Return of Displaced Farmers: Osibanjo’s Informants Lied

By Masara Kim Usman

I was almost quick to fault the Acting President, Yemi Osibanjo on his claims in the 2017 Democracy Day broadcast of defeating insecurity in the northeast. He had highlighted some strides recorded by the Buhari-led government in the war against insurgency in the region to include the return of displaced persons including farmers to their farms.

Do you need a world class website for your business or oganization? Do you need help with online marketing? Click here

On a second thought however, I felt that perhaps just as the Executive President, Muhammadu Buhari and his Cabinet members whom I always thought were lying each time they tried to assure of government’s victory against Boko Haram in the northeast, he might just be uninformed.

Government officials certainly cannot be everywhere. They therefore depend largely on the information supplied to them from their field officers for any policy decisions or statements. The Nigerian government has indeed been on its oars as far as the anti-insecurity struggle is concerned. The allocation of resources for the purchase of military hardware as well as the training of military personnel for the campaign is indeed commendable.

What is however of concern is that while there is still much to be done, baseless pronouncements are constantly being made on how well the fight is going in favour of government troops. Understood, good public relations and conflict sensitive approaches are necessary for the social and psychological wellbeing of the country.

However, those affected by the situation know the truth and could feel discouraged each time the government says things that are not on ground. The insurgents themselves could sometimes be propelled to leave signatures of their continued existence, through renewed attacks whenever government goes public with the half-baked truth.

My recent trip to the northeast where I had the privilege of traveling through a road that is bordered on one side by the Sambisa forest in fact opened my eyes on why Boko Haram is always fond of releasing videos, making daring statements against the government and sometimes calling the officers liars.

The military in Borno state which I toured I must say are brave. They are mere mortals with the same emotions like everyone else. They however defy every comfort to operate in such deadly terrains where they constantly have to live in fear of an unexpected attack.

I even met soldiers who have hardly spent 24 hours with their families in over three years. They don’t get the chance to see civilian faces regularly. Therefore, such opportunities especially during military guarded mass convoy travels which is the fashion especially between Maiduguri and Damboa, always make their excitement palpable.

Those of them that operate in the villages with few traces of civilian residents do not even know who is for or against them as the insurgents at times reportedly send them children and women as spies. They always have to be on guard while at the same time providing security to the civilians in their places of worship, businesses, schools and farmlands.

However, the farms are scattered with some even located miles away from the communities which cannot all be guarded. The soldiers in such places therefore have only had to designate areas and periods within which farming activities can take place. Anything beyond those hours or territories is not their responsibility. By this, the farmers who have their farms located outside of the designated territories which cover only few meters around the affected communities will therefore depend on relief materials, if ever to survive.

Furthermore, in Chibok for instance which I visited, the fertile lands which require little or no fertilizer for any yield are the farthest lands which are unguarded. Those whose farms fall within the guarded areas therefore have the challenge of purchasing fertilizer or risk their chances of making good harvest.

With the growing insecurity in the region however which has virtually crippled socio-economic activities, the resources to get these farm inputs are another challenge. Since government and humanitarian service providers mostly only assist in the area of food supply, any of such needs as clothing, healthcare, toiletries, school fees and among others, farm inputs have to be provided by the people themselves, which in most cases they can’t afford.

This probably explains why the government forces are constantly being accused of human rights abuses in the northeast. This is not because the forces are killing innocent souls as always alleged. Perhaps, it is because innocent souls are sometimes forced by the humanitarian crises in those areas to join the insurgents in order to survive.

The story was told of how Boko Haram invaded villages, captured all the young men and women therein and forced them to accept their ideologies. They also brainwash vulnerable minds with the promises of a flambouyant life after death and enhanced security when they fight along with them. The military therefore sometimes, faced with any threats even from these individuals are forced to apply force.

By so doing, they become more prone to attacks physically and psychologically as they equally face criticisms. For them to stop the insurgents from invading villages and carrying out any forceful recruitment however, it is either they are always overtaken through the aide of unidentified informants in their midst or the lack of sufficient equipment.

South Africa for instance has only about 90, 000 active military personnel while Nigeria has at least 130,000 according to reports. However, South Africa has 12 attack helicopters while Nigeria has nine, 17 attack aircrafts with Nigeria again having only nine, and among others, three submarines with Nigeria having none.

