Herdsmen, farmers sensitised on peace

To scale back clashes between cattle herders and crop farmers, the Federal Government is
rehabilitating grazing reserves and stock routes and sensitizing both sides on peaceful coexistence, reports VINCENT OHONBAMU in Gombe State

There has been enough violence and bloodshed between cattle herdsmen and crop farmers for federal authorities to come up with an answer. And the answer may have been found: rehabilitating all grazing reserves and stock routes, and orientating breeders and growers on the need for peaceful coexistence.

That is what the government has started doing, working through the Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with Miyyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria.

The National Coordinator, Grazing Reserve Rehabilitation at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Mahmud Ibrahim said the government has decided to rehabilitate the 414 grazing reserves and stock routes in the country. He was speaking during a sensitisation and mobilisation programme on the rehabilitation and development of the reserves and routes at Wawa Zange in Dukku Local Government Area of Gombe State.

He said government was determined to end the crisis between farmers and Fulani cattle breeders and would not rest until this was achieved.

Baba Usman Ngajarma, the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, said the tour was meant to sensitise nomads on such issues as the development of grazing reserves, demarcation of cattle routes, cattle rustling, kidnapping and peaceful coexistence with farmers, among others.

He said the sensitisation team would cover the country in phases, beginning with 10 states in each phase.

He added, saying, “We are going round the country to sensitise the nomads and the farmers on the need for them to co-exist peacefully because the two professions are created to coexist together. So is the need for them to coexist is very essential and necessary because it is natural that they coexist,” he posited.

On education, Ngajarma said they were also sensitising the Wawazange population and those in other grazing reserves on the need to allow their children go to school because the lack of modern education is one of the causes of crime among the youths; so also is moral decadence among the Fulani.

“Since we are collaborating with the National Commission for Nomadic Education, very soon we will still come out with the commission to sensitise the Fulani on the need for them to put their children in school,” he explained.

His assistance, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said security was paramount and called on residents to be watchful for suspicious persons, and report them to the authorities immediately. He also appealed for adequate security in the grazing reserve.

He said he saw a vehicle full of firewood, an indication of indiscriminate felling of trees in the reserve, insisting that such act would not be tolerated, especially now that the country and indeed the entire world is battling with the menace of desertification and desert encroachment.

This act, according to him, would not be possible without the collaboration of insiders in the reserve, hence the call on leaders in the Gombe State chapter of Miyyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria to come out in full force, liaise with security agents and the

state Ministry of Environment to put a stop the act immediately.

Three Fulani leaders in their different remarks pleaded for the provision of water for their animals and assured government of efforts to check the attitudes of their members in order to avoid clashes with farmers and communities.

Representatives of farmers on the hand complained of hot temper and hostility by some cattle breeders and called on them to desist from wanton destruction of their crops as some deliberately do and to report encroachment on routes to appropriately for appropriate action.

Dr. Abdullahi pleaded that they should ensure perpetrators were brought to book within the next one month, reminding them of the law which stipulates that ‘for every tree cut down, ten trees must be planted in their place.

Also speaking the state Commissioner of Animal Husbandry and Nomic Affairs, Mr. Sammy Barka urged the citizen of the state to desist from encroaching into grazing reserves and stock routes.

According to him, encroaching on grazing reserves and stock routes is causing disharmony and threatening our peaceful coexistence.

“I will like to appeal to the cattle breeders to control their animals and not to allow them destroy people’s farms and means of livelihood,” he said.

The sensitization exercise according to Ngajarma, the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria was supposed to have been flagged-off by President Buhari on July 4th, but was postponed to September and hoped that the President flag-off do a national the exercise by September.

Commenting however, Abare Abdu caste doubt on President Buhari’s commitment to end the farmers, herdsmen clashes, the rehabilitation of grazing reserves notwithstanding. He sighted the continuous silence of the President over the mayhem Fulani herdsmen are unleashing on

communities across the nation to prop-up his argument.

He opined that the problems between the two related oldest professions should rather be referred to as herdsmen massacre as the clash always end in their favour, especially now that they even brandish their rifles openly.

Elsewhere in the country, women and even men no longer go to farms alone. Women are constantly raped if found alone or outnumbered by the group of herdsmen who brandish riffles, swords and other weapons to subject their victims to the humiliation.

Men on the other hand get killed for trying to resist or protest grazing on their farms, while some are bound with ropes and made to watch their sweat destroyed by heartless herdsmen.

Source: The Nation

Haske & Williams Signs MOU With French Agric Experts

Haske and Williams Limited, a dominant player in the Nigerian agri-business sector has announced its signing of an MoU with FGM Expert Farmer, a global agri-business player based in France.

Commenting on the recent development, Oladipo Williams, Executive Vice President, Haske and Williams Limited said: “The MoU between our organisation and FGM Expert Farmer is a Technical, Operations and Management Support Services Agreement aimed at ensuring that our ongoing and proposed commercial agriculture projects are developed, operated and managed in line with international best practices. Despite several interventions, policies and strategies put in place by the Federal Government of Nigeria to stimulate agricultural production in Nigeria we still find that Nigeria has some of the lowest yield rates per hectare for various agricultural commodities in the world.”

