Agriculture with Jimoh

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. ...

The World Band has commended the Federal Government for the successful implementation of FADAMA III programme, which has so far benefited 965,157 persons, including 582,099 males and 383,058 females. Dr Adetunji Oredipe, the World Bank FADAMA Team Leader, gave the commendation in Abuja while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday. He said that this year alone, a total of 47,505 beneficiaries — 35,382 males and 12,123 females – had benefitted from the programme, under its additional financing phase. He said that that the Third National FADAMA Development Project (FADAMA III) had achieved its aims and objectives, particularly those relating to the sustainable increase of the incomes of FADAMA users. “This has been achieved by increasing the incomes of FADAMA users; the project has aided efforts to reduce rural poverty, boost food security and contribute to the achievement of a key objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “The project has sustaina...

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 Ekiti State Government says it has concluded arrangements to establish an additional five hectares of Cocoa Clonal Gardens across the state. The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Kehinde Odebunmi, said this at a news conference in Ado-Ekiti. He said that the gardens would be used to cultivate 70 million improved cocoa seedlings for farmers in the state in the next 10 years. He said the move was part of the government’s renewed efforts to boost cocoa production in the state. Odebunmi said that using the current market price of cocoa as an index, cocoa farmers in the state would be able to earn about N18.9 billion within the 10-year period. He added that the state government was expected to earn about N135 million from cocoa grading and other sundry fees. He said that the new gardens would complement the five-hectare garden that was established last year at Ado, Iye and Eporo Ekiti as well as the old three-hectare plot at Eyio and Ado- Ekiti s...

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 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...

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, on Tuesday charged the Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Sadanobu Kusaoke, on new measures to boost agricultural and economic development in the state. The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Philip Shuaibu, made the remark while the Japanese Ambassador paid a courtesy call to the Edo Government House in Benin. Obaseki assured the Ambassador that Edo people were peace loving citizens of Nigeria. He said that the state government was taking new measures to woo investors, who would enhance agriculture and economic development in the state. Obaseki pleaded with the envoy that the Edo Government was looking forward to developing a fruitful business relationship with the Japanese Government. Earlier, the ambassador told the governor that Japan had decided to enhance the relationship between Japan and Edo. He assured the governor that his home government was willing to develop the economy of Edo State, as well as...

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...