Even the towed artillery which Nigeria has more than South Africa are either not as modern or powerful as those used by the insurgents. They use, wherever they get them from, some of the most sophisticated weapons including rocket-propelled grenade launchers with almost unlimited rounds of ammunition.

The military on the other hand who have some of these weapons in short supply most times have to make do with short range assault rifles with not quite sufficient ammunitions to use. All thanks to their professional training, which perhaps is the only advantage they have against the insurgents.

Perhaps, if the field commanders are always furnishing those at the top helm of affairs with factual reports on how the soldiers are fairing and the level of success attained in the fight, the government would, instead of claiming victory, renew efforts at reinvigorating them.

Now that it appears the government is uninformed, it is left to believe that all is well with the region and its inhabitants, and of course the soldiers, who as at mid-May 2017 had not received their allowances for months. What needs to be done presently is perhaps, setting up investigative moves towards better assessing the situation, by comparing facts whenever reports are filed from the top military officers. That perhaps is the only way to guarantee success in the fight against insurgency especially in the northeast region.

Source: Nigeria Today

Gov Ortom Launches Distribution Of Fertiliser

Dr Samuel Ortom, Benue State Governor

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue said on Monday that his administration has created the enabling environment for agricultural activities to thrive in the state.

Ortom disclosed this in Makurdi while launching the sale and distribution of 7,500 metric tonnes of fertilizer to farmers in the state.

He said that instead of farmers to buy a bag of NPK fertiliser at N5,500 they would now buy at N4,000 and the government would make up for the balance of N1,500

He further said that as for Uria, which was sold for N9,500, farmers would buy at N4,000 and the government would make up the balance of N4,500.

The governor said that the state government had also procured 5,000 litres of liquid fertiliser also to be distributed to farmers at subsidised rate.

He urged farmers to ensure that they make judicious use of the products in order to have greater yields.

He said that it was the desire of the state government to aid farmers in the state in order to sustain its ‘Food Basket of the Nation’ status and boost food sufficiency.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr James Anbua, said that all farmers required the product for enhanced yields.

Anbua urged farmers to put in their best because the survival of the nation depends on them.

He appreciated Gov. Ortom for paying the full payment of counterpart fund for International Food for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and FADAMA III Financing.

He explained that before the governor came into office donor agencies had left the state because the government was no longer paying counterpart funds.

He also informed farmers that the ministry had procured pesticides against the armyworm, adding that farmers could call the ministry anytime for the pesticides.

The Benue Assembly Committee Chairman on Agriculture, Mr James Gbande, called on farmers to take advantage of the farm inputs in order to enhance agricultural production in the state.

The Sole Administrator, Makurdi Local Government Council, Mr Luke Aho, appreciated the governor for assenting to the Anti-Open Grazing bill, stressing that the assent had put smiles on the faces of farmers and the good people of the state.

”I wish to commend governor for making agricultural sector one of the major cardinal objectives of your noble administration,” he said.

The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr Aondona Kuhe, commended the governor for launching the sales and distribution of fertiliser as well as other farm inputs at the right time.

Credit: PM News

Farmers want government support to boost food production

The Concerned Youth Empowerment Association of Nigeria (CYEAN) has called on the Federal Government to support youth farmers to help the country achieve self sufficiency in food production.

The National President of the association, Mr Noble Adaelu, made the call in Abuja on Monday while speaking on the achievements and challenges of the Federal Government in the past two years.

Adaelu said the youths were yet to receive the needed support from the Federal Government in the areas of subsidised farm input supplies and access to low interest finance.

“Democracy day, what are we celebrating, Democracy that is well dependent on foreign donors or foreign food items. No, we have to move away from that.

“The Federal Government has not involved the youths in agriculture.

“In fact, all the programmes outlined by previous governments for agriculture advancement have not been replicated.

“We have the one we call Nigeria Agriculture Payment Initiative, that programme was done for farmers’ inclusion but up till now, that data has not been implemented.

“We need to be serious. If we really want to advance our industrial growth, the Federal Government has to take a lead; the Federal Government has to call all the actors in the field.

