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 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has been granted a permit to carry out Confined Field Trials (CFT) of genetically modified cassava (AMY3 RNAi Transgenic lines). This is contained in a statement signed by IITA Head of Communication, Mrs Catherine Lopez, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ibadan. The statement said that the research, carried out in collaboration with ETHZ Plant Biotechnology Lab in Zurich, was aimed at reducing starch breakdown in storage roots of cassava after pruning the shoots, prior to harvest of the crop. It also said that the objective was to obtain storage roots with lower post-harvest physiological degradation, without any loss of the nutritious starch. It noted that cassava was an important starchy food crop in sub-Saharan Africa as well as other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The statement said that one of the challenges facing cassava farmers in the country was the high lev...

My father did not want me in agriculture because he was a poor farmer--- AfDB President, Adesina When he was ushered into the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa, last week, for the conferment of the 2017 World Food Prize award , Dr. Akinwumi Adesina received a standing ovation from international leaders, policy makers, farmers, executives from agribusiness , non-governmental organisations, and scientific. The award was an endorsement of his roles over the past two decades with the Rockefeller Foundation, at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and as Minister of Agriculture of Nigeria. Dr. Adesina, , now the President of the African Development Bank, has been at the forefront of galvanizing political will to transform African agriculture through initiatives to expand agricultural production, thwart corruption in the Nigerian fertilizer industry and exponentially increase the availability of credit for smallholder farmers across the African continent. T...

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...

Two former heads of state of Nigeria, Dr Yakubu Gowon, and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo will be among dignitaries that would grace the 50th anniversary celebration (IITA@50) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan on 24 July. The two former heads of state will be addressing a gathering of more than 1000 staff including former and serving workers of the Institute and other dignitaries. Other confirmed participants include Dr Akin Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Dr Kanayo Nwanze, Former President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Chair of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu; Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Burundi, Dr Deo-Guide Rurema; Former Prime Minister, Democratic Republic of Congo, H.E. Mapon Matata Mpoyo; IITA Alumni Representative, Mrs. Ayoka Lawani; Associate Vice President, IFAD, Dr. Perin Ange; the Representative of Bill & Me...

In addition, more than 70 bags of shark carcasses were found on one of the Chinese vessels FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, April 20, 2017/ -- Four illegal fishing cases have been found during a joint surveillance mission conducted by Greenpeace (www.Greenpeace.org/Africa/en) and Sierra Leone fishery authorities. Two Chinese vessels and one Korean vessel have been arrested for infringements of Sierra Leone fishing legislation, including possessing or using illegal fishing nets on board, no visible marking and a lack of required paperwork, including log books and authorisation for unloading catch. Fishing authorities ordered the vessels to return to Freetown port for further investigation. A fourth vessel, owned by an Italian company, was found with four kilograms of shark fins on board. Though not illegal under Sierra Leonean laws, this is a clear violation of European Union (EU) fishing rules. This boat’s case will be taken further with relevant EU authorities. In addition, more tha...

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...

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 ...

International Institute on Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has called on the Federal Government to increase its investment in agricultural research to boost agricultural production in the nation. Mrs Oiwoja Ooihi, an IITA’s Communication Specialist on the Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project, made the appeal in Abuja on Thursday while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). YIIFSWA is a seed system development project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to assist Nigerian farmers to cultivate improved and high-yield yam seedlings to enhance yam production under the aegis of IITA. Ooihi said that the increased investment would also empower farmers and guarantee food security in the country. She disclosed that the institute had a lot of research works on its shelves, which were awaiting resources before being moved and executed. ‘‘ My advice to the government is to link with the IITA and its technologies. ‘‘ IITA has a ...

The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it will soon commence the implementation of the $280 million `Enable Youth Programme’, to promote youths’ employment in agriculture in the country. The `Enable Youth Programme’ is designed to contribute to job creation, food security and nutrition, rural income generation and improved livelihoods for youths, in both urban and rural areas. Dr Ibrahim Amadou, the Chief Agricultural Economist, AfDB, Nigeria Country Office, made the remark at a training programme for youth farmers in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the support was the Bank’s 10 years strategy to create jobs for youths in Africa, from 2013 to 2022. Amadou said the programme would be done in collaboration with the Federal Government in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to him, “we are waiting for the government to meet its own obligations before we kick-start the programme. “The targeted beneficiaries wil...

The World Bank has approved a 200 million dollars credit facility to further support Nigeria, in its efforts to enhance agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers. In a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Abuja, The Word Bank Country Director, Mr Rachid Benmessaoud said the loan was in recognition of agriculture as the key to long-term economic growth and diversification. He said the credit was being financed from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s grant and low-interest arm. He said it will be on standard IDA terms, with a maturity of 25 years, including a grace period of 5 years. Benmessaoud said the project will tackle the key constraints of the Nigeria agriculture sector, such as low productivity, lack of seed funds for establishing agro-processing plants and lack of access to supportive infrastructure. He said it will also solve the problems of low level of technology and limited a...

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...

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...

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday promised that the Federal Government is planning urgent relief to poultry farmers in the country to save the industry from collapse. He gave the indication during his second meeting in the week with representatives of the poultry industry at the Presidential Villa. The intervention is part of an urgent effort by the federal government to address challenges in the agricultural sub-sector in line with its policy on self-sufficiency in food production. The poultry industry has had to contend with a number of challenges including an outbreak of Avian Influenza which affected almost four million birds in 2015. It also suffered non-allocation of Foreign Exchange for the importation of needed machinery and other critical inputs, and high production costs in the industry. At the Friday meeting relevant ministers and agency heads came together to fashion out how to bail-out the ailing poultry industry. “The poultry indus...

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nation on Tuesday said it had empowered about 2,000 women and youth among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri on dry season farming. Mr Dominic Burgeon, the FOA Director of Emergency, disclosed this to newsmen in Maiduguri during an assessment visit to farmlands in Fariya village in Jere Council of Maiduguri. Burgeon said that the beneficiaries were empowered under the “Restoring Agricultural Livelihood of IDPs, Returnees and Vulnerable Host Families in the North-East of Nigeria”. He said that the programme was sponsored by the FOA, Government of Ireland, Government of Belgium and Government of Japan. He explained that the objective was to target about 1.9 million farmers across the state who lost their means of livelihood. “The food security issue in the North-East and particularly Borno is of particular concern to us. “No fewer than 3.6 million people are currently food insecure. Therefore, the mi...

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has expressed its commitment to assist Nigerian rice farmers to produce quality rice for export. Mrs Salamatu Baba, the Public Relations/Social Sector Officer of JICA, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. Baba said that boosting rice farmers’ capacity to cultivate satisfactory quantity of paddy was critical to Nigeria’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production by 2018. “Toward the Nigerian goal of self-sufficiency in rice production by 2018, it is important that rice produce quality paddy products from which can compete with foreign rice.” Baba explained that in an effort to achieve the goal, JICA had organised sensitisation workshops in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in December 2015, February and March, 2016. She called for the standardisation of grading met...