Category: Agriculture

  • Sichuan adopts innovative method to lift farmers out of poverty

    Sichuan adopts innovative method to lift farmers out of poverty

    By Lin Zhibo, People’s Daily

    Southwest China’s Sichuan province, by innovating the marketing mechanism for its poverty alleviation products, has helped a great number of farmers get through hardships.

    The province registered a collective logo for local farmers for which all products coming from impoverished villages can apply. Those products approved will be recommended by the government to catering enterprises, supermarkets, government organs, communities and e-commerce platforms.

    Such  method has successfully introduced the products from Sichuan’s impoverished villages to proper markets and lowered the cost of logistics.

    The delicious Long’an grapefruit is a protected geographical indication product, which has been introduced by Sichuan’s Gexin village to establish featured industry. A total of 53.3 hectares of such fruit trees were planted in the village.

    However, before the innovative marketing mechanism was put into use, the fruit barely played its role as a tool to alleviate poverty.

    “Our village is an impoverished village, and the Long’an grapefruit was introduced to establish a specialty industry to help us get rid of poverty. But later we found it difficult to sell the fruits, for which our villagers were bearing a resentment,” said Yang Shengrong, secretary of the Gexin village Party branch.

    Jin Dafu, who came to Gexin village in early 2019 as the first secretary, a post in charge of poverty alleviation work, decided to find markets for the villagers after seeing the unsalable fruits rotten. “You plant them, I sell them,” Jin told the villagers.

    Thanks to the innovative marketing mechanism and Jin’s efforts, the grapefruits of Gexin village embraced a sales boom. Villager Long Chengmin said that he sold over 1,000 grapefruits online in 3 days, earning 6,000 yuan ($876). “The fruits have become a money tree for us,” he said.

    Taking the opportunity, Gexin village established a cooperative joined by all the 24 impoverished households in the village and opened an online shop that purchases and sells agricultural products including the Long’an grapefruit.

    “The grapefruits were barely sold out even at a price of less than one yuan per kilogram, but now the price goes up to at least 10 yuan per kilogram,” Yang introduced. According to him, the cooperative received at least 3,000 orders last year, which benefited 78 grapefruit planters who saw their household income grow over 3,000 yuan on average.

    The Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation recently issued a report on the development of rural e-commerce in China. The report said rural e-commerce, by connecting the supply and demand sides, has effectively cut cost and improved efficiency, thus stimulating production vitality in the rural region, increasing farmers’ income and enhancing employment.

    World Bank and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba also jointly released a report titled E-commerce Development : Experience from China on Nov. 23, 2019. According to the report, part of the impoverished regions in China have benefited from e-commerce, and digital technology can be a powerful instrument for rural vitalization and poverty reduction.

    E-commerce is showing increasing power in revitalizing China’s rural areas. As the country has established successful online platforms, Chinese farmers are seeing more hope of getting rid of poverty and embracing a well-off life.

    Now, villagers from Gexin village have innovatively expanded their way of thinking. They are now making tea from grapefruit flowers, extracting fructus aurantii immaturus from fruitlets, and making cakes with inferior-quality grapefruits. Besides, they are also selling chili sauce and eggs to gain extra income.

    So far, the collective logo registered by Sichuan province has introduced 3,323 products to the market, achieving a sales volume of nearly 5.14 billion yuan.

  • FG to site specialised agricultural market in Osun

    FG to site specialised agricultural market in Osun

    The Federal Government is to site a specialised agricultural produce and international fish market in Ijebu –Jesa in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun.

    Mr Adedayo Adewole, Osun Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, said this at a meeting of the Project Implementation Committee(PIC) in Osogbo.

    He said the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, in conjunction with Agricultural Traders Welfare Association (ATWA), would be executing the project in the state.

    According to him, the project is a fallout of the economic and investment summit organised by the state government in November 2019 and targeted at boosting the economy of the state.

    He said apart from the fact that the project upon implementation would boost the economy of Osun, it would also boost the business of fish farmers and marketers in the state and its environs .

    Earlier, the representative of the PIC, Dr Joseph Okeke, thanked the state government for promoting discussion of the economic transformation of the state and Nigeria in general through agriculture and agricultural value chain.