“You cannot have a very harmonious approach to it without involving the youths. We should end the lips service. It is time for us to move forward.

“What I want them to do is to bring implementable programmes that will really restore our pride of place in agriculture.

“Youths are not being represented. What belongs to us is not given to us. The farm inputs are no longer subsidised, we don’t receive any farm inputs,’’ the national president said.

He faulted the approach to the CBN-BOA ‘Anchor Borrowers Scheme’ in some states, adding that only few portfolio farmers benefitted from it.

The national president, however, appealed to the government to involve genuine farmers in agricultural programmes to encourage them to boost production.

Adaelu, who regretted that cassava production was being neglected in the country, said it could supplement wheat in bread production if adequately tapped.

The Concerned Youth Empowerment Association of Nigeria is a co-operative society that promotes and clamours for the rights of youths to enable them attain agreeable democratic atmosphere.

Credit: The Guardian

Dangote to Boost Rice Farming in 5 States With $1 Billion

By Olushola Bello and Ruth Tene Natsa

The Dangote Group has disclosed that it will be investing $1 billion on rice cultivation in five states to boost food self-sufficiency.

A director of the Group, Tunde Mabogunje, gave the hint at the just concluded 2017 Gateway trade fair held in Abeokuta.

"We are investing about $1 billion in rice cultivation. We have an outgrowers scheme where thousands of farmers are empowered with improved seeds and items needed to cultivate rice", Mabogunje who spoke on behalf of the Group at the fair said.

He stated that Dangote Group, apart from being at the forefront of job creation and is the largest employer of labour outside federal government, has been contributing its quota to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy for more than three decades.

He said, "Towards aiding agriculture, we are building a fertilizer plant in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos State. When completed, farmers will have regular access to fertilizer for their farming activities. The delays and disruptions experienced in waiting for imported fertilizer will cease.

"We are investing in rice cultivation in some states of the federation. We have an outgrowers scheme where thousands of farmers are empowered with improved seeds and items needed to cultivate rice".

Mabogunje also said the partnership with OGUNCCIMA is beneficial as Ogun State is the host of the 12 mmtpa Dangote Cement Plant, Ibese, the second largest cement plant in Nigeria.

To mark its day at the fair, a subsidiary of the Group, Dangote Cement, gave out several tools and implements to the block makers in Ogun State in appreciation of their patronage.

Tools such as wheel barrows, shovels, umbrellas and hand gloves were donated to block makers who assembled from different areas of the state.

During the 10-day trade fair, Dangote Flour delighted customers and participants with free sampling of its new pasta products.

The wet sampling made the Group's pavilion the center of activities at the fair as participants trooped in for their daily meal, even as customers were rewarded with branded coolers, kitchen aprons, exercise books and customized ladles.

Commending Dangote Group for its sponsorship and participation at the fair, President of Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Mrs. Adesola Adebutu, said the support given by the Group went a long way in making the staging of the fair a success.

Source: AllAfrica

Nigerian govt needs to invest in agriculture infrastructure —ECOWAS head of Agric

In this interview, Ernest Aubee, the Head of Agriculture Division of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), speaks with COLLINS NNABUIFE on the activities of ECOWAS in Nigeria and how agriculture in Nigerian could be revamped.

What are the ECOWAS agricultural activities in Nigeria?

ECOWAS agriculture activities cover 15 member states, the main objective is to promote food and nutrition security in all the 15 member states and at the same time, constitute to the process of regional economic integration, and agriculture is central to the economy of all our member states.

We have different programmes that cover the 15 member states of ECOWAS. In Nigeria particularly, we have programmes and projects that is being implemented by ECOWAS which includes the West African Agriculture Productivity Programme (WAAPP), it is a joint initiative of ECOWAS and the World Bank which deals with agricultural technology.

We have the West Africa Seed Project, the West Africa Fertilizer Project. We have other projects like the partnership for Aflactoxion control in Africa, this programme is looking at how to reduce the harmful effects of Aflactoxion on agriculture and health.

We have a lot of projects and programmes in the region which Nigeria is also benefiting from. But apart from the programmes, ECOWAS is responsible for developing regional regulations that will help to promote agriculture and in this regard, we have developed a number of regional regulations and Nigeria is a signatory to all these regulations.