Speaking further, he said: “After a critical review of the current situation in the country’s agricultural space, it became clear that the problem was not the capacity of farmers with respect to agricultural production instead the problem arose from the lack of capacity to practice agriculture on a commercial scale driven by globally accepted procedures and protocols. It was in view of the aforementioned that we at Haske & Williams decided to engage FGM Expert Farmer due to its vast experience in the conceptualisation, planning, development, operation and management of large scale agricultural projects globally. We are keen to contribute towards the development of smallholder agriculture in Nigeria through the development and implementation of sustainable strategies aimed at boosting smallholder farmer productivity such as facilitation of access to quality inputs, mechanisation equipment rental, technical capacity building services, irrigation infrastructure development and management and provision of guaranteed markets.”

Through this MoU, Haske & Wiliams will be introducing a systematic and knowledge based approach to commercial agriculture which analyses critical aspects of the agricultural production value chain and troubleshoots existing conditions to ensure bespoke solutions are developed that optimise the value chain.

As a company, Haske & Williams has aligned its goals and objectives with the agricultural transformation agenda of the new government and believes it is important for the organisation to conceptualise and develop model projects which can serve as evidence to Nigerians and the international community that Nigeria can diversify its economy from oil and gas to other sectors. The company is keen to become pioneers of the new agricultural revolution ongoing in the country and use this as an opportunity to prove to Nigerians that agriculture is big business, and can become a major contributor to the diversification of the Nigerian economy, creation of employment opportunities and a major source of much needed foreign exchange for the country.

Haske & Williams currently has 3 subsidiaries including: H & W Rice Company Limited (Developer of the Demsa Integrated Rice Production Project in Adamawa State); H & W Starch Derivatives Limited (Developer of the Kaiama Cassava Starch Integrated Rice Production Project in Kwara State); and Manomi Support Services Limited (Developer of the Manomi Support Scheme Initiative).

This post was syndicated from THISDAYLIVE

Source: www.nigeriatoday.org

Way out of recession: Keep the focus on agriculture and manufacturing

That our economy is in recession has been established and the symptoms are crystal clear. I identified some of them last week. The question I believe that the government and the people of Nigeria must be asking is how do we recover from recession and restore growth to our economy? First, I believe that the bullish and reflationary 2016 budget (though some disagree that it is reflationary) was crafted with this in mind. The government clearly saw the direction the economy was going and decided to borrow to spend our way out of recession. With further decline in revenue the borrowing may be more than the projected N2.2 trillion if the budgeted goals must be achieved. But there are a couple of challenges. Are we actually able to find lenders within the time frame of Budget 2016? How soon will the spending be done and how quickly will the impact be felt? The rumoured ’emergency powers’ being sought by President Muhammadu Buhari must be directed to this end. If this is only to shorten procurement processes and allow virement of budgeted sums, I will support the move. But nothing more because I think the President already has enormous authority and discretion to fire the economy on all cylinders.

We have long spoken about agriculture as a major and present opportunity to grow and diversify our economy. Though we have largely been short in action for a long time, it must be admitted that some action was seen during the stewardship of Akinwunmi Adesina as Minister of Agriculture. He seemed to have pursued a lot of initiatives captured under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). Agriculture was being projected as a business, serious business, not a vocation, not a hobby. Visible efforts were made to show that agriculture is not a business for the old, women and the uneducated but for young people as well. A crop of young people called Nagropreneurs were born and showcased. Several funding initiatives were opened by the Ministry and the CBN at single digit interest rate. What I cannot vouch for is the ease with which these facilities were accessed by the applicants. It has never been easy to borrow money in Nigeria from the banks, especially for the target prospects. Those who often benefit more from these schemes:  Operation feed the Nation, Green revolution, NERFUND to the recent schemes such as Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF), Agricultural Credit Support Scheme (ACSS), Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) etc, are usually emergency farmers and fly- by- night businessmen. Nevertheless, we saw big investments into agriculture by Dangote Group, Dansa, Teragro, Olam, Okomu, Presco in addition to the existing big farms such as Obasanjo Farms, Maizube Farms (Abdulsalami Abubakar), Sebore Farms (Murtala Nyako), Anadariya Farms (Usman Dantata),Ojemai farms (Joseph Arumeni-Ikhide), Jorama Farms (Arinze Onebunne), Folawiyo farms (Wahab Folawiyo), Anuoluwa farms (Peter Adeniyi) and a few others.

