Agriculture with Jimoh

David Patrick, Acting Country Representative, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has identified lack of policy and comprehensive regional strategy as major challenges facing fishery and aquaculture sector in the ECOWAS region. He said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the stakeholders’ meeting on the Development of ECOWAS Fisheries and Aquaculture Regional Policy and Strategy Framework for member countries. 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. Patrick observed that lack of framework to improve coordination and ensure effective cooperation in actions for the benefit of the sector was hindering the development of fishery and aquaculture at the regional level. “It also includes the weakness of human domestic and regional capacities, and weakness of information systems to inform the political decisi...

Dr Adetunji Oredipe, ‎the World Bank Task Team Leader, says the Graduate Unemployment Youths Support Scheme (GUYSS) will enhance food production and create job opportunities in Nigeria. Oredipe told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday that GUYSS was a new initiative of the World Bank-assisted FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) programme. He said that the World Bank, through FADAMA III AF programme, created GUYSS to empower more than 200 youths from various parts of the country via the creation of employment opportunities. He said that the programme was conceptualised to engage the youths productively in different agricultural endeavours that would enhance their livelihoods. “We are collaborating with the Federal Government to ensure the success of the programme. “The programme is targeting job creation, building capacity of the youth and facilitating efforts to keep the foreign exchange rate of the nation’s currency low. “We want to eliminate im...

The World Bank says it has earmarked 200 million dollars or N7.2 billion for Fadama III Additional Financing of projects in Nigeria. The World Bank Consultant on the project, Dr Idris Badiru, made the disclosure on Thursday in Calabar at the opening of the Fadama III Additional Financing Mid-Term Review Mission to Cross River. “Cross River is moving in the right direction; we hope they will continue to improve. “We are happy with them; however, we are still in the planting season, until when it is time for harvest, we will then know the positive impact on the people. “The whole package is from the World Bank is 200 million dollars (N7.2 billion) for the project. “They should also know that the money is in the pool; if you perform better, you draw more,’’ he said. Also, the National Project Coordinator, Mr Tayo Adewumi, said they felt concerned about the success of Cross River in the project last year due to their late start. “But today, from what ...

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 Third National Fadama Development Project in Jos on Monday began a four-day training workshop for its staff across five states on the commercial approach to agriculture. The training, which was organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Agriculture Enterprise Curriculum, has ‘‘Commercial Approach to Agricultural Subsistence Practice’’ as its theme. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop drew participants from Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and the FCT. In his opening remarks, Mr Gideon Dandam, the Coordinator of Fadama III project in Plateau, said that the rationale behind the training was to encourage farmers to embrace commercial agriculture so as to boost food production. He said that the training would also create an avenue for farmers to know where and when to market their produce after harvests, with a view to making more profit. “This training is focusing on two major issues; first, to make farming known to farmers as a business and s...

Maize farmers in the country have appealed to the Federal Government to consider compensating farmers whose farms had been ravaged by the current outbreak of armyworm disease. Dr Edwin Uche, President, Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. Armyworms are caterpillar pests of grass pastures and cereal crops; they are the only caterpillars that growers are likely to encounter in cereal crops. The pest mostly feed on leaves, but under certain circumstances would feed on the seed stem, resulting in head loss. Uche said such compensation was necessary to encourage farmers and to boost maize production, especially as most of them had lost billions of naira to the decease. “If a farmer borrowed money from a bank and goes through challenges to cultivate and at the end of the day he loses his produce to environmental or social hazard. “Such a farmer should be comp...

The Federal Government says it will assist cassava farmers and processors to create linkage markets to guarantee export and sale of cassava chips at the international market. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said this at an Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP) meeting organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ibadan on Tuesday. Represented by Mr Auwal Maidabino, the Director, Planning and Policy Coordination in the ministry, Ogbeh said the linkage when actualised, would secure and inject more foreign exchange into the country. The minister, who said that in 2012 the country secured and supplied 2.2 million tonnes of cassava chips to China, which earned it over 534 million dollars, expressed regret that the business was not sustained. Ogbeh said the government would continue to provide improved yielding cassava stems, disease resistant varieties, access to finance and markets to improve the count...

