Category: Agriculture
Sen. Yari subsidizes 76 trucks of fertilizer at 50% to Zamfara farmers
SubsidyBy Ibrahim G. AhmadGusau June 4, 2024 (NAN) Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, former Zamfara Governor and Senator representing Zamfara West Senatorial District, has provided 76 Trucks of fertilisers to be distributed to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy.Ibrahim Muhammad, Chairman, Publicity Committee of the AA Yari Political Organization made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen in Gusau on Tuesday.According to the statement, the Chairman of the Committee and leader of the A. A. Yari Political Organisation, Alhaji Lawal Liman made the revelation at a meeting with members of the distribution committee.He explained that each of the eight Local Government Areas of Zamfara Central and North Senatorial Districts would receive five trucks of the fertilizer.The statement said that the six council areas of Zamfara West Senatorial District where the Senator was representing, would each receive six trucks of the Fertilisers.Liman said the NPK and Urea fertilisers provided costs between N40, 000 and N45, 000 per 50 kg bag in the market and would be sold to farmers at the cost of N20, 000 per bag.He said the idea behind the subsidy was to bail out farmers across the state from its shortage as well as its near out of reach due to the skyrocketed prices in the market.The chairman maintained that the distribution pattern was designed to cover farmers in all the 147 Wards of the 14 Local Government Areas of the state regardless of the party differences.He urged members of the distribution committees to ensure strict compliance with the laid down principles and practices of the provider of the commodity.The Chairman also announced that Sen. Yari had provided 28 trucks of rice for distribution to people across the state during this year’s Edil Kabeer.He said that the gesture, which would cover the poor and vulnerable community across the state, was borne out of the Senator’s desire to assist people especially the less privileged to celebrate the occasion with relative ease.“Under the arrangement which will be supervised by the Ulama Committee that handled the senator’s previous gestures, each of the 14 Local Government Areas was allocated two trucks of 50kg bags of rice,”.The chairman reiterated the commitment of the former governor towards providing succour to the people of Zamfara State in particular and humanity in general at all times.He pleaded with the officials entrusted with the distribution to live above board in an attempt to achieve the goals of the project initiator. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)IAG/MNAEdited by Maureen AtuonwuStrike: Frozen food traders decry power outage
Power
By Mercy Omoike
Lagos, June 4, 2024 (NAN) Some frozen food traders have lamented the effect of the nationwide outage occasioned by the industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on their businesses.
The traders disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
A frozen food trader in the Satellite Town area of the state, Mrs Mercy Salawu, expressed the fear of losing her stock due to the power situation.
“The NLC strike has really affected business. Since it began, there had been a power outage. Our major fear is that our frozen stocks do not get bad due to the electricity situation.
“Since the strike commenced, I have been running my generator and this has incurred extra cost for me.
“We had to cut down on what we stock due to the power situation.
“We hope that the government and labour come to an agreement soon because the masses are suffering,” Salawu said.
On her part, Mrs Otibho Olunola, a cold food supplier at Abule Egba, decried the impact of the electricity shortage on her business and the extra cost being incurred.
“We just heard that there had been a temporary suspension of the strike, yet the electricity has not been restored.
“We had to buy fuel over N10,000 to keep the stock frozen due to the power outage. If we continue in this manner, how can we sustain the business?
“The strike has really taken its toll on us. In as much as it is for the common good of all, we hope it will be resolved as soon as possible,” Olunola said.
Also, Mr Joel Oduware, a poultry processor at Ikeja, decried poor patronage of frozen foods.
“Aside from the electricity shortage currently affecting our trade due to the NLC strike, we have been witnessing low sales.
“There has been low purchasing power among the people due to the food inflation we are currently facing.
“Also, with the power situation due to the strike, our business seems to be at a risk.
“Now, we have to spend extra to power our generators to keep our poultry frozen. We just hope to see a respite very soon from these challenges,” Oduware said.
He urged the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the minimum wage issue to avoid further strike.
The strike which commenced on Monday was called to protest the failure of the Federal Government to approve a new minimum wage by May 31 and its failure to reverse the hike in electricity tariff.
Following the strike, the national power grid was shut resulting in power outage across the country.
However, the NLC and TUC have agreed to suspend the strike for five days.(NAN) www.nannews.ng
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-NwokeomaMilk Day: Shettima unveils National Dairy Policy
Policy
By Doris Esa
Abuja, June 4, 2024 (NAN) The Federal Government has inaugurated the National Dairy Policy to catalyse development in the livestock and dairy sectors.
