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 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 ...

The Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN), on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to support its efforts in popularising Organic agriculture (OA) in Nigeria. The Association’s National President, Prof. Victor Olowe, made this appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ibadan. The NOAN president urged the government to increase the contribution Organic Agriculture was making in the Growth Enhancement Scheme of agriculture, to enable the association achieve its goal. Olowe noted that OA was essential for the development of agriculture in the country, adding that it could improve farmers’ incomes with a lot of health benefits. According to him, the association has registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the aim to improve the livelihoods of stakeholders, especially farmers in agriculture. “ We are affiliated with the Intern...

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...

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...

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 ...

The Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Alhaji Abdulkarim Kaita, on Monday said the factory would resume production on Sunday, March 19. Kaita disclosed this in an interview with to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano. He said the company, located in Kadawa, Kano State, was expecting a team of engineers from Italy on Friday as part of preparation to resume production. “As part of preparations to resume production on Sunday, we are expecting a team of engineers from Italy on Friday. “The machines are under guarantee and we are not able to operate last year due to the scarcity of fresh tomato in Kano and other neighboring states,” he said. Kaita said the engineers would assess the quality parameters as well as the installed capacity of the machines before they could finally hand them over to the company. “Our engineers are ready to begin work and as soon as the other team of engineers arrive, we hope to resume operation on Sunday.” ...

Empowerment of rural women is fundamental for achieving 2030 Agenda  Rome - Leaders from the three UN Rome-based agencies today marked International Women's Day by reinforcing their commitments to step up efforts to invest in the capacities of rural women as key agents of change in building a world without hunger. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) reminded the world that women and girls play a crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, the goal of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty. "Women play a critical role in agriculture and food systems - not just as farmers, but also as food producers, traders and managers," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva on the occasion of the Day. "However, women still face major constraints in rural labour markets and in agricultural value chains. They are more...

NEWS ANALYSIS African Heads of States at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2014 adopted the “Malabo Declaration’’ to accelerate agricultural growth and transformation to lift Africa out of poverty. The 2014 declaration was a formal commitment by AU Heads of States and Governments to provide effective leadership for efforts to achieve some specific goals by the year 2025. The goals include ending hunger on the continent and tripling intra-African trade in agricultural goods, among others. The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with other international stakeholders in agriculture, recently converged on Abuja to deliberate on the ways forward in domesticating and implementing the initiatives of the Malabo Declaration to boost Nigeria’s economy via agriculture. The efforts are particularly aimed at aligning Nigeria’s National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP) with the commitments of the 2014 Malabo Declarat...

FG begins domestication of ‘Malabo Declaration’ in agric sector ABUJA- THE Federal Government yesterday, disclosed yesterday, that domestication of ‘Malabo Declaration’ in the agricultural sector has started in line with the ‘Green Alternative’ policy. This was made known by a representative from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and a Deputy Director, Policy Implementation Department, Baye Sylvester, at the 3-day meeting organised by the African Union, AU, and New Partnership for Africa Development, NEPAD, on ‘Expert Panel to Draft New Plan for Achieving Economic Diversity through Major Investments in Agriculture’ in Abuja. The key purpose of the meeting was on review of the plan for making crop, livestock and fisheries the centrepiece of Nigeria’s economic development agenda. The effort also will ensure Nigeria’s National Agriculture Investment Plan, NAIP, is aligned with commitments contained in the AU’s 2014 ‘Malabo Declaration’, which seeks to cut ...

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Niger has called for collaboration between its beneficiary farmers and Tractor Owners and Hiring Facilities Association of Nigeria (TOHFAN). Dr Mathew Ahmed, the State Programme Coordinator, made the call on Wednesday in Minna during a stakeholders meeting on agricultural mechanisation service delivery. He said that the collaboration between farmers and the Niger chapter of TOHFAN would create jobs and wealth among the youth in the state. “ If the farmers and TOHFAN can work together, it will bring about agricultural mechanisation which will, in turn, attract more youth to take to farming. “ It will also enable farmers, tractor owners, operators, hiring agents, booking agents and technicians to get better service delivery for their investment,’’ he said. Ahmed urged the 13, 000 farmers, who were benefitting from VCDP rice and cassava initiatives in the state, to em...

The National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) Director-General, Dr. Philips Olusegun Ojo has urged the Oyo State government and the southwest to turn around the present low level seed production, which is among the lowest in the country. Placing the exalted state of the southwest in the days late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Cocoa House and the like and the low level of the zone, in terms seeds production today set a solution-searching tone during the meeting of the Director-General, Dr. Ojo and the Oyo State Governor, Ajimobi, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Barr. Oyewole Oyewumi. The Commissioner said the NASC DG’s challenge is obvious, and has to do with the very low level seed production that has lingered over time given clear statistics presented by the Seeds Council. To face the issues, Oyewumi revealed that State government has set up the State Seed Coordinating Committee, which is to regulate and coordinate seed production and distribution in O...

Mr Kola Adeniji, the Managing Director of Niji Group, says his company is collaborating with USAID to process and produce animal feeds from cassava peels in the country. Niji Group is a conglomerate that engages in sales and fabrication of farm equipment, farming, agro-allied services and food processing, while United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. government agency that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. Adeniji disclosed on Tuesday that the partnership would help to reduce the over-dependence on cassava for animal feeds and guarantee sufficient production of the crop for human consumption. He said that the company was also collaborating with All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) to set up three processing centres to facilitate the processing of cassava peels into both poultry and animal feeds. According to him, a farm, owned by Niji Group, generates between 20, 000 and 25,000 tonnes of cassava wast...

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...

ABUJA-THE Federal Government and development partners yesterday, disclosed that young farmers training on seed production will commence 26th March 2017, under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase 1, ATASP-1, of essential staple food crops. This was disclosed by the National Technical Adviser, ATASP-1, Dr Oyesola Oyebanji, who chaired the technical committee meeting for preparation of the training of beneficiaries, which was attended by officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Seed Council of Nigeria, NASC, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, and ATASP-1 National and zonal staff. According to Oyebanji would be trained on seed production technology has commenced and will cover three commodities- cassava, rice and sorghum, right from production, processing, marketing, linkages, registration of seed companies, s...