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...

The Oyo State Government said it would empower 717 farmers for the production of rice and cassava to enhance food security in the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Mr Oyewole Oyewumi, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Ibadan. The statement was signed on Sunday by Mr Toye Arulogun, the state Commissioner for information, Culture and Tourism. Oyewumi was quoted as saying this in Ibadan at the inaugural meeting of the state’s FADAMA III Additional Financing Technical Committee. He said the state would empower 450 cassava producers through the state’s funded Anchor Borrower’s programme and 267 farmers in the production of rice and cassava under the FADAMA III additional financing project. The commissioner said that the empowerment would improve economic activities in the state as well as create employment opportunities for the people. He stressed that the FADAMA project was designed to support the farmers to i...

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...

he Jigawa government on Wednesday said it paid N35 million as counterpart fund to development partners on Fadama projects in 2016. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Kabiru Ali spoke while inaugurating the State Fadama Technical Committee of FADAMA III Financing Project in Dutse. Ali explained that the state government was now considering the settlement of arrears of counterpart fund of N70 million for 2014 and 2015. According to him, the state government had accorded a lot of priority to irrigation farming as it was prepared to cultivate AN additional 3,500 hectares of irrigated land in the 2017 dry season. Ali announced that the technical committee inaugurated had been urged to work out an annual plan and budget for funding and would be headed by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi. The commissioner said that the committee was also expected to articulate sectoral policies and ensure compliance...

The Dangote Tomato Processing Factor in Kadawa, Kura Local Government Area of Kano State is to resume production in February. The company, which began production in Feb. 2016, had to suspend operation due to lack of enough raw materials. The Managing Director of the company, Alh. Abdulkadir Kaita, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano. He added that preparation for production to resume was at an advanced stage. Kaita said that the company had to suspend production, when most of the tomato farms in about five states were affected by a pest, which destroyed all the tomato species. “We expect that tomato farmers would have produced enough for the company to process, hence our decision to resume production in February,’’ he said. According to him, many tomato farmers at the Kadawa, Kura, Garun-Malam and Hadeja-Jama’are irrigation sites are expected to produce enough for the company to process. “We deli...

Mr Raymos Guana,  the Chief Executive Officer of Raymos Guana Farms,  says the decision of the Federal Government to ban rice importation is too hasty. Guana, a former Commissioner for Lands in Delta, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba on Thursday. According to him, the quantity of rice being produced in the country today will not be able to meet the demands of Nigerians. He said that government should have given farmers at least three to five years notice to work toward boosting rice production that could adequately feed the nation. “With such target, each state of the federation would be given specified quantity of rice to be produced within the stipulated time. “For example, Delta will produce one million tonnes of rice, Anambra two million, while Ebonyi will produce five million tonnes of rice. “With this target, I am very sure that each state would work toward achieving its goals and expectation,’’ he sai...

MAKURDI...........At least 5,000 cassava farmers in Benue state have been offered over 10,000 bags of free fertilizers, herbicides and other inputs valued at over N100million by International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, to boost food production in the state. Flagging off the presentations at Ogbadibo, Okpokwu and Guma local government areas of the state, Benue IFAD-VCDP State Project Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel Igbaukum said each of the benefitting farmer was to receive two liters of herbicides from the organization at no cost. He said aside the contribution of his organization to boost cassava cultivation in the state, each of the 2,500 benefiting farmers through their cluster groups would also receive same quantity of counterpart support from the state government. Igbaukum said, "with the arrangement, each farmer is expected to cultivate a hectare of farmland with four bags of fertilizer and four lit...

 Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed, President of Kaduna State Fadama Farmers' Co-operatives Federation, said on Wednesday that non release of counterpart funds for Fadama III, has slowed down the project. Muhammed said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that participating states and local governments must release their contributions to allow the project run successfully. He noted that the successful implementation of the FADAMA III+ programme would boost food production and agriculture value chain in the country. Muhammed also appealed to the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to provide more fertilizer and other inputs to farmers participating in the Fadama programme, to optimise production. ``More than 600 cooperative societies in the state are in the programme and each farmer gets two to four bags of assorted fertilizers, which is far below their need.`` Muhammed advised that the programme be extended to cover all the 23 local government ar...