The policy, unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja by Vice President Kashim Shettima, aims to achieve sustainable diversification of the national economy, a key objective of its National Development Plan (2021-2025).
The document was designed to serve as a roadmap for energising the dairy industry over the coming years.
The policy is the outcome of several consultations and engagements with key stakeholders who shared the vision of a productive and globally competitive dairy sector in Nigeria.
Speaking at the unveiling of the document, Shettima said that milk was not a staple but a cornerstone of Nigeria nutritional security and economic development.
He said theme of the 2024 Milk Day, “Harnessing the Nutrition and Investment Opportunities in a Sustainable Dairy Value Chain,” was particularly significant.
Shettima was represented by Dr Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to Shettima on Agribusiness.
He said that since its inception, the benefits of milk and dairy products had been actively promoted worldwide, highlighting how dairy supported the livelihoods of one billion people.
“Dairy is an accessible, affordable, and nutrient-dense food, essential for balanced diets across the world.
“Billions of people consume milk and dairy products daily, not only as a vital source of nutrition but also as a means of livelihood for farmers, processors, shopkeepers, and other stakeholders in the dairy value chain.
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that consumers, industry and governments have up-to-date information on how milk and dairy products contribute to human nutrition.
“Also how dairy-industry development can best increase food security and alleviate poverty in Nigeria.”
Shettima said that dairy farming presented significant opportunities for economic development and youth employment.
“However, these opportunities do not come without challenges.
“Our livestock farmers often face issues such as inadequate feed for their animals, conflicts over grazing lands, and the adverse effects of climate change.”
He said that the these challenges were compounded by violent conflicts between farmers and cattle herdsmen over land use.
“A situation exacerbated by increasing droughts and the pressing need for sustainable solutions.
” Recognising these challenges, the Federal Government is launching the National Dairy Policy with the objective of transforming the dairy industry in Nigeria.”
Shettima said the policy would address key obstacles such as the lack of modern global best practices for cross-breeding and calving, high costs of mik and poor transportation infrastructure among others.
“Currently, Nigeria spends 1.5 billion dollars annually on importing dairy products due to a production deficit.
” Nigerians consume an average of 1.6 billion liters of milk and its products but domestic production is insufficient to meet this demand.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is determined to achieve national production security, with the longer term goal of eventually exporting dairy products to other African countries under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).”
He said that implementation of the policy would ensure improved dairy farming practices, increased investment in dairy processing and preservation, evidence-based policy implementation, and enhanced collaboration.
Shettima said that it would also enable ease of business for the dairy industry, fostering public-private partnerships, embracing technology and innovation, empowering women-friendly and youth-centric business models.
“Its implementation will promote good animal health practices, and monitoring and evaluating progress,” he said.
In a remark, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, said that the national dairy policy was in line with Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda to reposition the livestock sector.
He said that the document would create enabling and supportive environment for growth in the dairy sector.
Abdullahi said that there were potential in the dairy industry, adding that with consistency and steadfastness to the policy’s implementation, Nigeria would before long become self- sufficient in milk and dairy products. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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Netherlands funded programme unveils phase 2 of climate-smart palm oil initiative
By Bukola Adewumi
Project
Abuja, June 4, 2024(NAN) Solidaridad and IDH, a Netherlands funded programme, has unveiled phase two of the National Initiative for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS).
NISCOPS, which aims to improve the production of oil palm while fostering a climate friendly activity, targets 12,000 oil palm farmers in its phase 2.
Wouter Plomp, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Nigeria, spoke with journalists at the unveiling of the project on Tuesday in Abuja
He said that unveiling of the second phase was his country’s commitment to sustaining a more environment-friendly.
Plomp said it would also create a social future of the palm oil production in Nigeria.
“You know very well that palm oil is vital for Nigeria’s economy; so is the future of Nigeria’s precious forests and so is equitability in the division of the gains of the palm oil sector.
“So, what we aim to achieve by this project is to have a more sustainable future and a more equitable future for the palm oil production in Nigeria,’’ he said.
The Head of Programmes, Solidaridad in West Africa, Nathaniel Boateng, who represented the Regional Director of Solidaridad, Isaac Gyamfi, said the main focus of the unveiling was to ensure the improvement oil palm within the region.
According to him, it will help the region to feed itself and meet the demand of oil palm; so that the farmers are able to cultivate in a way that does not harm the environment.
“There is the notion that oil palm contributes a lot to deforestation; so, we seek to encourage farmers to invest more within the landscape that they are in to diversify and also enrich their production.
“So, that they get more from what they have instead of expanding into other landscapes or into the forest areas.’’