We have ECOWAS regulations on fertilizer, we have ECOWAS regulations on seeds, we have ECOWAS regulations on pesticides.

As far as ECOWAS is concerned, Nigeria is a strategic partner, if Nigeria can promote food and nutrition security, then we are assured that more than half of the population of ECOWAS will benefit because Nigeria constitute about half of the population of ECOWAS, so Nigeria is very important.

What is ECOWAS doing to assist Nigerian agricultural products to be accepted in the international markets?

In terms of export to Europe or any other countries outside Africa, there are set rules and regulations in terms of issues dealing with quality. There are sanitary and phyto-Sanitary rules which are health related rules, also, there are broader rules when it comes to food safety and when you look at it from World Health Organisation (WHO) perspective, these rules are set to protect human lives, these rules are also set to promote good health and once you are signatory, you have to adhere to it.

So with regards to the rejection of Nigerian products in the European Union market, it was a bad development in the sense that products were packaged, marketed and they were rejected, this has a lot of economic lost for both farmers and the state, it affects the integrity and reputation of our member state.

But with the support of technical partners, the Nigerian government was able and quick to address this particular issue, also, ECOWAS was involved, I think the ban has been reviewed and both parties have been able to address the issue amicably.

Nigeria has stepped up its quality control mechanism so that such development will not occur again.

Also, it is incumbent on the general public, the farming community to be aware of some of these basic requirements, because if you use chemical fertilizer in your operations, and there is an overdose, if residual content of the chemical is high, it will not be accepted in such market because there are minimum standards and they are well known and it has been agreed upon by the importing countries because you cannot just export anything which to a large extent trying to protect their population.

So it is also incumbent on us as developing countries, we too should also protect our own domestic population.

Is there any ECOWAS regulations on the standard of food items imported into the sub-region?

We have developed a number of regulations on food safety and quality in the region. We have also developed Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary regulations as well as developed regional regulations on pesticides and fertilizers.

These regulations are to protect the entire West African region and the population, because if the European countries are protecting their population from the harmful effects of chemical, pesticides and fertilizers, it is imperative for us, as Africans to protect our population.

So we have these regulations, through advocacy, we appeal to member states to respect and implement these regulations. For instance, as far as the ECOWAS is concerned, you cannot just import any kind of fertilizer, there are laid down rules and regulations which institutions in the member states should observe and implement.

All these regulations have been passed at the highest level of government that means it has been passed by the Head of States, so it is now left for our individual institutions not just in Nigeria, but in the other member states to make sure that they implement the rules.

Do these ECOWAS regulations cover the smuggling of poultry products into Nigeria?

As I said, we have the regulations that cover the issue of food safety, without being sentimental, what is good for consumption in Europe should also be good for us, but what happens most of the time is that we don’t tend to implement our national laws, regional regulations and agreements the way we should. There is weak linkage or weakness in the implementation because of various reasons.

Smuggling means that some certain things are not right, it means that the state will lose income or what is being smuggled is not of right standard.

In terms of credit facilities, what is ECOWAS doing to assist Nigerian farmers?

As a regional body, we don’t work directly with farmers that are not the system in place; we have to work with the government. As a regional body, what we do is that we partner with government, then the government will decide where to to locate interventions.

Any form of support we give has to be channeled through the government because it is governments that constitute the member states.

Although in our new vision, it has been stated that ECOWAS will be moving from ECOWAS of states to ECOWAS of people that is the vision that we are thinking about.

In terms of financing, we support our development partners to invest in agriculture in the states. We have been encouraging the government to invest and we have been working with the World Bank, EU, and other government like Israel, Germany and France to invest in the member states so that we can achieve the objectives of food and nutrition security faster because agriculture needs investment and we can see investment increasing in some of our member states.

What do you think Nigerian government needs to do right in the agricultural sector?

The government currently has got a policy that is the Agriculture Promotion Policy, which in my view is a good policy because it has been able to consolidate on some of the achievements of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the previous government which shows a sign of continuity.

Also, in that policy, the government is investing in the revival of the agriculture extension services to bring back extension workers to help the farmers out in the field to boost their production.