 Sokoto State Government said it would from Monday conduct a census of farmers to determine the number under the Fadama farming programme in the state. Alhaji Chuso Abdullahi, Chairman of Committee for the Revitalization of Agriculture in the state, disclosed this while inaugurating the committee for the census in Sokoto on Saturday. He said that the state was targeting no fewer than 93,000 Fadama farmers in census to be conducted across the across the 23 local government areas of the state. Abdullahi, a former deputy governor in the state, said that the farmers’ census would be conducted by 191 enumerators and 36 supervisors. ''The exercise is aimed at preparing a world-class electronic data of all dry season farmers across the state. ''The data will provide for meaningful planning of all future agricultural policies and programmes by the state government. ''This is really crucial in ensuring that all genuine Fadama farmers are captured du...

) The World Bank has approved the disbursement of N1.55 billion to Bauchi FADAMA III Project for execution of two agriculture programmes during the 2016 cropping season. Dr Ali Garba, Projects Coordinator, Bauchi State Fadama III Project, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Bauchi. Garba explained that N600 million was additional financing to Fadama III projects for the production of rice and sorghum. He said that 4,000 rice and sorghum farmers across the state would benefit from the project. Garba said that under the project, farmers would be given fertilizer, chemicals, seeds, sprayers and other inputs to enable them participate in the programme. He said that the participating farmers were expected to produce 240,000 metric tons of rice and 7,200 metric tons of sorghum. Garba said that the balance of N950 million was for the "North East Food Security and Livelihood Support Project for IDPs." He said that under the project,...

    Awka- RICE and cassava farmers in Anambra River Basin of Anambra State have showered praises on the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, for its assistance, which they said, had helped to increase their yield by over 70 percent since the intervention of the world body two year ago.   The farmers spoke when officials of IFAD Value Chain led by its senior technical adviser, Dr. Patrick Nugawela visited clusters of the farmers as part of its monitoring exercise in Anambra State, which is part of the selected states in the country for rice and cassava production.   Anambra is targeted to cultivate 3500 hectares of land for rice and cassava in the next few years under the IFAD value chain programme which would terminate in 2019 and is expected to cultivate 1000 hectares this year.   As part of efforts to meet the target, 300 youths from the state had been trained at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA...

ENUGU---About 640 Rice Farmers in Enugu State have benefited from FADAMA 3,additional financing for Enugu State aimed at scaling up the production of staple food items in the country. The Federal Government had in 2013 through its Agricultural transformation agenda,moved to stop the importation of staple food items like ;rice,sorghum,tomatoes among others which is responsible for capital flight and depletion of the foreign reserve. Coordinator,Enugu State FADAMA,Ike Ogboke, revealed that it convened a disbursement meeting with rice farmers to inform them of the fifty percent support on inputs and eight percent support on cost of assets available to them through there appointed service providers. Ogboke said,"Federal Government had in 2013 as part of its agricultural transformation agenda,moved to scale up production of staple food items and stop their importation. The disbursement meeting with farmers was to inform them that we will support them with fifty percent of the ...

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Bayelsa Chapter, said it had registered 3,885 rural-based farmers’ cooperatives in the state in order to boost rice production. Mr Ezekiel Ogbianko, the state’s RIFAN Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Yenagoa that the famers were working hard to go into mechanised rice farming. According to Ogbianko, members of the cooperatives were rural-based farmers selected from the eight local government areas of the state. ``We are planning to organise a seminar for the farmers; the seminar will enable us to enlighten them on the necessary things on agribusiness and need for efficient food production. ``We have secured land, right now, we are working on a 100-hectare and cultivation has started. ``We have acquired 11, 000 hectares; 5,000 hectares at Okogbe, Ogbia Local Government Area and 6,000 hectares at Nembe, and have commenced clearing. ``There are challenges, especially clearing t...