Boateng explained that the first phase was a test case to prove that indeed if farmers were to intensify, if they were to do best management practices, they could produce more.
“It was a test case with a few farmers; in phase two, we are going to expand to other farmers; we are going to scale and consolidate the results that we have.
“But most importantly is to look for opportunities to also unlock climate finance for the farmers; so, that is a new area that we want to venture in on the NISCOPS phase two.
“So, farmers are able to intensify; do best management practices to reduce emissions and mitigate carbon emissions so that they can unlock climate finance,’’ he said.
The Chairman Executive Board of IDH, Daan Wensing, said IDH was working around the globe to bring the power of the private sector to a sustainable development goal in terms of innovation power and the investment it could make.
He said IDH was in partnership with Solidaridad, the government, public private partnership, farmers and civil societies.
The Programme Manager, Solidaridad, Kene Onukwube, said the second phase of NISCOPS consolidated the achievement of the first phase.
“We have been able to up the yield for oil palm up to 115 tons per hectare and that is a huge gap between where it was before.
“So, we think that best management practices that are contributing to that should be replicated across more locations,” he said.
He further explained that the second phase entailed building the bridge for local and international markets.
Onukwube said from the first phase of NISCOPS, it was realised that very little was understood about issues around the sustainability standards that were the hallmark for the international market.
“So, we want to be able to use this second phase to broaden that perspective; help farmers and communities to begin to take responsibility for the sustainability of their forests, for the forest landscapes vis-a-vis the oil palm landscape.
“The farmers we are going to work with now, we are looking at 12,000 and more,’’ he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng).
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Nigeria, Indonesia to explore export driven strategies on oil palm
Oil
By Felicia Imohimi
Abuja, June 4, 2024(NAN)The Federal Government says it will collaborate with the Indonesian Government in exploring export driven strategies to enhance economic growth and development in oil palm.
Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, gave the assurance in a meeting with the Pahala Mansury, Vice President, Foreign Affairs, Indonesia, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Abubakar identified palm oil as having huge potentials of export.
“The growth strategy of Nigeria recognises that as much as we will be talking about import substitution, the best solution is for us to have export driven strategies.
“We can accommodate investors so that we can take the oil palm to the next level of economic growth and development.
“l believe giving what you have done by lifting 16million farmers out of poverty and with the existing oil palm in Nigeria we can achieve that and we can do it.
“Considering Nigeria ecosystem, we have more numbers to take out of poverty; we are developing a nucleus to make it possible; hence we are going to work to see how to turn it around, “he said.
Earlier, Mansury said the visit was for both countries to see how they could be able to develop a much better economic cooperation particularly in area of agriculture.
Mansury identified Nigeria as Indonesia’s most significant economic partner in sub-Sahara Africa in terms of trade, investment and economic cooperation.
He said that through palm oil production, Indonesia was able to lift over 16million of smallholder farmers out of poverty.
“Right now, Indonesia is the largest producer of palm oil producing approximately 50million metric tons.
“Domestically we are using about 10million metric tons to 12 million metric tons while we are exporting the remaining 38 million metric tons.’’
He said that Indonesia was actually one of the largest exporter of edible palm to Nigeria, pharmaceutical among others while Nigeria was the biggest exporter of fertiliser and others to Indonesia.
“We hope to discuss further on how we are going to develop a better cooperation in agriculture for food security for both Indonesia and Nigeria, provision of grant and capacity building.”
He identified other areas both countries could further enhance their cooperation as energy security.
According to him, both countries have started economic cooperation already within the health sector particularly in the area of livestock vaccines.
Mansury said the meeting was also to seek the participation of Nigerians farmers in the second Indonesia and Africa forum scheduled for September and membership of Nigeria in Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC).
“Through the forum will develop a much stronger economic cooperation between Indonesia and Africa, facilitate meetings of both countries, private sector and encourage private sector investment in Nigeria in research cooperation among others,” he said.
Alhaji Ahmadu Aliyu, Andoma of Doma, Nasarawa State, said the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN) had been distributing palm produce seedlings to households in some states of the federation.
According to him, the initiative has helped in improving their income and livelihood.