Recently, we have heard of the Green Alternative Agriculture Promotion Policy – the new agriculture programme launched by the present government. The Agric Minister, Audu Ogbeh, who is a reputed farmer, has been speaking so passionately about this new programme in and outside the country including in Kenya last week. We know it is not in the nature of Nigerian politics for new regimes to continue with the projects or programmes of the previous regimes (more so if they are from different parties), but our hope is that this new programme is building on the platforms and successes already achieved. We do not have the luxury to reinvent wheels at this time, besides we do not have the money I think. But no matter the colouration of this new programme, five issues continue to dog Nigeria’s agriculture .One is land tenure system and the ease of getting land for commercial agriculture. The second is extension services and appropriate technology and expertise which are in very short supply these days. The third is availability of seed stock and fast maturing species and access to affordable fertilizer. The fourth is access to capital that is friendly to agriculture. The fifth and perhaps most critical at this time is how to process the harvest through value addition to ensure preservation and higher returns. Most of our agric exports are mere commodities with little value addition that becomes easily susceptible to global market price volatilities. Many agric enthusiasts have had their fingers burnt by watching their harvest spoil and lose value before they could get off-takers. Those are critical issues which the minister must focus all his attention on to resolve if we must go beyond slogans and symbols.

To be sure, the major economic challenge we have is not shortage of dollars or foreign exchange but low productivity. We export rubber and import tyres, export cocoa and import chocolate, export hides & skin and import shoes & hand bags; export crude oil and import PMS, DPK, DIESEL and JET A1. We still produce a lot of tomatoes but consume so much of imported tomato concentrate and purée. Much of the packaged cashew nuts we buy from our supermarkets are imported, made from the raw cashew nuts we export. And because the cost of buying a unit of the processed items is higher than what we earn from the export of the raw materials, we find that we are perennially short of forex. Therefore if I have one advice to give Nigeria as the surest way of working ourselves out of this recession and perhaps never to return to it again ever, it is to advocate a single minded focus on manufacturing- production through value addition. If our country pursues a determined manufacturing policy, most of our current economic challenges – high unemployment, high inflation, high exchange rate etc will abate.

And that’s why I think that the recent directive of the CBN to banks to allocate 60% of their foreign exchange to manufacturers is revolutionary. In my reckoning it is a better option than banning anything. Since we have proven incapable of enforcing bans and also because bans are becoming anathema in our current global market space, preferential allocation of foreign exchange to manufacturing operations represents one key way of incentivizing manufacturing in our country at this time. If the government follows this with other fiscal incentives like the Export Expansion Grant Scheme, then we may not only be promoting local manufacturing but also exports that will help diversify our national revenue sources, lessen our current over-dependence  on crude oil while reducing foreign exchange scarcities and pressures in the long run.

Of course, the challenge, as always, is how to enforce the directive. This is always our default line. Good policies, good intentions, good pronouncements and launching ceremonies but after that, the ‘Nigerian factor’ steps in. I believe that the CBN will have to watch the backs of the banks and analyse their monthly returns and publications on forex utilization. The manufacturers themselves have to set up a mechanism to monitor weekly allocations and provide feedback to the CBN and to the people of Nigeria.  Also because emergency manufacturers will arise which will not be entirely bad, if only they will actually manufacture, industry groups have to authenticate their memberships. To eliminate abuse by the manufacturers themselves, because anything is possible in Nigeria, the CBN and the banks must ensure that the forex allocated is used strictly to import manufacturing inputs only and not finished goods or diverted to other uses. There are many smart Alec’s around! Additionally we must have a way of assessing the impact of this initiative to be sure it is achieving the intended objective.

Let me conclude by saying that my normal preference is for a level playing field for all economic agents. I am usually for the free interplay of the forces of supply and demand to determine allocation of resources in a free market. But given the perfect imperfection of our market and given our known penchant to follow the least line of resistance which makes us import whatever is importable including toothpicks, rubber toys and apples, it is justifiable to create a regime of preferences and discretionary allocation of scarce resources to force a behavioural change that could prove revolutionary if all the precautions are taken. We must work ourselves out of this crippling recession. And an undivided focus on agriculture linked to manufacturing looks to me to be a necessary and viable policy option.

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa OFR

1.2m farmers trained on vitamin A cassava production

Harvestplus Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), on Tuesday, said it had trained more than 1.2 million farmers in parts of the country in vitamin A cassava production.

The Country Manager of the organisation, Dr Paul Ilona, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

Ilona said farmers reached cut across 24 states, including Benue, Abia, Ondo, CrossRiver, Imo and Oyo.

He said the organisation had also trained commercial farmers on how to make profit through agriculture, especially in vitamin A cassava production.

“We started by distributing free vitamin A cassava stem packs; most farmers who received the packs are making it now, youths too are engaging in it.

“The farmers, who received the stems also distributed same to others, thereby assisting us to reach more farmers. Through our delivery strategies, we have made impacts in the lives of the rural people.

“Our target is to ensure that every farmer who deserves to plant more nutritious varieties such as vitamin A cassava have access to them.

“We are also linking them to sources of inputs and creating value for their products. We do not have any farmer today who planted vitamin A cassava without having market,” Ilona said.

He said some youths and women were recently engaged in vitamin A cassava production, adding that the organisation had been working to reach out to farmers in the other value chains.

“In Benue, Imo, Oyo and Ondo state, we have women currently producing cassava confectionery called combobits with different nutrients.

