Agriculture with Jimoh

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had recorded tremendous achievements in agriculture. He disclosed in Abuja that the feats of the party in agriculture were, however, not adequately reported. He berated some media houses for always making headlines with negative stories while ignoring such success stories. The President of the Senate noted that in the area of rice farming and processing, Nigeria under the APC government, had risen to a point where it would soon be completely self sufficient. “You can see what the APC government is doing in agriculture but this is something we don’t talk about, the success that the APC government has made is tremendous. “Am sure in a few years time we will be self sufficient in rice and that is a major achievement for a country that is always importing rice to now get to the stage where we no longer have to import rice. “But how often do y...

The Poultry Association of Nigerian (PAN) has lauded the Federal Government (FG) for approving to pay compensation to farmers affected by bird flu in 2015 and 2016. The chairman of the association in Plateau, Mr John Dasar, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos. NAN reports that Acting President Yemi Osibanjo, after he had met with the national officials of PAN in February, approved the release of N1.7billion as compensation for the affected farmers. Similarly, while appearing on NAN Forum at the weekend, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, reiterated government’s commitment to adequately compensate farmers whose farms were affected during the 2015/2016 period. The minister said that the names of the affected farmers across the nation were being computed, so as to avoid omission when the payment starts. Dasar described the move by the government to pay the compensation as “a right step in the right direction”...

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday promised that the Federal Government is planning urgent relief to poultry farmers in the country to save the industry from collapse. He gave the indication during his second meeting in the week with representatives of the poultry industry at the Presidential Villa. The intervention is part of an urgent effort by the federal government to address challenges in the agricultural sub-sector in line with its policy on self-sufficiency in food production. The poultry industry has had to contend with a number of challenges including an outbreak of Avian Influenza which affected almost four million birds in 2015. It also suffered non-allocation of Foreign Exchange for the importation of needed machinery and other critical inputs, and high production costs in the industry. At the Friday meeting relevant ministers and agency heads came together to fashion out how to bail-out the ailing poultry industry. “The poultry indus...

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in Plateau, said on Monday that avian influenza or bird flu, has resurfaced in the state, killing more than 11,000 birds in one week. The association’s chairman in the state, Mr John Dasar, who made this disclosure in Jos, said six farms had so far been depopulated. Bird flu or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. Dasar attributed the fast spread of the disease to the non-payment of compensation to farmers affected by the disease in 2015 and 2016. He said some farmers would prefer to sell their affected birds to desperate marketers instead of reporting the incident to the appropriate authorities. NAN reports that more than 130 poultry farmers were affected by the disease in 2015 and 2016 but they had yet to be compensated. “Farmers in Plateau are really going through tough times because of the resurgence of bird flu in the last one week. “In one week, six poultry farms wer...

South African industry group Grain SA sees a 2017 maize surplus after 2016 year’s drought-induced deficit the industry’s Chief Executive Jannie de Villiers said on Thursday. It surveys showed that farmers have planted 2.4 million hectares this season, an 18 per cent increase over 2016. “What I’ve learned from our surveys and discussions with the farmers is that we will plant, or have planted because it’s just about done now, around 2.4 million hectares. “If we have planted those hectares and I look at the weather forecast for the next month or two, there is a big chance that we will have more than enough for our own use,” Villiers said.

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. 

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 Federal Government says the current hike in price of fertiliser is as a result of security concerns as criminal elements are using its components to make bombs and other explosives. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a Special Town Hall Meeting for Youths organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture. The minister said that fertiliser being sold for N10,000 per bag was because the security agencies placed hold on its distribution. “Fertiliser came late this year due to security challenges. “We started moving fertiliser in February to meet up with the farming season but the national security agency stop us from moving it. “Over 400 trailer loads of fertilisers were held down in Lokoja for two months because Boko haram were converting urea among other fertilizer component to make bombs. “ It took two and half months to get arrangement from security agencies to escort fertilisers from the ...

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has warned against importation of illegal Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into the country. The Director General of the agency, Mr Rufus Ebegba, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday. He said that the agency was currently surveying possible GMO suspects in the country. Ebegba expressed regret that many importers were taking advantage of the country’s porous borders to bring in some illegal genetically modified products. The director-general said the agency was collaborating with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to stop illegal importation of the products. According to him, trained officials of the agency are picking suspected genetically modified products from supermarkets and analysing them to make sure they are not harmful to human health. ``We are presently carrying out survey of possible GMO suspects that has come into the country unofficially. ``We w...

Weather conditions crimp sugar output, but also leads to expectations of a larger wheat harvest International food commodity prices shot up 4.2 percent in June, their steepest monthly increase of the past four years. The FAO Food Price Index, released today, averaged 163.4 points in June and is now one percent below the level reached a year earlier. The June rise, which affected all commodity categories except vegetable oils, was the fifth consecutive monthly increase. The price movement reflects FAO's updating of its cereal supply and demand forecasts for the 2016/17 marketing season. FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index tracking international market prices for key traded food groups. The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 14.8 percent from May, as Brazil, the world's largest sugar producer and exporter, endured heavy rains that hindered harvesting and dented yields. The FAO Cereal Price Index rose 2.9 percent in the month and is now 3.9 percent be...

 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

The Olam group has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with Benue rice farmers and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, to invest about N1billion in quality rice production and repurchase from farmers in the state.

The Ebonyi Government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Idam Group of Companies to manage and improve the state’s poultry farm in Abakaliki.