Aliyu, who is also a NPPAN member, said the initiative would help to boost the economy of every family as Nigeria would join Indonesia and Malaysia being the leading palm oil producing countries in the world. (www.nannews.ng)
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Group trains 60,000 Kano farmers to tackle tomato diseases
FarmersBy Ramatu GarbaBunkure (Kano State), June 4, 2024 (NAN) The HortiNigeria, a Dutch-funded horticultural programme has trained 60,000 farmers in modern pest control to combat plant diseases in Kano State.Mr Abdullahi Umar, the Sector Coordinator, Business linkage HortiNigeria, said this on Monday during the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) exercise at Gidan Kwari demonstration site in Bunkure Local Government Area of the state.He said the exercise is designed to expose farmers to innovative solutions and techniques through application of traps and bio-pesticide to stem tomato common disease (Tuta Absoluta or Tomato ebola)Umar said that application of the new method would also deal with the pest resistant to chemicals.“We targeted 60,000 farmers between Kano and Kaduna, after the training for twelve months, we would move to other states for similar exercise.“The IPM is coordinated for a greater Tuta management both environmentally and economically, enhance farmer access to finance and market, to enable them to scale up their businesses,” he said.Umar said the programme equipped the benefiting farmers with tools to mitigate the impact of pest on tomato plant as well as encourage resilience in farming communities facing the disease.He said that farmers would be linked to the companies producing the pest solutions to mitigate its impact on the plant.“We aspire to empower farmers to overcome the challenges posed by the dry season and cultivate bountiful harvest sustainably,” he saidAlso speaking, Sebastian Agada, the Technical Specialist, East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT), identified Tuta absoluta as major obstacle to tomato farming that cause zero yield at harvest.“Today we harvested fresh tomatoes after undergoing few weeks Tuta Absoluta Management amidst the pressing challenges faced by farmers during the dry season and the current scarcity of tomatoes in Nigeria”.One of the farmers, Muhammad Sani, commended the gesture, adding that it reduced the risk and waste of tomato produce. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)RG/RSA=======Edited by Rabiu Sani-AliNiMet tasks Nasarawa farmers to adhere to seasonal prediction
Rainfall
By Oboh Linus
Lafia, June 3, 2024 (NAN)The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has advised farmers in Nasarawa State to adhere to seasonal climate prediction and crop-weather calendar for the 2024 planting season in order to prevent losses.
Mr James Adamu, Chief Meteorologist (Agriculture), NiMet, gave the advice during a one-day virtual workshop for 2024 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Crop – Weather Calendar for Nasarawa state.
The workshop was organised by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resources Centre in collaboration with NiMet, with support from African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) through Oxfam.
According to Adamu, crop – weather calendar is a veritable tool that provides timely information on best planting dates based on the seasonal climate prediction.
He explained that farmers’ adherence to growing season prediction and crop – weather calendar would help them to understand how each farming activity is being influenced by climate and weather.
“Crop-weather calendar helps farmers to understand the time for different farming activities and the kind of additional climate information that would be useful to them,” he said.
The Chief Meteorologist, Agriculture stated that Nasarawa state is among the states predicted to experience short length of growing season.
“The growing season for 2024 is expected to end from 18 to 27 of October, the earliest cessation is predicted to be October 18 around Karu Local Government Area while the latest is from October 27 in Doma LGA respectively,” he said.
Adamu further disclosed that Nasarawa state is also predicted to experience dry spell between July and August, 2024, noting that it would last for 15 days.
Mr Joshua Jonathan, National President, Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), an implementing partner in Nasarawa state said that the 50 participants workshop included farmers and extension agents drawn from the three Senatorial district of the state.
He said that the essence of the workshop was to make information available to farmers to be able to take decision on their farming activities.
“NiMet has predicted this year’s rainfall pattern, as well as a dry spell in July and August, it is now left for farmers to take decision on what types of crop they are expected to plan within the period to survive.
“It means that we should shift from normal agricultural practice to smart agricultural practice,” he said.
Some participants – Alokoson Isaiah, Director, Technical Services, Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme, Esther Rinze and Justina Bala, all promised to take back to their communities what they have learnt from the workshop.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Modupe Adeloye/ Isaac UkpojuLivestock: Feed, Fodder, essential to dairy industry– Minister
Dairy
By Doris Esa
Abuja, June 3, 2024 (NAN)Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, says the Feed and Fodder industry is essential to the growth of the dairy sector.
Abdullahi communicated this at the conference and exhibition programme to mark the 2024 World Milk Day on Monday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for Nigeria’s celebration for the day is “Harnessing the Nutrition and Investment opportunities in the Dairy Value Chain.’’
Abdullahi said that the dairy industry was supportive of the Federal Government’s food and security programmes.
He said that nutrition security would ensure that women, children and families were milk secured.
“The dairy industry is very important in our national food nutrition security
“In the dairy industry, feed and food is key because the cows and other livestock depend on feed and fodder for their food.’’