“Combobits is one of the products we are proposing to include into the home grown school programme of the government, we have other products such as cassava custard, fufu and others.

“The confectionery sector is very active, yielding a lot of money; the vitamin A garri sector is on the high demand now.

“The demand is so huge that we have to encourage more investors to come on board, we will ensure supply of raw materials to producers to keep investment in the sector grow.”

Ilona stressed the need for Nigerians to eat more nutritious food for good health and urged the government and the private sector to support farmers to produce more.

“There is need for Nigerians to come together and brainstorm on how to invest in agriculture, which has huge potentials to save us from poverty,” he said.

Source: PMNewsNigeria

Crisis in West Africa threatens millions

Millions displaced by conflict in Nigeria are seeking shelter wherever they can, and struggling to find enough food to survive. Photo: Ibrahim Dung/Oxfam

Conflict leading to food shortages creates serious humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, Lake Chad area. 

When Boko Haram attacked her Nigerian village and killed her husband three years ago, Sarah Isa and her six children immediately fled into the forest, without even stopping long enough to bury her husband’s body. Isa (not her real name) and her children wandered for a month, scavenging for food and water as best they could, before arriving in a village where the family found a room to rent.

They earn money by selling drinking water in the streets of the town and begging for handouts, but can’t quite find enough to buy food and pay their rent. “I don’t like seeing my children go hungry,” Isa says. “All I want is food.”

Isa and her family aren’t the only ones struggling to find enough food to eat in northeastern Nigeria right now. A joint analysis released by the Nigerian government and other UN partners in late August estimates that there are more than 4 million people facing severe food shortages, including more than 65,000 in famine conditions in areas of the northeast that are only just now accessible to the Nigerian government forces fighting Boko Haram, as well as areas that are not currently accessible to the government and aid organizations.

This largely unknown humanitarian crisis is also affecting neighboring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, where people fleeing violence are seeking shelter. Oxfam and UN agencies estimate that 2.7 million people have fled their homes, and as many as 9 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The conflict between Boko Haram and governments in this region has affected some of the poorest people in the world. Most of them in rural areas are farmers, and many like Sarah Isa have not been able to grow any crops for three years. They are in urgent need of food, water, and medical care. They are living in camps for displaced people and among host communities and are struggling to survive.

The situation is dire across this region: The UN estimates that 49,000 children – out of 244,000 suffering from acute malnutrition -- will die this year if they do not receive treatment, just in Nigeria’s Borno state.  

Sarah Isa, 50, fled her village with her six children three years ago after Boko Haram fighters killed her husband. She is now struggling to find enough food for the family. Like many farmers displaced by the conflict, she has not been able to grow any crops since fleeing her village. Photo: Ibrahim Dung/Oxfam

Humanitarian Response

Oxfam has helped more than 250,000 people since it began responding to the crisis two years ago. The agency is ramping up its program and is seeking funds to expand its response to help 1.5 million people in the next 15 months.

Nigeria: Oxfam is helping displaced people with emergency food and basic nutrition support, clean water, and sanitation, including building bathing facilities and repairing toilets. Oxfam is distributing food and cooking equipment, and in some areas providing seeds and tools to help traders and farmers returning to their home communities get back on their feet.

Niger: The UN estimates 460,000 people are affected by the conflict with Boko Haram, many of them having fled neighboring Borno state in Nigeria. Oxfam has installed clean water systems, distributed cooking pots, buckets to store clean water, and water purification tablets. This program has reached an estimated 31,400 people so far.

Chad: Oxfam is just now starting to respond in Chad, and intends to assist more than 30,000 people with tarpaulins for shelter, cash, and clean water.

Oxfam is urgently seeking funds for this emergency response as it currently has only a small percentage of the budget needed to cover its intended program.

Oxfam is looking for the first possible opportunity to help farmers returning home to start growing their own food again. This is what Sarah Isa also wants to do: “I am ready to go back home today if the government assures us on security, we can farm our food because we have our farms there.”

Hunger looms in Nigeria due to killings of farmers – CAN

The Northern Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Monday, said persistent killing of rural farmers will lead to hunger in the country.

Yakubu Pam, its chairman, said this in Jos on Monday during an interview with NAN on the sidelines of a regional delegates’ conference of the association.

“Farmers are killed on the fields and this has forced them to abandon the farms; hunger is imminent in the country if nothing is done about this,” he said.

He called for special protection for farmers, saying farmers are vulnerable to attacks because their farms are normally in forests. Pam also drew government’s attention to the constant abduction of young girls, and appealed for special security for those in the villages.

“We have also observed that girls in the northern part of the country are being withdrawn from schools and forced into marriage,” he said.

“The association is taking a deeper look into that menace and will come out with suggestions on ways to check the trend. Our youths must resort to farming to cushion the current economic hardship; doing nothing is very dangerous.”

According to Pam, the delegates’ conference, themed ‘Peace and Unity in the Body of Christ’, was convened to buttress the need for unity in the church.