There should be continued financial investment into the agricultural sector at all levels, especially in capital related areas such as the irrigation system, processing plants, storage facilities, then connect the farms to the market so that whatever farmers produces can reach the market on time and in good state.

So we need to invest in agriculture infrastructure, not just in Nigeria, but as a continent, we must have good roads, encourage SMEs, small processors in the villages.

The government should also continuously build the capacity of farmers and encourage the young people to take up agriculture which will also create jobs and wealth if right investment is done in the Sector.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

FG inaugurates Graduate, Youth Empowerment Programme

The Federal Government on Thursday inaugurated the operational guidelines for the implementation of the Graduate and Youth Empowerment programme.

The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, while inaugurating the programme in Abuja, said it was an agricultural scheme for unemployed youths to contribute their quota to national development.

According to him, the greatest threat to the Nigerian economy is the army of unemployed youths roaming the streets.

Adamu said the Federal Government had realised that with optimised agriculture potential in all River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), Nigeria could promote food security and socio-economic development.

“The highest threat to our nationhood today is the army of unemployed youths on the street.

“ The Graduate and Youth Empowerment programme and the guidelines that we have inaugurated will therefore redirect the energy of the Nigerian youth positively to agricultural productivity and making them successful entrepreneurs.

“I, therefore, urge the RBDAs and all other stakeholders to abide by the guidelines and determined to make the programme a success,” he said.

He said it was the hope of the ministry to see that the scheme was extended to all 109 senatorial districts in the country.

He pointed out that the scheme, which began with the pilot river basin in Kampe Irrigation project in Kogi, has extended to eight other river basins with immense progress.

He said the beneficiaries had been mandated to establish their own agriculture ventures, thereby creating a multiplier effect for sustainability.

The minister said the objective of the scheme was to optimise the agricultural potential in each river basin to improve food production and the nation’s food security.

On the criteria for youth participation in the scheme, the Special Assistant, Technical to the Minister, Mr Taoheed Amusan, said participant should be able bodied, willing graduates of either universities or polytechnics, and must be interested in agriculture.

Amusan said the participants should also be interested in making a career in farming and becoming agricultural entrepreneurs.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Ministry of Water Resources has begun implementation of the Blueprint and Action Plan to revitalise the 12 River Basin Authorities.

One of the steps is the inauguration of the Graduate and Youth Empowerment Programme to create job opportunities through irrigation farming and aquaculture. 

(NAN)

How farmers resisted reduction of food prices, Ogbeh

By Joke FalaJu

The Minister also gave reasons why the price of cassava sky rocketted. According to him, the harvesting method of cassava is done manually.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, said it was farmers that resisted the Federal Government from reducing food prices.

The minister, who spoke during a town hall meeting in Abuja, disclosed that the farmers petitioned him accusing the government of denying them the chance to make profit.

He said; “When our committee met and decided to find a way to bring down prices, I had petitions from farmers who told me, you told us to and grow food, now we are making money, you want to deny us our profit so they resisted.

Ogbeh also attributed the increase in the price of food to the high cost of transportation owing to the increase in the price of diesel from N180 to N300 per litre.

He said; Trailer owners were charging from Lagos to kaduna 400,000 It used to be 180,000. All these prices feed into the cost of our produce”.

Ogbeh further attributed the reason for the high cost of local rice against imported ones to high interest rate and the increasing cost of production.

“First, Vietnam, India, is Thailand are the importers of rice, Thailand subsidises the production of rice to be able to earn foreign exchange. So the rice lands here at about N9,000 to N10,000 per bag and by the time the traders take it out, they sell for about N13,000 per bag.

‘Nigeria rice is not going below N16,000 per bag. Why? Our interest rates in this country are higher than most interest rates in the world. “Two, you have to run a diesel generator to operate your farm and rice mills. Over the period of the last 15 months, diesel went from about N180 per litre to N300 and the miler has to run diesel’. He stated

However, from here we are going to a meeting; I and the Minister of Finance with the Acting President, and one of the issues is this question of rice. The good news is in another month, you will have Nigerian rice in the shops at the best price you ever had.”

