Agriculture with Jimoh

National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two agencies in efforts to regulate the use of genetically modified organisms and products in the country. A statement issued by NBMA in Abuja on Thursday said that the agencies were the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC). NBMA Director-General Rufus Ebegba said that the MoU presented to the three agencies the needed platform for synergy and opportunity to fast-track the management of issues of genetic modification to safeguard the health of Nigerians and the environment. He said that the MoU remained a landmark development in the management of Biosafety issues in the country, as it would empower the agencies to speak with one voice on Biosafety issues. “The controversy surrounding GMOs will not abate soon; therefore, it is important for us, as government, to work together and be courageous to say the truth wit...

The Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has stressed the need to observe stringent inspection and certification procedures in processing Nigerian vegetables for export. Dr Vincent Isegbe, NAQS Coordinating Director, made the remark during a workshop on Plant Health Inspection and Certification of Vegetables for exporters and farmers. In a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, Isegbe said that the two-day workshop centred on vegetables because it remained one of Nigeria’s most exportable commodities. “ Vegetable is a delicate product and because it is almost ready to eat, it needs more stringent inspection and certification procedures; so, such ready-to-eat commodity will need special attention. “That is why we are emphasising that the process that will enable our commodities to be accepted internationally have to be put it in place,’’ Isegbe said. He said that the European Union ban on Nigeria’s beans had affected the economy along the value chain...

Yola Dr Isa Salihu, Adamawa Commissioner for Livestock Development, has confirmed that the state government in collaboration with the Federal Government is aiming to vaccinate about four million cattle this year. Salihu made this known in an interview with Newsmen in Yola Tuesday According to the commissioner, the development follows the outbreak of contagious ‘Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP)’ disease late last year in some cattle’s settlements in the state. “Adamawa has the highest number of cattle in the country with the total estimate of about 4.1 million. “The State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government targets to vaccinate about four million cattle,” Salihu said. He confirmed that as part of quick response programme, the Federal Government supplied 200,000 dosages of vaccines to curtail and control the spread of the disease. The commissioner expressed optimism that the disease was successfully control, adding that the state gover...

The Kano State government said it would soon begin disinfection of all poultry farms and markets as part of measures to curb the spread of the recent outbreak of bird flu in the state. The Director, Veterinary services of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Shehu Bawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kano. Bawa said already, the state government had approved certain amount of money to the department for the procurement of more disinfectants. He said as soon as the disinfectants arrived, the department would use it to disinfect all poultry and market premises to check the spread of the disease. “ We are lucky since the disease resurfaced about one month ago, only two farms in Kumbotso Local Government Area were infected with the disease,” he said. The director said the department had also stepped up surveillance in all markets with a view to preventing people from selling infected birds to unsuspecting mem...

The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), said it has commenced issuance of sanitary certificates to exporters of Nigeria’s agricultural produce to avoid rejection at the international markets. The Coordinating Director of the service, Dr Vincent Isegbe, made this known in Abuja on Thursday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Isegbe, who described the constant rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural produce at the international markets as an embarrassment, said it was the handiwork of exporters who failed to comply with laid down rules. He said the certificate was an important document by international regulation that would guarantee the acceptance of any exported agricultural products. According to him, you need to have this certificate of a clean bill of health to be able to ship your commodity from one country to another. “People do come to us to have their farm produce certified before export but a lot more people do not wa...

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...

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu ordered the air force on Thursday to join other government agencies in an emergency operation to contain the spread of pests that have invaded maize fields in many parts of the country. The armyworms, which feast on young maize plants and are capable of wiping out entire fields, have been spotted in about six of Zambia’s 10 provinces, Agriculture Permanent Secretary, Julius Shawa said. The Zambia Air Force began airlifting pesticides to the four worst affected provinces and will team up with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) in responding to the crisis, presidential spokesman Amos Chanda said in a statement. The air force will not carry out aerial spraying of the insecticide, however. Zambia’s maize production rose to 2.87 million tonnes in the 2015/2016 crop season from 2.60 million tonnes the previous season due to better than anticipated rainfall and early delivery of fertiliser and seed to f...

Ogbeh puts poultry farmers on alert over bird flu outbreak ..says no vaccine to cure virus THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, yesterday, put poultry farmers across the country on alert over the recent outbreak of bird flu in Kano State. Ogbeh said poultry farmers should apply preventive measures to curtail any penetration in their farms by migratory birds from Europe and other parts of the world believed to be carriers of the virus, which in the process rest as they come in contact with birds in the poultry farms before proceeding also leads to outbreak of avian influenza popularly called bird flu.  According to the Minister’s explanation over permanent cure of the virus and eradication he said the constant change in the strain of the virus makes it difficult for permanent solution hence the recurrence of the outbreak, which the best way to approach it remains preventive measures. He said: “There is bird flu in Cameroon and in Europe no...

 The Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Ibadan, has trained maize farmers on the control of armyworm which invaded farms in South-West re

 Mr Afam Mbanefo, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Anambra, said that Fadama III Additional Financing (AF) had played a vital role in state's Farmers Information Management S