    Okeke, who also doubles as the National President of ATWA, further said that the project was targeted toward economic diversification by the Federal Government in the area of specialised agricultural market.

    According to him, it is also geared toward job creation, enhancing economic activities and facilitating exportation of Nigerian commodities.

    The committee, comprising of the project facilitator, Dr Gabriel Eniola, Osun Fish Farmers Association Chairman, Mr Tope Ogundipe and Osun Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Mr Nathaniel Agunbiade among others later inspected the site. (NAN)

  • APPEALS project: 700 women, youths complete training in fish, poultry farming, others

    APPEALS project: 700 women, youths complete training in fish, poultry farming, others

    A total of 700 participants have completed training on Agro-Processing, productivity Enhancement and livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) in Kano State, says official.

    The figure was out of 1, 600 women and youths selected for training under the empowerment programme.

    The State Project Coordinator, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing the first batch of 300 women and youths who underwent training in fisheries, poultry farming and rice production at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-week training programme was conducted at BUK to provide the potential enterprienuers with the necessary skills in their chosen value chains for self-reliance and economic development of Kano State.

    Ibrahim said that Audu Bako Bako College of Agriculture had completed the training of 400 beneficiaries.

    While the Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, would complete the training of 600 participants on Jan. 1, 2020.

    He advised all the trainees under the empowerment programme to make the best use of the knowledge they acquired, to become self reliant and employers of labour.

    The project coordinator said there was need for all the participants to take the training seriously so as to enable them to contribute to the economic development of the state and the country.

    “I want to use this opportunity to inform you that the Kano State Government paid N136, 000 for each of you. This covers the training fee, accommodation and feeding, among others.

    “Initially, 400 persons were to benefit from the programme, but because of the population of Kano State, the government increased the number of beneficiaries to 1,600 persons,” he said.

    He said that each of the 1,600 selected participants were expected to be given N2.5 million for the implementation of their chosen businesses.

    Ibrahim said that the analysis of their investment plans will determine how much they would need for the production of their chosen value chain.

    According to him, the Bayero University Kano will from next week commence training of the remaining 300 beneficiaries under the second batch.

    The trainees were taken round the Fish Hatchery and poultry units, department of fisheries and aquaculture of the university. (NAN)

  • Imota rice mill to be ready June next year — LASG

    Imota rice mill to be ready June next year — LASG

    The Lagos State Government on Monday said that its 32,000-metric-tonnes Imota rice mill would be completed in June 2020.

    Mr Gbolahan Lawal, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, made the disclosure during an inspection visit to the rice mill at Imota, Ikorodu.

    Lawal said the economic importance of the rice mill was very huge, considering the Federal Government policy on importation of rice.

    “The socio-economic importance of the mill is very significant to Lagos State.

    “Considering the number of people that are consuming rice in the state, we realise the need for the quick completion of the mill.

    “We are happy with the level of development and after the completion, I see jobs created.

    “About 250,000 jobs will be created.

    “The investment and the initiative of this administration is to ensure that this project is completed on time,’’ he said.

    Lawal explained that the mill would create opportunities for the agriculture space, from bagging to transportation and distribution.

    “As a government, we have demonstrated that we have the capacity to complete this mill.

    “The mill is expected to produce 2.4 million 50kg bags of rice and the cost benefits is very significant,’’ he said.

    The commissioner commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for sustaining the project with more investment, which reflected the continuity of government.

    Ms Abisola Onasanya, Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, said the team was at the site to monitor progress made so far on the project.

    According to Onasanya, the team will continue to meet with all contractors at the mill site fortnightly.

    “We come here on a monthly basis to see what we have discussed in our meetings and to ensure that contractors are actually keeping to the time,” Onasanya said.

    She noted that there had been significant progress of work in the last four weeks.

    One of the contractors, Henry Ossai, Managing Director, HenryKarl Construction Limited, pledged the commitment of his company to deliver the project before the inauguration date.

    Ossai said some equipment trapped at the seaport, slowed down the pace of work.

    “But now, the equipment has started coming into site.

    “We are working day and night to make sure we meet up with the target.

    “Right now, there is no importation of rice, which means this mill is going to serve a lot of purposes, create jobs and opportunity for the state.

    “We want the mill to run; we want people to be employed and we are 100 per cent committed to the completion at the right time,’’ Ossai said.

    Mr Sola Okeleye, General Project Manager, CIBA Construction Limited, said the rice to be produced in the mill would be polished, single colour and stone-free after going through all the stages of production. (NAN)

  • Agric company promises to curb waste, improve value chain through technology

    Agric company promises to curb waste, improve value chain through technology

    An Agritech company, Cellulant Corporation, has decided to eliminate waste in the Nigerian Agriculture sector and improve its value chain through improved technology.

    The Co-Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Ken Njoroge, made this known in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

    Njoroge noted the opportunities and advantages in the Nigerian and African Agriculture sector as a whole.

    He reiterated the need to reduce food waste through an efficient value chain.

    “Africa has a comparative advantage in agriculture but needs efficiency in its value chain to have the desired impact on food security, job creation and economic development.

    “We have a commitment to eliminate inefficiency and wastage in Nigeria and Africa’s agric value chain with the unveiling of our improved payment and market place solutions, `Tingg and Agrikore’.

    “The need to eliminate food waste is what motivates us to research and invest in the two solutions operational in 20 African countries, including Nigeria and involving several strategic partners.

    “If you bring efficiency into the agric value-chain, ensure that crops don’t rot on farms. Trucks will operate regularly; there will be no unemployed youth in rural areas; and no factory produces below capacity.

    “If we can connect these dots, we can bring efficiency that can power the transformation of Nigeria and Africa across the board,” Njoroge said.

    The agri-entrepreneur also said Cellulant’s technological innovation to connect most stakeholders in the Agricultural sector was to ensure efficient value chain processes.

    “We are building a business model called ‘farm to plate’ that involves connecting all players in the Agric sector with technology to ensure that the processes are optimised.

    “Our payment platforms Agrikore and Tingg have been tested and confirmed to be connecting everyone in the agricultural farm place while boosting transparency.

    “Farmers are producing, but access to the market is the issue. Our payment platform allows the farmer, aggregator, suppliers and everyone to see how money is flowing in the system.

    “It is for those who want to be part of an ecosystem that is profitable for them and which also provides jobs for hundreds of people,” he added.

    Cellulant Corporation is a leading Pan-African technology company that developed the Tingg and Agrikore payment platforms for agriculture transactions.

    While Tingg is a payment solution accessible to everyone, Agrikore is an innovative platform built on block chain technology that has been simplified and connected to all players in the agriculture sector. (NAN)

  • FG pledges commitment to revitalising existing agricultural policies

    FG pledges commitment to revitalising existing agricultural policies

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Sabo Nanono, has pledged to revitalise existing agricultural policies toward realising the goal of diversifying Nigeria’s economy, using agriculture as a driving force.

    Nanono, in a statement by the Director Information, Mr Theodore Ogaziechi, said that the value chain approach to repositioning the sector through implementing policy instruments for enterprise development across successive stages of the commodity value chains was commendable.

    According to the statement, the minister made this known while commissioning the Centre for Dryland Agriculture Farm (CDA), and Agri-Business Incubation Centre in Bayero University, Kano(BUK).

    Nanono said that the ministry was aware of the noble achievements recorded by the CDA since its inception in 2012, noting that such remarkable achievements would not have been possible without the support of the university’s management.

    Nanono said that the nation was proud that the Centre emerged one of the best 22 African Centres of Excellence across the West and Central Africa.

    “It is worth noting that the competences and the experiences gained by this Centre over the years informed the decision to include its leadership among the team of experts currently developing the new agricultural policy and strategic plan for the country.

    “It is my hope that the farm and the Agric-Business Incubation Centre that I am commissioning today will further help in realising this dream.”

    Nanono urged government institutions like BUK and Centres like CDA, to support the ministry in building the human capacity in land and water management, livelihoods and natural resources management at the regional and national levels,.

    According to him, it will help in combating global climate change and its effect on Agricultural productivity.

    The minister appealed to the centre to focus on building the capacity of women, youth and small- scale farmers in modern agriculture through generating and communicating appropriate technologies and innovations capable of enhancing Agricultural productivity and income.

    He commended the World Bank for its initiative and support to the institution in achieving the novel goals of the Centre, and stated that the project was unique, especially in its capacity to provide treated water to the health facility and the community.

    The Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Muhammad Bello, said that BUK was one of the few elite universities to complete the phase 111 of the World Bank ACE project titled ACE IMPACT.

    According to him, when the call was made in 2018 for submission of entries, two of the proposals from BUK were successful, making BUK one of the few elite Universities in Africa with more than one Africa Centre of Excellence.

    “The successful centres are the Africa Centres for Excellence in Reproductive Health and Policy, which won a grant of six million dollars and the renewal of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Dryland Agriculture, with a grant of five million dollars.”

    The Director, Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Prof. Jirbrin Mohammed, said that under the new ACE IMPACT Project, the CDA plans to establish a Regional Innovation, Training and Entrepreneurship Accelerator (RITEA), where youths would be trained in modern intensive agriculture both in field and in protected environments and bio-resource Entrepreneurship.

    He pointed out that the resources and facilities in the CDA would be harnessed to support the Federal Government’s efforts towards improving agricultural productivity and diversifying the Nigerian economy. (NAN)

  • Cowpea: Nigeria stands to gain N48bn annually -IAR

    Cowpea: Nigeria stands to gain N48bn annually -IAR

    Nigeria stands to gain N48 billion annually if one million hectares of the newly released Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea was grown.

    The Executive Director, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Prof. Mohammed Ishiyaku, said this during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

    It would be recalled that the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties in the country recently met in Ibadan and approved the PBR Cowpea for release to farmers after naming it SAMPEA 20-T.

    Ishiyaku said that the newly released variety does not differ in any way from already existing cowpeas (beans) other than the improvements made.

    He said both the on-station and on-farm trials demonstrated the superiority of SAMPEA 20-T relative to local, recently released cowpea varieties and improved breeding lines tested.

    The Acting Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Alex Akpa, said the PBR cowpea would address the demand deficit of about 500,000 tonnes and also improve the national productivity average of 350kg/hectare.

    Akpa said that Nigeria was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa apart from South Africa to develop and release a GM food crop.

    “The newly registered SAMPEA 20-T is highly resistant to Maruca vitrata, an insect pest that causes up to 90 per cent yield loss in severe infestation cases.

    “The decision to release the variety means that farmers will have access to the seed that will help them significantly reduce the number of chemical spray they currently apply to their crop from 6 to 7 times to only 2 times per cropping season.

    “Globally, science and technology are what countries have used to leapfrog poverty, malnutrition, hunger and diseases, Nigeria is not different.

    “The Federal Government recognises this hence the establishment of necessary research institutions and regulatory agencies to ensure that the country take maximum advantages of the tools of science and technology for national development,’’ Akpa said.

    He said Nigeria as a country must encourage scientists to continue to work for the good of the country and the people.

    “We have over 16 research institutes all over the country with the mandate to improve various crops.

    “These institutes must be encouraged to carry out their mandates in order to ensure that the country attains self-sufficiency in quality food production.

    “Our primitive agricultural practices are facing various challenges and from what we are seeing all over the world, science and technology holds the keys to overcoming these challenges,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, PBR Cowpea Manager, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr Issoufou Abdourhamane, urged farmers to embrace the new cowpea variety, adding that it does not have any negative impact on health.

    “Cowpea farming will now become attractive even to the younger generation as it has become less cumbersome with the effective management of Maruca,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • Wheat, rice production: NGO trains farmers on irrigation, water management

    Wheat, rice production: NGO trains farmers on irrigation, water management

    Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation-Water Enabler Compact (TAAT-WEC) has trained some farmers in Kano on Improved irrigation and water management in wheat and rice production.

    The National Coordinator of TAAT-WEC, Prof. Henry Igbadun in his remarks at the workshop on Thursday, said the training was aimed at boosting wheat and rice production in Kano and the country at large.

    According to him, the workshop will give the farmers the opportunity to acquire knowledge on the new dry season water management in wheat and rice production.