Ogbeh reiterate government’s resolve not to allow smugglers to destroy the economy, because there are about 14 million farmers growing rice ‘and if the cheap foreign rice runs us out of business here, all those villages and small scale farmers growing rice will abandon the business, the 20 rice mills will close down and we are looking for a means to create jobs . So we have make to sure that our rice is cheap, affordable and the rice of choice for Nigerians and we are going to do it.”

The Minister also gave reasons why the price of cassava sky rocketted. According to him, the harvesting method of cassava is done manually and would be almost impossible to do that during the dry season farming, “ You have to bend down and pull the thing from the ground. But we found out from Colombia and Brazil that they have now invented machines that plant and harvest cassava, and we are now producing them here. So whether during the dry or wet season farming, the machine can easily pull off the cassava from the ground.’’

He assured that the price of garri would soon drop during the rainy season.

On the issue of farmers and herders men conflict, the Minister said, “ we will look into it at the AU conference, Most of the conflicts and the violent herdsmen you see are not from Nigeria, and our borders are open, we are trying to get every country in West Africa to contain their cattle, and we will deal with ours otherwise they will keep coming.

Source: The Guardian

Lagos acquires 500 hectares for farm estate, compensates communities

Lagos State government has paid five communities in Eluju-mowo along Itoikin-Epe Road crop compensation for the 500 hectares of their farmland acquired by government for Farm Estate Initiative (FEI).

Speaking at a cheque presentation ceremony to representatives of the affected communities at Ministry of Agriculture, at Ikeja, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Food Security, Mr. Ganiyu Okanlawon Sanni, said the payment of crop compensation was in fulfillment of the promise made by the state government to residents of the communities.

According to him, acquiring the lands and payment of crop compensation was subsequent to the effort of the government to address the various challenges facing agriculture in the state such as declining land for agricultural activities, encroachment by land speculators as well as promoting the utilisation of agricultural land for its intended purposes.

He said the effort is also geared towards boosting food security in the state, adding that the lands in these communities will be allocated to farmers after the payment of crop compensation. He added that the move by the state government is aimed at the commercialisation of the agriculture sector and a drastic move from subsistent farming to a high mechanised farming.

He stated that farm activities on the acquired land will be fully equipped with modern farming implements to boost the output of agricultural produce, adding that the state government also recently commissioned an Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre, which has been put in place to complement the state-owned functional agricultural implement unit.

“The Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre is targeted towards providing mechanised tools at a reduced rate to farmers.The initiative has been set to reduce drudgery in agriculture, increase farmland under cultivation, promote competition and enhance the value of money for farmers.”

Source: Nigeria Today

10,000 Nigerians to benefit from MSU, MasterCard Foundation’s $13m agric project

A five-year, $13 million collaboration between Michigan State University and the MasterCard Foundation has been launched in Lagos to help 15,000 young people access employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the fast-growing horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, cassava and oilseed sectors in Nigeria and Tanzania.

The initiative is targeting over 10,000 Nigerians and 5,000 Tanzanians to benefit from the agro project, an indication that Nigeria will receive the lion’s share of the $13 million devoted for the project.

The partnership, the AgriFood Youth Opportunity Lab, will focus on youth ages 18 to 24 in major food shed regions surrounding Lagos and Dar es Salaam.  The Ag Youth Lab will assist economically disadvantaged, hard-to-reach and out-of-school youths transition into employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agrifood system.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said: “Working with the MasterCard Foundation and African partners to address one of the most critical problems facing the continent—youth unemployment—reflects how we pursue MSU’s global vision. We see great potential to expand youth agrifood employment both on and off the farm.”

More than 60 per cent of Africa’s young people are jobless or underemployed, and formal job creation efforts in Africa’s growing economies have been insufficient, according to African Economic Outlook. Comprising 20 percent of Africa’s population, Tanzania and Nigeria together represent an important opportunity for intervention in skills acquisition, job creation and employment for youth.

Meanwhile, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, Reeta Roy said: “This partnership with Michigan State University is an excellent example of using evidence to address youth unemployment. By engaging the private sector to develop business opportunities for young people, the project also addresses some of the challenges youths face in seeking work.”

The programme will have a special focus on gender equity, aiming for equal representation of young men and women across its programs and addressing policy, training, mentoring and other constraints that affect the ability of young women to start enterprises or obtain employment.

