following the non availability of the commodity in Kano and other neighbouring states that produced it in large commercial quantities. He noted that the CBN anchor borrower programme had adversely affected tomato the production this irrigation season, especially in Kano State where many farmers shifted to wheat and rice production. “The wheat and rice loans given to farmers this year have affected tomato production in the state. “This is the reason why the product is still cost...

Wheat importation to end soon –OGBEH …assures support for farmers on local production ABUJA- THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, yesterday, maintained that wheat importation into the country will end soon as the federal government has put in place measures to boost productivity of local wheat farmers. Ogbeh disclosed this at the ongoing ‘International Conference on Wheat’, organised by the Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC) project of the African Development Bank, AfDB, in Abuja. The minister, who was represented by the Director of Agribusiness and Marketing in the ministry, Dr Muyiwa Azeez, revealed that farmers in the country were currently producing high-quality wheat for consumption. He said: “As a result of this, the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria submitted a written commitment to the ministry, stating that they will off-take all the wheat produced by Nigerian wheat farmers.” Also sp...

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has described as embarrassing the downgrade of Nigeria in the global cocoa business. To revive the industry, however, the Minister has disclosed that a re-launch will be done early this year as part of activities to bring cocoa back to public consciousness. Moreover, he has said that millions of cocoa trees will have to be planted, beginning this year.   “This year’s activity,” Chief Ogbeh noted, will start with “the relaunch of cocoa.” In his words: “It is an embarrassment that Nigeria fell to the seventh place. We are re-launching cocoa. We are targeting 15 to 20 million trees a year and we are rehabilitating the existing ones and improving upon agronomic practices, and processing and all the value chains that need to take us to number one.” Despite hurdles, agric fared well in 2016, kept faith on rice – Ogbeh -            As he inaugurates co...

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...

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday said that his administration would take advantage of the vast opportunities in the agricultural sector to grow the economy. Obaseki made this known when he received the executive members of the Cassava Stakeholders Association of Nigeria (CSAN) at Government House, Benin. Represented by Mr Philip Shaibu, his Deputy, Obaseki said that investing in agriculture was critical to the economic development of the state. He said that his government was in the position to make Edo an economic hub and the eight biggest economy in the World after Lagos state. The governor said that partnering with agricultural association such as CSAN, would assist government to actualise the vision of food sufficiency and job creation. “The soil across the state are fertile and rich for the cultivation of both food and cash crops that will enhance economic development. “Crops like fruits in Edo Central, oil palm in Edo South and groun...

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Sokoto State Government had spent over N 1.12 billion on the 2016/2017 Anchor Borrowers Wheat Farming Programme, an Official said in Sokoto on Thursday. The Chairman of the Framework Committee on Agricultural Development in the State, Alhaji Chiso Abdullahi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Abdullahi, a former Deputy Governor in the state, said that out of the amount, the apex bank contributed about N990 million, while the state government provided over N125 million. According to him, no fewer than 4,305 farmers are benefiting from the gesture for the season that commenced Nov. 2016 and will end in the first week of Feb. 2017. ”The state government had since distributed over 1500 bags of wheat seeds free to the farmers across the state. ”In the same vein, the state government had sold additional 2,094 bags of wheat seeds to the farmers, with each bag bought at N 35,000 and sold ...

Bird flu claims 3.5 million birds in 26 states, FCT- FG ... Summons State agric commissioners ABUJA- THE Federal Government yesterday, disclosed that bird flu has claimed 3.5 million birds in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, so far. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, made the disclosure in his address of welcome during a consultative meeting with commissioners of Agriculture/Livestock, state directors of veterinary services and major stakeholders in the poultry industry in Abuja. Ogbeh who described the situation as threat to the poultry industry and said losses in the industry unacceptable as he personally feels the pain of affected farmers. He said: “Our meeting today is necessary in order to restore the poultry industry to its past glory as a major source of livelihood of our people, diversify the economy and avert food security crisis and possible spill over to humans. “You may recall that the first outbreak of bir...

The Kebbi State Government said on Thursday that it had vaccinated over 871,347 livestock in the state against suspected anthrax from the neighbouring Benin Republic. This is contained in a statement signed by Alhaji Umar Gulma, a Deputy Director in the state Ministry of Information, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi. It said the state Ministry of Animal Health had embarked on the livestock vaccination in three local government areas bordering the Republic of Benin. “We have embarked on the livestock vaccination campaign as a measure to ward off the suspected anthrax in Benin Republic. “We considered the fact that we have Arewa, Bagudo and Dandi Local Government Areas that border Benin Republic,” it said. The statement said that so far, about 449,573 cattle and 421,774 sheep had been vaccinated in the exercise. It said over N11million was spent on the procurement of the vaccines, adding that an additional N10 ...

 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...

FAO’s new State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report urges more work to rein in over fishing Global per capita fish consumption has risen to above 20 kilograms a year for the first time, thanks to stronger aquaculture supply and firm demand, record hauls for some key species and reduced wastage, according to a new FAO report published today. Yet despite notable progress in some areas, the state of the world's marine resources has not improved, the latest edition of the UN agency's The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) says that almost a third of commercial fish stocks are now fished at biologically unsustainable levels, triple the level of 1974. Global total capture fishery production in 2014 was 93.4 million tonnes, including output from inland waters, up slightly over the previous two years. Alaska pollock was the top species, replacing anchoveta for the first time since 1998 and offering evidence that effective resource management practices ...

 The Country Director, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Ousmane Dore, has earmarked 175 million dollars for Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme (ATASP-I) as instrument for consolidating the bank’s investments in Nigerian agricultural sector. The latest edition of the bank’s newsletter, issued by its Nigerian Country Office on Tuesday in Abuja quoted Dore as saying this at a meeting held in Kaduna Government House recently. He said that in recognition of its ongoing effort to transform agriculture from subsistence to agribusiness, AfDB was invited by the leadership of Nigeria’s North-West region to review the agricultural development strategy for the region. Dore added that another aim of the invitation was for the bank to give an overview of its ongoing and upcoming interventions in agriculture in Nigeria as they relate to the seven North-West states. ``In line with the agenda of the meeting, we (bank) have outlined the AgriculturalTransformation Agend...

By  AlhajiIsiaka Yusuf The Minister of Environment,Amina Mohammed has called on Nigerians not to panic over the issue of Genetically

...25, 000 households sacked ABUJA- Development partners in the  agricultural  sector have raised alarm over food crisis following massive floods in Tanzania, which threatens food security as over 25,000 households have been sacked. This was discovered when 13 representatives of international development partners visited the flood ravaged region  Dodoma for on the spot assessment of the weather situation and how to proffer solution to the devastation also known as El Niño. According to Food and  Agriculture  Organisation, FAO, in Tanzania, the visit was necessary as torrential rains have rendered 25, 000 households homeless and thrown them into food crisis in the region. The annual visit came at a time when many East and Southern African countries, including Tanzania, were facing the effects of climate change and recent weather phenomenon such as El Niño. Dodoma region in particular is one of six regions severely affected by El Niño together with...