    He said, “TAAT-WEC project scaled out tools , technological solutions and innovations in irrigation and agricultural water management to increase productivity and production of wheat, rice and sorghum.

    “We also build the capacity of a cadre of trainers, including innovation platform facilitatiors, extention agents, champion farmers and youths in the proper use of irrigation and water management technologies and implementation of good irrigation management practices,” he said.

    According to him, the new technology will also attract investment from public and sector sources into irrigated agricultural production of wheat, rice and sorghum through the demonstration of viability and profitability of irrigation technologies.

    Igbadun added that the TAAT-WEC project had also distributed wheat seeds and fertilizer to selected farmers in Kadawa and Alkamawa communities of the state to motivate them to cultivate wheat in the 2018/2019 season.

    “This will serve as control plots to the TAAT-WEC demonstration fields in the two locations, aimed at comparing the yields from their fields with that of the TAAT-WEC fields to assess the effect of the new technology.

    “The technology has yielded good results with increased in wheat yield by 15 to 15.5 per cent in check basins and 26 to 37.2 per cent in raised-bed strips when compared with farmers’ fields.

    “High values were recorded in Alkamawa compared to Kadawa. Our development objective is to rapidly expand access of smallholder farmers to high yielding agricultural technologies to improve food production, assure food security and raise rural incomes”, he explained.

    According to Igbadun, the technoogy also recorded reduction in water conveyance losses by 90 per cent with the use of PVC pipes to distribute water, reduce cost of production and increase profit.

    He added that Farmers’ field are no longer flooded due to breached canal walls when spiles with control valves are used.

    Igbadun said that the project was funded by the African Development Bank (ADB) through the collaboration of International Water Management Institute and the Institue of Agricultural Research (IAR) Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    In his remarks, the Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr Nasiru Gawuna commended the TAAT-WEC for the workshop, saying it will go along way in complementing the efforts of the state government on agriculture.

    Gawuna, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Hajiya Zarah Suleiman said the state government was ready to give the project all the necessary support.

    He said the workshop will contribute in enhancing the knowledge of the farmers on the modern farming technology and called on them to adopt the new technology. (NAN)

  • Anchor Borrowers:CBN tasks cotton farmers on prompt repayment of agric loans

    Anchor Borrowers:CBN tasks cotton farmers on prompt repayment of agric loans

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called on the 30, 000 cotton farmers in Kano state, who benefited from agric loan under the Anchor Borrowers programme to ensure prompt repayment of the facility.
    Kano CBN Branch Controller, Alhaji Ali Abdulkadir made the call at the flag off of Recovery of Cotton Outputs for 2019 planting season, organised by the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTA), on Tuesday in Kano.

    He reminded cotton farmers, who benefited from the facility, not to delay in the repayment as the loan was a revolving one which other farmers were expected to benefit in subsequent years.

    “The beneficiaries should come willingly and pay because it is essential that they pay back so that others can also benefit. If they don’t pay it means they’re trying to terminate the programme.

    “It should be a revolving fund, as you collect, you produce, you sell and then pay the loan so that others that have not benefited earlier can also benefit,” he said.

    Abdulkadir said no fewer than 30, 000 registered cotton farmers who collected the loans were expected to repay the facility pointing out that each of them received N174, 000, including inputs and cash as total loan package.

    “I am advising the leadership of the association to embark on an aggressive recovery because the loan was given to farmers through the association and it is the association that can identify the farmers,” he said.

    The branch controller explained that the CBN had also extended similar loans to rice and wheat farmers as well as farmers producing other commodities to enhance food production in line with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on food security.

    Earlier in his remarks, Kano Deputy Governor, Dr Nasiru Gawuna who was also the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural development, enjoined farmers to repay their loans so that others could benefit from the programme in future.

    Gawuna, represented by Director, Admin and General services, in the ministry Hajiya Zahra Sulaiman commended the cotton farmers for setting the pace for others to follow in the repayment of the loan.

    Also speaking, the state chairman of NACOTAN, Alhaji Lawan Aliyu commended the Federal Government for including cotton farmers in the Anchor Borrowers programme.

    He said this would go along way in enhancing the living standard of farmers in addition to ending the importation of the commodity. (NAN)