The Ag Youth Lab will respond directly to opportunities and constraints identified in the 2016 MSU and The MasterCard Foundation-Agrifood Youth Employment and Engagement Study (AgYees).

Source: Nigeria Today

Beware: Tomato Ebola returns

By Steve Agbota

It was exactly this period last year that consumers of fresh tomatoes and farmers across Nigeria were hit by severe scarcity of tomato from major markets in the country resulting to a switch to the use of tomato pastes due to the outbreak of Tuta Absoluta disease popularly known as Tomato Ebola.

After so much noise made by stakeholders on how to tackle the menace and the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, promise to curb the crisis, the disease is back and ravaging tomato farms across the country, especially in the northern part of Nigeria.

Currently, the pest’s invasion has spread across tomato farmlands in Akko, Kwami and Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Areas of Gombe State, which might cause Nigeria to lose up to N25 billion to neighbouring West African countries, like Senegal and Cameroon who are now bringing in fresh fruits and vegetables to sell via land boarders in Lagos, Ogoja, Adamawa and Borno between the months of May, June, July and August in particular.

Daily Sun learnt that a big basket of tomatoes, which previously cost N7,000 and N10,000 in Mile 12 Market a month ago, now goes for N28,000, which is an increase of 300 per cent while the price of small basket which was N2,500 and N3,000, now sells for N10,000. Experts predicted that a big basket of tomato may hit N80,000 and the small one may go for N45,000 if proactive measure is not taken to eradicate the disease.

However, many fresh tomato sellers have also resorted to purchasing the produce from neighbouring countries, especially the Republic of Benin and Cameroon, in an effort to bridge the shortfall in Nigeria despite being ranked 13th largest producer of tomato in the world and the second after Egypt in Africa, which experts say would cost Nigeria about N25 billion loss in revenue since stakeholders and government failed to prevent a recurrence of the moths that ravaged tomato farms last year.

Stakeholders said already Nigeria is losing N72 billion annually, particularly for the tomato crop, which suffers a 40 per cent loss, between farm gate and market due to post-harvest losses and wastage. This, they say, is owing to poor transportation network, poor handling practices and lack of storage facilities, especially in the North where the commodity is being produced in large quantity. They said Nigeria couldn’t meet local demand because government, over the years, it has failed when it comes to providing storage facilities for farm produce in the country.

Experts warned that the tomato Ebola, which travels and breeds in swarms and has a reputation for swiftly ravaging tomato cultivation in a little above 48 hours, could spread to other local government areas in the affected state and even to other states in the North if preventive care is not taken.

Recently, the Gombe State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) announced that the tomato pest, Tuta Absoluta, has seriously affected tomato harvests in three of the state’s 11 local government areas.

The Pest Control Officer of the Gombe ADP, Abba Dreba, said if proactive measures are not taken, tomato farmers would divert their attention to other crops because Tuta Absoluta is very devastating. Speaking with Daily Sun, Prof. Ahmed Ala, from the Department of Agriculture Economic, Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, blamed government for not providing adequate extension services system that will be on ground all the time to prevent and report any disease or pest outbreak in the country.

He added: “There are a number of issues; one, we look at it one side and also from the government side because basically, it is supposed to provide a lot of things. When you look at extension service, it is very poor and our extension agents who are supposed to be the ones on ground, in the sense that once they see any problem, whether it is a disease or pest issue, whatever it is, they are the people that should immediately report it.

“Looking at the extension farmer ratio, it is not enough compared to the number of farmers who need their services and even the extension staff that we have are no more working as some have retired and even those that have been there have not been getting adequate payment and training. So you find that the government needs to do a lot about our extension system if we want to ensure that when we have outbreak of disease or pest, we do something before it excalated.”

He said the Soil Protection Department in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is not doing much in terms of ensuring that it has chemicals that can solve the issue at hand when it happens. He said once the government agency does not have much chemicals at hand and it is only when there is outbreak of disease or pest it starts to think of how and where to get these chemicals, which might not even be in the country, tackling the menace will be a difficult task.

He explained that, “we need to make sure that the chemicals we need to forestall pests and diseases are available. Moreover, we had this kind of problem last year, this time we should be fully alert and make sure that these chemicals are around so that immediately we have this kind of issue, we will mobilise quickly.