“Without love and unity, no human or spiritual community can survive, including the church. Unity of believers from different backgrounds is crucial,” he said

Source: DailyPost

EU ban on Nigerian beans: FG inaugurates standing committee

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 26-member Standing Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee to address the rejection of Nigeria`s dry beans by the European Union. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, while performing the inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday, urged the committee members to work as a team to achieve the desired goal.

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to this important workshop for members of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on Zero Reject of Agricultural Commodities and Produce/Non-Oil Exports. “We are here to take our destinies in our hands by finding lasting solution to incessant rejection of our agricultural commodities, especially in Europe.

“We need to avoid the embarrassment of further rejection in the future by strengthening our regulatory authorities to live up to their mandates. “Our desire for agricultural products and non-oil exports means there will be vigorous pursuit of investment in quality control and standardisation.

“In addressing this challenge, we are working with the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service to ensure safety of what we produce and consume locally and internationally, “ Ogbeh said. The minister urged members of the committee to carry out the assignment with unity of purpose and in the interest of the nation.

“We will get our desired result if this committee carries out its work diligently without fear or favour because there is demand for Nigeria`s product outside the country. “We are also working with other agencies on traceability; that is to know where the sub-standard goods are coming from. “

He, however, called on donor agencies to consider other gaps that could be filled to bring Nigeria`s agriculture to a loftier height. Mr Charles Malata, Chief Technical Adviser, UNIDO, said that the importance of the workshop and inauguration was to enable Nigeria to explore non-oil sector of the economy.

Malata said that the committee was set up because of the rejection of the country’s agricultural produce and commodities at the international market. “We have a project which is funded by EU and it has been running for two years. “Through the project, we have been addressing the issue of safety and good health in order to boost the competitiveness of Nigerian products.

“We appreciate what the Federal Government is doing towards the removal of the ban soon. “I urge the committee to take time to look at the issues that are challenging Nigeria to provide a roadmap to possible solutions to these challenges, “ he added.

In a keynote address, Head of Trade and Economics Section, European Union, Mr Filippo Amato, said that the ban was a wake-up call for the country to work toward achieving standards. He commended the Federal Government in setting up the committee to look at the rejection of Nigeria`s beans for containing high level of pesticides which were dangerous to human health.

He, however, reiterated EU`s support to the country in order to improve its compliance to meet standards and protect consumers` right. The EU announced import suspension measures in June 2015, which affected dried beans from Nigeria.

The suspension was supposed to lapse in June 2016 when the country was expected to provide “substantial guarantees that adequate official control system have been put in place “. The EU further extended the suspension to three years for alleged lack of seriousness by stakeholders to meet the dateline.

The committee members are from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service and Nigeria Export Promotion Council.

Source: Vanguard

‘Nigeria to create 758,500 jobs for youth through agriculture’

The Federal Government says it will create jobs for over 758,500 youth across the country under the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) to boost agricultural productivity.

Mrs Karima Babangida, the National Programme Coordinator said this on Tuesday in Katsina during the inauguration of Katsina State YEAP Steering Committee.
Represented by Mr Suleiman Aliyu, Babangida said that the three-year programme was supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Babangida said that 740,000 jobs would be `market-oriented’ for young agricultural producers, while the remaining 18,500 jobs were reserved for university graduates, ‘nagropreneurs’ across the nation.

‘’Under the market-oriented, 20,000 youths will be selected from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

‘’500 graduates will also benefit from the programme in each state of the federation,’’ she said.

The coordinator revealed that 12 states were selected for the first phase of the programme, two from each of the six geo-political zones.

Babangida explained that the programme was aimed at providing employment to teeming youths through agricultural enterprises.

Mr Rabe Isa, who spoke on behalf of FAO, urged the committee members to dedicate themselves toward achieving the set goal.

He said that Katsina was also selected for the study of grazing reserves and stock routes being conducted with the aim of addressing farmers/herdsmen clash.

In his remarks, the state deputy governor, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu said that the steering committee’s terms of reference would assist stakeholders to design and implement value chain development plans and promote young agro-entrepreneurs.

He said other terms of reference include the signing of contracts with service providers and beneficiaries, monitor the development of agro-entrepreneurs and commodity chains, among others.

Yakubu said the state government would continue to accord agriculture a top priority so as to address unemployment, diversify the economy and guarantee food security.

The 32-member steering committee would be headed by the deputy governor, who is also the commissioner for agriculture. 

Source: (NAN)

Chickens forced to skip meals as cost of poultry feed rises by 100%

Fisayo Falodi, Gbenro Adeoye, Tunde Ajaja and Jesusegun Alagbe

The recent increase in the cost of poultry feed in the country has been forcing farmers to ration food for their birds.

Findings have shown that the cost of ingredients for the composition of poultry feeds, particularly maize, has increased by 100 per cent.

For instance, a 100kg bag of maize, which used to cost about N6, 000 in April 2016, is now being sold for about N12, 000.

Also, the cost of fish meal, another important ingredient in poultry feeds, has increased by 60 per cent. A kilogramme of fish meal that used to sell for N500 now costs about N800.

However, the price of egg in the market has not enjoyed similar increase.