He said that milk was a powerful nutrition product and could be a complete meal.
The minister said that President Bola Tinubu was totally committed to the Renewed Hope Agenda to provide what was required to achieve food security.
“I assure you that Tinubu is highly interested in the livestock sector; at every event, he tells you he wants to change the livestock industry,” he said.
He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to align with Tinubu’s project to transform the livestock.(NAN)
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Downpour: Farmers in Dutse begin planting
Planting
By Muhammad Nasir Bashir
Dutse, June 3, 2024 (NAN) Some farmers in parts of Dutse Local Government area of Jigawa have started planting their crops following heavy rainfall recorded in the area, a check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reveals.
A NAN correspondent, who visited some of the farming communities on Sunday, found that farmers were busy tilling and planting crops on their farms at the same time.
The farmers were seen planting assorted crops on their farms after a downpour on Saturday which lasted for about two hours in the area.
The farmers had earlier cleared and applied local manure on the farms.
Malam Amadu Abubakar, a farmer in Gandu village, told NAN that he was planting groundnut, millet and sorghum.
Other farmers, Muhammad Umar Abdullahi Abdussalam and Tunga Abdussalam, were also seen planting the same crops on their respective farmers.
The farmers said people in the area were encouraged by the level of rainfall recorded in the area.
Another farmer at Shaiskawa village, Hussain Abdulkadir Hussaini, said himself and other farmers in the area were motivated to start planting by the volume of rain recorded.
Malam Shahudi Garba, a farmer in Baranda village, said majority of farmers in the area had planted on their farms due to the volume of rain recorded on Saturday.
Garba added that farmers in the area had planted seasame, millet and sorghum, saying that that all farmers in the community area were ready for this year’s cropping season.
“In fact, some farmers here in Baranda village had already planted since last two weeks, while other planted after Saturday’s rainfall,’’ he said.
However, some of the farmers, Bashir Ahmad and Malam Ilyasu Muhammad, said they were ready to plant but had to wait for bull cart owners to till their farms before they could plant.
“Our major challenge now is that most of bull cart owners are not readily available as they have to finish with their farms before ours, even though we pay them,” they said.
NAN reports that despite the volume of rainfall recorded, majority of the farmlands have yet to be prepared by their owners for planting. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
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FG’ll revamp dairy value chain for food security, says Minister
FG’ll revamp dairy value chain for food security, says MinisterDairyBy Doris EsaAbuja, June 1, 2024 (NAN) The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to transform the dairy value chain of the livestock sector for sustainable food security.The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, stated this at a news conference to mark the 2024 World Milk Day on Saturday in Abuja.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that June 1 is the global day for the celebration of the World Milk Day, with the 2024 theme as “Let’s celebrate Nutritious and Sustainable Dairy”.Abdullahi said that the theme for Nigeria’s celebration for the day is “Harnessing the Nutrition and Investment opportunities in the Dairy Value Chain”.He said that both themes focused on celebrating the vital role dairy played in delivering quality nutrition especially to women and children.The minister said that its also aimed at improving the livelihoods of dairy farmers and other value chain actors, creating employment and increasing the economy of the country.“lt is pertinent to note the difficulty in attaining food and nutrition security without animal-source foods which provide the irreplaceable nutrients from animal protein sources required for growth and development.“With an estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) partly due to limited consumption of animal-source food, the role of milk consumption comes handy and to the rescue if made available.“Indeed, the recent National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey 2021 clearly indicated the level of deficiency affecting women and children in which milk products play critical ameliorating roles.”He said that the ministry, in collaboration with critical stakeholders, would launch a Renewed Hope Milk Industry public awareness campaigns.He said the campaign would highlight the importance of dairy products for nutrition and health, particularly among vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women.“We shall create ease of business for dairy industry with support policy and regulatory frameworks that foster a conducive environment for the dairy industry’s growth, ensuring quality standards and food safety,” he said.The President, Commercial Diary Ranchers Association of Nigeria (CODARAN), Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, lauded the glival and national attention given milk.He reiterated CODARAN’s commitment to the production, processing, marketing and consumption of quality and nutritious diary products across Africa.Also, the Managing partner, Sahel Consulting Ltd, Mr Temi Adegoroyo, appreciated the collaboration between the firm and ministry in developing the local diary sector in Nigeria.“We are ensuring that we are linking many more private companies to smallholder farmers and building a responsive fresh milk supply chains in Nigeria.“The agenda is to increase the productivity of fresh milk in Nigeria,” Adegoroyo said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)ORD/IS=======Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz