Agriculture with Jimoh

Fish farmers in Delta have received N1.2 billion loans under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP). Mr Ambrose Nwabuzor, Loan Officer, Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Asaba, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency if Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba on Sunday. Nwabuzor said that the BOA secured the release of N1.2 billion to the fish farmers under the private window of the ABP. He said that the beneficiaries provided enough securities to guarantee the drawdown of the loan from the CBN. “Under the private window, we have secured the release of N1.2 billion to eight anchors that came together to form a fish farm. “Each of the anchors gave us an irrevocable post-dated cheque (security) and they profiled their farmers,” he said. He also said that the BOA was working to secure the release of another tranche of loan for the anchor off-taker in fisheries. The BOA loan officer said that the off-taker had also provided securi...

CALABAR- COSS Riv3er Basin Development Authority is cultivating rice with organic fertilizer on parcels of land acquired in both in both Cross River and Akwa Ibom States to boost food production and healthy feeding habit in the country The Managing Director of the Authority, Engineer Bassey Nkposong who stated this in Calabar at the weekend while addressing staff and stakeholders of the authority stated that the Akim Akim, Etomkpe Yellow Duke, Ijegwu communities in Cross River have donated land to the authority while one hundred hectres of land has been acquired in Essien Udim, Onna Local Government Area for integrated agricultural expansion programme for rice and other crops with the use of organic fertilizer. He said research has been conducted and found that organic fertilizer is free of chemicals and friendly to the environment which makes it suitable for healthy crop growth and soil preservation and long term usage. Engineer Okposong said four dams spread across Cross...

Brass Fertilizer Plant in Bayelsa to generate 20,000 jobs ...Dickson grants 2 years waiver, ‎other incentives‎ YENAGOA THE Executive Vice Chairman of the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Ltd, Chief Ben Okoye says, the $3.6 billion fertilizer plant project is expected to generate 15,000 jobs during the construction phase of the project and 5,000 permanent employment opportunities, when completed. Chief Okoye announced this, yesterday while receiving the Certificate of Occupancy, (C of O) for the land allocated for the construction of the plant at the Brass Island, in Brass Local Government Area of the state from Governor Seriake Dickson in Government House, Yenagoa. A Government House statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa Governor, Francis Agbo, noted that the Executive Vice Chairman, who highlighted the components of the fertilizer plant, explained that, it would accommodate a Methanol, Urea Ammonia, Gas Processing Plants as well as...

ABUJA- THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the weekend disclosed that Nigerian Agricultural trade has hit N261. 92 billion in second quarter of 2017, which represents 4.60 per cent. Ogbeh made the disclosure at the launch of Nigeria Agribusiness Resource Centre, NARC, in Abuja, for agricultural investment and sponsored by Africa Lead. The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Buka Hassan, said agricultural export from the country was 0.9 per cent out of the total exports in second quarter of 2017. According to him destinations of exports in the second quarter include Asia- 66.38 per cent, Europe -24.98 per cent, Americas- 4.37 per cent, Africa -3.88 per cent and the Oceania- 0.39 per cent. Agricultural commodities exported were cashew nuts, which worth N13.5 billion representing 45.4 per cent of the total agriculture exports and 1.37 per cent of total exports. "Cashew nut export to Vietnam wa...

Gombe State government has alleged that inadequate supply of fertilizers by the Federal Government is the reason it has not distributed the commodity to its citizenry so far. There had been loud outcry of lack of concern by some residents of Gombe state, citing the non-distribution of fertilizers as reason. Commenting on the situation on Sunday, Gombe state Commissioner of Agriculture, Dahiru Buba Biri explained that the state government had been made adequate arrangements for the input, but was facing challenges in the supply of NPK from the Federal Government under the fertilizer initiative. He said it therefore became necessary to inform the public of government’s preparedness as they have been alleging that it failed to arrange for fertilizers for the cropping season. The commissioner explained further that so far only 3,000 out of the 10, 000 metric tonnes of NPK Gombe state government subscribed for had been supplied, with approval to lift additional six metric tonnes...

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has assured that the Fertilizer Blending Plant in the state would become functional before the end of June, this year. The governor gave the assurance after he inspected facilities and progress of work at the Plant at Auchi, Etsako-West Local Government Area of the state on Thursday. Obaseki said that with the progress of work and facilities on ground, the plant could be test run on June 10, after which full production would begin. He said that about 100 to 120 direct and indirect workers would be employed by the plant when it became fully operational. “I am quite impressed with the progress of work here because if you compared the situation now to what we met about two and half months ago, when we came here first, you can see that there is a significant difference. “We have been able to get the technical partners under the Federal Government’s fertilizer programme to start work here and they have made some investment to revam...

The Kano State Government says it will supply 400,000 bags of fertiliser to farmers to enable them to record bumper harvests in this year’s farming season. Nagari AF & C Fertiliser Company in Kano, one of the 11 accredited blending plants currently operating in Kano. Alhaji Bala Muhammed, the Managing Director of Kano State Agricultural Supply Company Limited (KASCO), said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Thursday. Muhammed said that the state government had provided the company with the needed equipment to blend the “NPK 10-10’’ fertiliser and meet the farmers’ needs. “KASCO will also supply improved maize, rice, sorghum, soya bean, tomato and cucumber seeds to enhance agricultural production this year,’’ he said. He said that the state government would invite prominent agricultural companies to collaborate with KASCO, with a view to expanding its fertiliser blending capacity. He said that the company was targeting t...

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 Presidential Committee on Fertilizer Initiative (PCFI) has expressed satisfaction with the participation of Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited (IEFCL) (www.Indorama.com), Port Harcourt, in the programme aimed at supplying NPK fertilizer to farmers nationwide at cheaper cost. Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar who is also the Governor of Jigawa State made this statement on Saturday, 4th February, 2017 when he visited the Indorama world-class fertilizer plant in the company of the President of the Fertilizer Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Mr. Thomas Etuh and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr Uche Orji. Alhaji Abubakar said he was impressed that Indorama has fully keyed into the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative whose goal is to help the Federal Government to achieve higher food production and food security in the country. This is contained in a...

 Mr. Damisa Enahoro, Commercial Manager Tractor & Implements; Mr. Antti Ritvonen, Country Manager/CEO; Mrs. Mirian Deinde, Company Secretary, Head Legal & Compliance/HR and Mr. Humphrey Otalor, Marketing Communications Manager, all of Dizengoff Nigeria, during a press conference to announce Dizengoff as the exclusive distributor of CASE tractors in Nigeria. Dizengoff  Nigeria, Number one agricultural solution provider, has announced an international partnership with CASE IH, a global leader in agricultural equipment manufacturer during a press conference in Lagos. The announcement was made by the CEO/Country Manager of  Dizengoff  Nigeria, Mr. Antti Ritvonen.  Speaking at the announcement ceremony, Antti Ritvonen said “We are very excited to be partnering with Case IH in the area of providing quality tractors to the Nigerian farmers, as we intend to improve farming substantially as well as revolutionize the Nigerian agricultural sector thr...

The Kano State Government has earmarked over N200 million in the recently approved 2017 budget to boost rice farming in the state. Mohammed Garba, the Commissioner of Information, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano. He said this was part of the state government’s efforts to boost the agricultural sector in the state to complement President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts to reduce over dependence on crude oil. “Rice and wheat farmers were given N150 million loan in 2016 to boost production in the Sector, while in 2017 we are planning to increase the loan. “All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the ordinary farmers in the state benefit more from the gesture,” the commissioner said. Garba said that in 2016, the state government contributed to the production of 1.3 million tonnes of rice, saying that it hopes to increase it to over 2 million tonnes in 2017. He said, “the state government has c...

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...

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, on Sunday said that the state government would revitalise the Auchi fertiliser plant, to boost food production in the area. Obaseki made the remark at the 20th Auchi Day Celebration of Allah Most High in Auchi, Etsako-West Local Government Area of Edo. Obaseki, represented on the occasion by Mr Oseni Elamah, Chairman Edo State Board of Internal Revenue, said the government had engaged a Chinese firm to commence the revitalisation of the plant. “My administration has concluded arrangements to revitalise the Auchi fertiliser plant. “The revitalisation of the plant will create employment opportunities for the youths,” he said. Obaseki said the people of Auchi would benefit from the project in the area of agriculture and solid mineral, noting that the area had become a city, which needed to be developed. He commended the Otaru of Auchi for ensuring stability, peace and security in the area. “We encourage youths to give pea...

Benue Government has advised farmers in the state to form cooperative societies in order to benefit from the N3 billion loan accessed by the state. Mr Adzer Abya, Special Adviser to Gov. Samuel Ortom on Rural Development and Cooperative, gave this advice while interacting with newsmen in Makurdi on Thursday. According to him, they can only benefit from the loan when they form and register their cooperative societies. “Form yourselves into group to form a cooperative society, then register with the Bureau for Rural Development and Cooperatives; that registration was one of the steps that could aid them to access loans easily. “After the registration, I advise you to open accounts with Bank of Agriculture (BoA) because, it was the only medium that could issue out loans to farmers on behalf of government.” The governor’s aide said that Gov. Samuel Ortom in his usual manner of magnanimity had decided to wave five per cent interest. Abya stressed that inste...

The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) said that it expected early harvest of cashew in this year as most of the trees were already flowering and ready for fruiting. The association’s Spokesperson, Mr Sotonye Anga, who disclosed this in  in Lagos, said  that this was observed after a nationwide tour of some cashew producing states including Kwara and Abia. Anga said  that most cashew trees were doing “very well’’, saying it was a sign of a bumper harvest for farmers in 2017. “We are very pleased at the moment with what we have seen of cashew trees in most states where we have cashew plantations because they are doing very well. “Most of the trees are already flowering and getting ready for fruiting, which is a good sign for 2017 harvest. “From our observation during a nationwide tour of cashew trees as far as we can see, 2017 cashew harvest for Nigeria will be early,“ Anga said. The spokesperson added  that farmers were a...

Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom said on Wednesday that the state’s proposed 10,000 hectares of rice plantation to be inaugurated by the second quarter of 2017 would employ 2,000 youths. Emmanuel, while addressing youths in Nsit Ubium, said that both the plantation and a processing mill would be located in Ini Local Government Area. According to the governor, a 7.5-kilometre of road is being constructed to the plantation ahead of the inauguration. “We are set to inaugurate 10,000 hectares of rice plantation with the entire value chain going to be in Ini Local Government Area of the state. “We need to construct a road to the rice plantation. “If you go there, the 7.5 km of road we are constructing will be commissioned by the second quarter of next year so that we can go ahead with the inauguration. “The rice plantation, when inaugurated, will employ 2,000 youths and women in the state,’’ he said. Besides, he said the coconut plantation establishe...

By Jimoh Babatunde  The Federal Government has launched N10 Billion Women in Agriculture Environment Impact Fund (WAEIF) in Abuja as a means of using women to unlock the country’s food potentials. Speaking at the launch, the Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development Senator, Heineken Lokpobiri , said that the challenges of environmental impact have contributed largely to food scarcity in Nigeria. He noted that insurgency, gas flaring, oil spillage, desert encroachment, flood and other environmental hazards have prevented effective participation of women in Agriculture. Lokpobiri said that the fund will boost sustainable funding mechanism for women in Agriculture which will in turn generate employment and exchange of ideas in environmental agriculture. Lokpobiri commended the Women Association for National Agriculture and Environment Protection ( WANAEP ) for the effort of fund raising which will positively impact on the on-going process of economic diver...

The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) says 350,000 families in Kebbi State have benefitted from Anchor Borrower Agricultural Loan disbursed to farmers in the last one year. Alhaji Muhammad Adamu, the Executive Director of the bank`s Corporate Services made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday. He said that 78,000 farmers directly benefitted from the loan, while 350,000 families were affected through job creation and income generation. He said that under the programme, the state had produced 700, 000 tonnes of rice, adding that the initial production target was one million tonnes. Adamu said that the loan was meant for every eligible farmer without special consideration such as religion, tribe or creed. He said that the Anchor Borrower Programme was aimed at promoting food security, economic sustainability and self reliance for the populace. He said that the bank would soon sign a memorandum of unders...

Stakeholders in the Cassava value chain gathered recently at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, for the first annual review and planning workshop of the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative [ACAI]. The project, which is led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will  improve cassava yields, cassava root quality, cassava supply to the processing sector, and fertilizer sales, thereby engaging over 100,000 households in Nigeria and Tanzania, and facilitating the engagement of at least 30% women farmers. Jalloh During the meeting,  JIMOH BABATUNDE engaged  the coordinator of the initiative, Dr Abdulai Jalloh, on  how the initiative will be used to  unlock the potential of cassava in Africa. Here is an excerpt. On what the initiative is out to achieve The initiative is mainly aimed at reducing the cassava yield gap. It has been ...

The Zamfara Government says it has set aside N1billion for the procurement of grains to ensure availability of foodstuff for the people in the state. The state’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Lawal Jangebe, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen in Dutse, after he defended the 2017 budget of the ministry at the state House of Assembly. He noted that the plan was to complement the Federal Government`s policy of ensuring food supply and food preservation for citizens. The commissioner said that the state government would soon reintroduce the state`s Comprehensive Agricultural Revolution Programme (ZACAREP). He stated that the state government would also buy thousands of tonnes of fertiliser to for sale to farmers at subsidised rates. “We are also making arrangements to procure tractors, machines and other agricultural inputs for the programme, “ he said.