Before the hike in the cost of poultry feed ingredients, a crate of eggs used to sell for N600. It is now being sold for between N650 and N700, depending on the egg size.

This development has led farmers to be rationing food for their birds or mixing their feeds with lesser nutritious ingredients.

This has consequently led to a drop in egg production as malnourished birds do not produce eggs maximally.

Findings also showed that the high cost of maize was due to low cultivation as a result of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the north, recurring attacks by Fulani herdsmen and flooding.

This situation was confirmed in the 2016Maize Outlook by a consulting firm, Novus Agro Nigeria Limited.

According to the outlook, the price of maize hit N65, 000 per metric tonne in January 2016, up from around N45, 000 in October 2015 and has been on steady rise since then.

The Director-General of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Mr. Onallo Akpa, said the poultry industry in the country was in crisis.

He said, “Last year, Nigeria produced over 14 billion table eggs and was recognised as the number one egg producer in Africa. But we have not been able to calculate the production figure in the last one year because of the crisis we are going through. But surely, our egg production figure has dropped. The industry is being threatened now due to high cost of poultry feeds.

Akpa also said the problem arose as a result of neglect of the agricultural sector and the non-supply of inputs like fertiliser to the “few” farmers in the country.

He said, “Maize was being bought between N4, 500 and N5, 000 per 100kg bag in October/November 2015. But now, it is about N12, 000. Now there is pressure on maize by the poultry industry which consumes over 2.5 million metric tonnes annually. The breweries and other industries also compete with us.”

The Chairman of Dedora Nigeria Limited, Lagos, Mr. Emmanuel Omokwale, said his farm had been recording loss every day.

He lamented that before, his farm used to produce 300,000 crates of eggs per day, but could hardly produce 1,000 crates now because of the rise in the prices of raw materials.

He said, “The prices of raw materials keep on increasing every day. Maize is a major example. I have been in this business for over 25 years, I have not bought maize above N80, 000 per tonne. But the price is now N180, 000 per tonne. With the way it is going, only God knows when it will end.

“Other problem is non-availability of vitamins and others which are used to produce amino acid to enrich poultry feed. All these things are not produced in Nigeria. Maize and soya beans are locally produced, but soya beans are sometimes imported into the country. The foreign exchange crisis has compounded the non-availability of vitamins.”

Omokwale added that the foreign exchange crisis, increase in fuel price and high interest rate have also contributed to the problem the poultry industry is facing.

“We are not breaking even because we cannot meet the cost of feeding the birds. In my farm, I provide water, electricity, labour and security. For instance, I buy diesel at N200 per litre and I use a minimum of 200 litres of diesel per day, that is, N40,000 on diesel alone daily,” he said.

Omokwale added that these problems had led to a sharp decline in the production of eggs on his farm.

He said, “We can’t meet demand for eggs because we don’t have enough birds. We don’t have the capacity to stock now. The problem is that the more we produce, the more we lose. We cannot just expand because to feed the birds alone is difficult.

“Some poultry farms ration the feeding of their birds. But the problem with that is that if you adopt that method, you will be worse off. That is why you have to cut down your stock. It is too expensive to stock now. Everybody will soon see the effect of what is happening now in the country.”

The Managing Director of Abibcom Farms in Ogun State, Dr. Habib Stephen Temitope, also said insecurity had contributed to the non-availability of raw materials for poultry feed.

He said, “How do you feed your birds when the cost of raw materials is increasing every day? The best thing is to reduce your stocking capacity. A kilogramme of maize cost N44 before, but it is being sold for N105. So, if you are buying 100 kilogrammes of maize, you need N105, 000 to do so unlike before when it cost N44, 000.

“But in spite of the rise in the cost of raw materials, poultry farmers cannot increase the price of eggs. Vaccine is another problem. You are to vaccinate your birds. Some farmers are rationing food for their birds just to keep them alive because of these problems.”

A poultry farmer in Ibadan, Oyo State, who has about 2,000 birds, Mr. Isaac Oguntuase, said he had started rationing feeds for his birds because of its cost implication and the financial crisis he was going through.

He explained that the adequate quantity of poultry feeds required daily for his birds is 250kg as each consumes an average of 125 grammes of food per day.

 He said, “I can tell you that the cost of poultry feed has increased by 100 per cent. My birds have not been eating as they should; instead of giving them 250 kg of feed daily, I have reduced the ration to about 200kg.

“But the problem with that is that their egg production has dropped by 30 per cent already. If birds don’t eat well, they won’t produce eggs as they should and the little they produce might also be small in size.”

A poultry farmer in Ogun State, Mr. Johnson Anwuzie, said he had been substituting maize with dried garri (koko) and fish meal with soya beans.

But he noted that the move had reduced his birds’ egg production rate. Instead of an average of 180 crates of eggs daily, Anwuzie has been getting less than 140 crates since he started adulterating feed for his birds.

“I have been losing a lot of money because of the high cost of maize and its unavailability,” he said.

A poultry farmer in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Mr. Oladapo John, said he had reduced the stock of fowls on his farm.

He said, “Instead of adulterating their feed, I have reduced the stock of fowls on my farm. But unlike before when I used to produce 100 egg crates on my farm, I only produce 30 now.”

A poultry farmer, Mr. Azeez Gbolahan, described the rising cost of feeds as disturbing, saying the trend has had enormous effect on his business.

Gbolahan, who rears layers and cockerels, lamented that in spite of the increasing cost of the feeds, any attempt to increase the price of their products would lead to loss of customers.

He said, “The prices have skyrocketed. It is killing the business and eating into our profit. For instance, at the beginning of the year, a bag of layers mash was around N2,200, but now it’s N2,900. It was about N2,650 just three weeks ago, but now it has increased again.

“Painfully, you can’t just increase the prices of your products like that, else you will lose customers. I tried it. I raised the price of a crate of eggs from N700 to N750, but I lost a lot of customers as a result.”

Findings by Saturday PUNCH also showed that many poultry farmers are moving out of the business as it has become difficult to sustain their farms under the current circumstances.

For example, a farmer with about 1,000 birds in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mr. Busuyi Olalekan, said he was already searching for a buyer for his birds and other assets on his farm.

He said, “A lot of farmers are moving out of the business, particularly small farm owners and that is what I’m about to do. The cost of feed has increased drastically, but the price of eggs has not increased considerably.”

An agricultural consultant and Publisher of Farming Advice Digest, Dr. Joseph Deji-Folutile, said in his interaction with farmers, most of them had kept on lamenting a drop in egg production because of the high cost of maize.

He said, “Most of them have been rationing what they feed their birds because more than 85 per cent of poultry production cost is on feeding. A farmer was telling me that he was thinking of closing down because production was not picking up on time. It is from the sale of eggs that farmers make money to remain in business, so once the birds are not producing eggs, they will be running at a loss.

“The major thing is that the maize is expensive and not even available. And when it is available, it is at a high cost and the quality may not even be as high as expected. And when farmers don’t have what they want, they make do with what they have, so it is really a major problem.

“When birds are not well fed, their immune system will not be at peak level and whatever infection they are exposed to will get them down. Maize which gives energy is the major ingredient in feed production, so the high cost of feed and other attendant problems have really affected the farmers.

“I have a client who used to produce about 1,500 crates of eggs daily and because of starving the birds, production went down to about 700 crates. If they get the maize in the right content, it takes some time for the birds to pick up again. These are not the best of times for farmers.”

Likewise, a veterinary doctor who consults for poultry farms, Mr. Adedayo Ojo, said underfeeding poultry birds could affect their immunity and expose them to infections.

Source: Punch Newspaper

Fed Govt trains 9,500 youths in Ebonyi

The Federal Government has started training no fewer than 9,500 unemployed youths in Ebonyi State in a bid to shore up jobs in the state. The trainees are being coached in various skills.

The programme is part of the fifth phase of the government’s youth empowerment scheme across the country under the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

Acting Director General of ITF, Mr. Dickson Onuoha disclosed this in Abakaliki during flag-off of the programme.

“The fifth phase of the programme will cover 18 states including the FCT with 500 youths expected to be trained in each state,” she said.

She said the areas where the state beneficiaries will be trained include tailoring and weaving, welding and fabrication, carpentry and joinery, shoe and bag-making, masonry and bricklaying.

She said, “These trade areas were carefully selected based on their anticipated value addition to the citizens of the state and the potentials to provide sustainable means of livelihood”.

The state governor David Umahi said  his administration  was poised to develop the capacity of the youths to become self-reliant.

He called on the youths of Ebonyi who are jobless in other parts of the country to return home and find something meaningful to do under his government’s youth-oriented programmes.

He said: “Every Ebonyi youth in other parts of the country especially Lagos should please come back home; we are ready to create jobs for them.

“A day is coming when nobody will be willing to seek political office because of the current reality.  One day, there will be no kobo from the Federation Account so it high time we started thinking outside the box.”

The governor said his administration would create over 100,000 jobs for the youth and women especially in the agriculture sector. He said the state now focused mainly on mechanised system of farming as according to him “agriculture without technology is death.”

Governor Umahi promised to provide the trainees with financial assistance to enable them set up their businesses after acquiring necessary skills from the programme.

The ITF Area Manager in charge of Enugu and Ebonyi states Mrs. Linda Egbonu said the programme was organised to develop the mindset of the youths in the areas of entrepreneurship and skill acquisition.

Source: The Nation

Singapore Firm to Invest U.S.$100 Million in Akwa Ibom

By Okon Bassey

Uyo — A Singapore- based investment organisation, Ashdene Associates Nigeria, has signed an agreement with the Akwa Ibom State Government on agricultural development, infrastructural expansion and consolidation worth about $100 million investment.

At the signing of the memoranda of understanding (MoU) at the governor's office, Uyo, the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel said his administration was committed to laying a formidable economic foundation to fast-tract all round development of the state.