“The case of meningitis in the North took everybody by surprise, it was after it has eaten deep that the government started thinking of buying drugs and embarking on massive vaccination. As a result, we need to be alert and make sure we buy all the necessary chemicals needed in case of any outbreak of disease or pest attack. You also find out that the farmers need to be well sensitised on this issue. Even if it means using local means to educate them, do it. These are areas the government has not really done enough here.”

He said there is need to ensure that farmers are sensitised and educated so that once there is an outbreak of disease, they know what to do. He also harped on the need to replace the extension staff, adding that once these are done, the menace of outbreak of disease or any pest attack would be curtailed.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Managing Director of Peniel Gerard International Limited, Ojiefoh Enahoro Martins, said that agric extension service is lacking and 80 per cent of Nigerian farmers are not educated on new dynamics and solutions to agriculture. He stated that government refuses to start from the basics and the old ways of operating is still fighting agric production because agriculture is not all about sowing and harvest but sustainable agric is the best way.

On how to prevent further recurrence of the tomato Ebola, he recommended that mass trap monitoring should be placed according to the label instructions of pheromones and should be positioned not more than one metre above ground level and should be distributed uniformly in the field.

He further said there is need for training and retraining of young agriculturists in extension service and setting up extension service centres in villages to empower farmers.

Source: Nigeria Today

Ooni Approves Training 6,000 Southwest Youths In Agriculture

Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has given approval for the Ojaja II national image sustainable agricultural empowerment training scheme in South West States programmed to train over 6,000 youths in agricultural skills.

The oba, in his letter of approval said the project cannot come at a better time than now when youth are disillusioned and lack adequate attention.

“My vision since assumption the throne of Ooni has been to advocate for the younger generation, empower, unite and rekindle in them hope for greater tomorrow.

“My passion for the Yoruba youth; the future and sustainable asset of the south west states, is strong and I am determined and ready to work with you and I am most impressed with your comprehensive understanding of the scope of the empowerment project and exertion to train six million less-privileged in basic agriculture skills, liaise with Government, Private Organizations, and solicit their involvement as potential out-growers and satellite agribusinesses.

“I hope this is just the beginning of a long and jointly valuable relationship,” he said.

The General Coordinator of the programme, Mr. Seyi Bamigbade said the sustainable agricultural empowerment training was in conjunction with the Federal Government’s agenda for employment creation, economic empowerment and self-sufficiency, particularly among the youths in all southwest states.

He said the training scheduled to commence soon in Osun State before it took off in the other South West states is tagged, “Agriculture Development: Panacea to economic growth and Employment Generation.”

According to him: “The objective of the three-day Agri-preneurs scheme is to train six million less-privileged in basic agriculture skills, liaise with other youth groups, and solicit their involvement as potential out-growers and satellite agribusinesses.

“As Agripreneurs develop expertise in various business operations, they are encouraged and assisted to develop detailed business plans and loan applications for submission to commercial lenders. Departure packages may be arranged for the most promising of these ventures to assist in start-ups and improve their credit-worthiness, depending upon the availability of funds.

“These spin-off agribusinesses generate employment and link to out-growers and markets forged by the Agripreneurs, stimulating positive feedback within the larger farming community,” he stated.

He pointed out that about 10 million youths entered Africa’s labour market annually, noting that youth unemployment rate in sub-Saharan Africa is about 12 per cent.

“Only 16 per cent of youths have a ‘wage job’, while 62 per cent work on family farms and 22 per cent in household enterprises. At the USD 2.00/day level, the working poverty rate was about 64 per cent in 2013.

“Our organising committee, in full endorsement and partnership with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIRO Consult), The Nigerian Youth Parliament, FADAMA II, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Agripreneurs, Media Community and Agro Exporters,” he said.

He explained that participants would be drilled on; Cassava Flour Production ;Rice production; Wheat Processing ; Fish farming ; Mechanized Garri Production ; Vegetables ;Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production ; Bread and Confectionery Baking (Cassava) ;Fufu Flour Production from Cassava; Edible Mushroom Production, among others.

Source: pmnewsnigeria