He explained that the Ashdene Group reputed to have successfully executed business in about twenty-nine countries of the world decided to partner the state in it agricultural, infrastructural and industrialisation drive.

The Governor was excited for the Ashdene Group to make Akwa Ibom State its destination of their investment and to collaborate with the state in the area of investment in addition to infrastructural consolidation and expansion .

Emmanuel lauded the decision of the company to set up a rice farm alongside a processing mill at Ini Local Government Area of the state, establishment of coconut plantation and construction of roads in communities where they would carry out the investment.

He spoke of his administration's disposition towards investment and assured the investors of a conducive business environment for their venture.

"I want to assure you that this is a government that is investors friendly, our policies, strategies, focus centre on investments. Be rest assured that the responsibilities of government in the agreement signed would be duly executed.

"We are not ignorant of the environment that you need for investment like this to grow and we are determined to create the right opportunity for your investment to thrive", declared.

The Country Director of Ashdene Associates Nigeria, Dr Patrick Adiel had said that the company which is faith based none profit organisation is in the state to explore the abundant agricultural resources to help create wealth and open up employment opportunities that would engage the people meaningfully.

He said seven days after the agreement has been signed, the company will swing into action for the rice project covering ten hectares of land in which about one hundred million Dollars would be invested.

Areas for the investment, he identified as the Coconut Plantation and Refinery project as well as road construction which they have undertaken in partnership with the state government as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Adiel acknowledged the hospitality enjoyed from both the government and people of the state and praised the state Government for partnering the organisation in it development programmes.

He assured that every project earmarked for execution would be completed within fourteen months.

The Commissioner for Special Duties, Etido Inyang, his counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Mathew Ekaette and Chairman Committee on Foreign Direct Investment, Dr. Gabriel Ukpe signed the agreement on behalf of the state government.

Remarking, they commended the Governor for scouting for investors in various aspect of the economy saying that the state shall witness a manifestation of the industrialisation programme with the youths gainfully employed even as farmers would realise better returns from their investment.

Ekaette said that rice farming which has been at a subsistent level would witnessed a leap with the firm approaching cultivation with the right technological inputs.

He expressed optimism that the revenue profile of the state would increase as the state would soon join the league of exporters of agricultural products.

The Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry, Barrister Emmanuel Enoidem in an interview after the exercise said the state has started reaping from the investment drive of the present administration and that farmers would soon smile to the bank as value has been added to their occupation.

Source: All Africa/ThisDay

Oyo to establish Shea Butter production centres

By Remi Feyisipo

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has said that all machinery have been put in place to establish and package Shea Butter across the state for global transaction as well as providing employment opportunity for the citizenry.

He stated this during a town hall sensitization meeting on Shea butter production with the representatives of Shea butter producers in Saki West, Saki East and Atisbo local Governments held at Saki West Secretariat recently.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Bureau of investment and Public Partnership, Folakemi Akinleye, Governor Ajimobi said that it was imperative to turn available natural resources into wealth by improving on the production, processing and packaging of agricultural produce for reliable marketing platform in order for the state to compete favourably in both local and international Markets.

He implored the tree fellers to desist from cutting Karite Shea butter trees, palm kernel trees, adding that they should rather support the government in its preservation programme.

Speaking at the event, the commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Rural Development, Oyewole Oyewumi, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Victor Atilola noted that the programme was meant to expose Shea butter producers to modern ways of producing the products and its benefits.

Oyewumi urged the Shea Butter producers and other stakeholders to utilize government opportunity by identifying genuine land to be allocated to individuals/groups that are willing to invest in the state.

In a related development, the Oyo State government has trained cassava/rice farmers in the state who are beneficiaries of the FADAMA III project.

In his speech at the at the pre-disbursement and capacity building training for the cassava/rice farmers held at the Farmers Hall, OYSADEP building Ibadan, Oyewumi said that state government was set to fully participate in the new Federal Government’s agricultural promotion policy 2016-2020 tagged: The Green Alternative, saying that, the state would take advantage of the policy to have additional agricultural extension workers that would disseminate improved agricultural technologies to our farmers.

He explained that the pre-disbursement training for cassava and rice farmers was designed to build and improve their capacities for increased crops production and overall implementation of FADAMA III Additional Financing Project.

According to the commissioner, “statistics and evidence show that Oyo state is a leading producer of cassava and therefore, we are selected for production of cassava and rice under the FADAMA III additional financing programme. This is also due to the comparative production advantage and capacity of the state in the production of these two major staple crops.”

Oyewumi pointed out that the recently launched the Oyo State Agricultural Initiative (OYSAI) by the state government was aimed at promoting agricultural production as well as encourage youths’ involvement in agriculture through land allocation to interested individuals and provisions of inputs support.

In his remark, the state project Coordinator, FADAMA III Additional Financing Project, Nathaniel Olayinka, said that farmers in 14 Local Government Areas of the state have fulfilled all the necessary requirements to benefit from the programme.

Olayinka further stressed that the objectives of the training/workshop were to communicate the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project and to build the capacities of the beneficiaries to increase their productivity.

Source: newmail-ng.com