Cassava Substitution Saves Nigeria ₦200 Billion Annually

The government’s policy on wheat importation has started yielding tremendous financial benefits as the Federal Government is saving ₦200 billion yearly from the 20 percent cassava substitution for wheat in bread making.
This was recently revealed by the Federal Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina at the inauguration of the Oamsal Cassava Flour Mill in Ayede Ekiti in Ekiti State.
The Minister stated that the agricultural transformation of the Federal Government was to add value to the Agric sector and support Nigerian farmers, as well as the 36 cassava bread bakers in the country so far in achieving their dreams.
Adesina while speaking promised to provide ₦1 million each to 35 Small and Medium Enterprises for infrastructure development, adding that the sum of 3.5 billion had so far been expended on the upgrading of facilities for small and medium scale enterprises to boost the economy and encourage entrepreneurs.
Commenting further he added that the FG is in partnership with research institutes, universities of agriculture and state governments on cassava plantation, as well as the designation of 5,000 hectares of land for cassava plantation to control the price and propel the bakers of cassava bread.
He afterwards enjoined Nigerians to eat more of cassava bread.

Stakeholders Target Agric Development In Schools

Buoyed by the need to rekindle the interest of youths in agribusiness, stakeholders in the Nigerian agricultural sector have teamed up to brainstorm on ways to sustain agricultural development in secondary schools.

At a two day meeting which recently held in Abuja, representatives from the federal and states ministry of agriculture including members of the Farmers Association gathered to discuss the need to make the agric sector appealing to youths.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Schools Agriculture Programme, Dr. Baraka Sani noted that the meeting was aimed at initiating ideas on the final implementation of the agricultural programmes in schools. She said it was necessary to give the youth proper orientation about agriculture.

In her words, “this is a real business set up because we want to change the perception of the students about agriculture, to see the good side of it and to see that indeed you can make money practicing as a farmer and as an agribusiness person’’.

Dr. Baraka revealed that about 850 student agriculture clubs are expected to be established with 22, 000 beneficiaries of the clubs to be equipped with vital skills for life.

According to her, “the President wants to make sure that this time around Nigeria is not left behind in the scheme of the agriculture club which promotes entrepreneurship globally”.

While rounding up the meeting, Dr. Baraka asserted that the students will be allowed to feature in horticulture, aquaculture, poultry and apiculture for honey production among others as an avenue to create decent jobs for youth and reduce poverty.

FG to Promote Modernized Agriculture with Launch of Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise

The gathered momentum of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda has no plans to wane, as another milestone was achieved in Nigerian agriculture with the recent flag-off today at Sheda, Federal Capital Territory of the pioneer Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise.
The inaugural event which was geared towards modernizing the agric sector had in attendance key policy makers led by President Jonathan GCFR, who was ably represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, GCON, alongside other notable Agriculture stakeholders.
The Federal Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, while addressing the audience outlined the expanding private sector investment in agriculture across the nation which according to him is the beginning of a new dawn being experienced by small holder farmers who are increasingly contributing to the decline in our national food import bill from ₦1.1 trillion ($6.9 billion) in 2009 to ₦684.7 billion ($4.35 billion) by December 2013, and which is still in a declining state.
He noted that despite current achievement and available potential, low level of mechanization in Nigerian agriculture has continued to serve as a huge challenge towards advancing the sector, as the high cost of land clearing is a major disincentive for the expansion of cultivated area, especially in the southern parts of the country due to the dense vegetation; while the high cost of mechanization, from plowing to harvesting, poses great challenges to farmers across the country.
In his speech he highlighted that the number of tractors per 100 square kilometers in Nigeria is less than 10, in comparison to over 728 in the UK, 257 in the USA, 200 in India, 130 in Brazil, 200 and 125 in the Philippines. Therefore productivity per area of land and productivity for labor in the agriculture sector of these countries are much higher than Nigeria.
In his own words he had this to say on mechanized farming, “Nigeria must, as a matter of national priority and urgency, fully mechanize the agricultural sector. Hoes and cutlasses do not reflect a modern agricultural system; they reflect suffering. As we change this, we must also change the model of achieving rapid mechanization in Nigeria. We must aggressively privatize the commercialization of agricultural machineries in Nigeria.”
Further speaking on the changes in the ministry, Dr. Adesina commented, “I wish to state clearly that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development no longer buys and distributes tractors, as has been the practice for decades. The Ministry now supports the private sector to drive the mechanization of Nigeria’s agriculture.”
The Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs), driven by the private sector, will provide access to affordable agricultural mechanization services for farmers.

How AFAN plans to mobilise farmers groups’

National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Architect Kabiru Ibrahim, in this interview, says that his association is mobilising the over 30 million Nigerian farmers into a single formidable group. Excerpts:

Nigerian farmers are not properly coordinated. What is AFAN doing to raise awareness among them?  
So we are raising a lot of awareness. We are toeing 

the line of the transformation agenda of this administration and we are doing agribusiness. So we are waking people up to pick agriculture as a business. We are talking with all financial institutions, even development associations, international financial institutions, the World Bank and FAO. I told you we are even partnering with the biotechnology agency. We are working assiduously to make farmers come together as one, without looking at your religion, race or gender. We want all the farmers to come under one umbrella. We are not going to monopolise the knowledge of anything, as farmers we are all equal. What we are doing as leaders is to provide service. We are not paid any salaries, we are not going to monopolise anything that comes either from government, banks, or some grants.
How do you intend to address the age long allegations of leaders diverting grains?
When I was the president of poultry farmers association of Nigeria, there was a year I got 24, 000 metric tonnes of grains from the strategic reserve. I did not approve for myself a single grain. I gave the farmers. I believe that I cannot approve it for myself. The current president of the association allocated to me two truckloads of maize when he got allocation. I had no need for that, so I did not take it. We are going to replicate the same thing in AFAN. We are not going to take anything and keep it for ourselves; we will distribute to the farmers if anything comes to us. Every farmer in Nigeria is under AFAN. Being under AFAN means that they have a stake in AFAN and AFAN is their mouthpiece in agriculture. We will first of all work in such a way that government will be interested in what we do. But certainly we will not be another department in government or ministry of agriculture. We are an NGO and there is no law in Nigeria that says you must be our member. We will have to do something to make them become interested in what we do, that’s all. It is by our action that we will attract everybody and we will reduce rancour between our members.
The commodity association doesn’t seem to be flowing with AFAN.
When I was Vice President in charge of livestock and fisheries, I was selected as the person to talk to all commodities associations and bring them back into AFAN. We had a very useful meeting and everybody was ready to go and be part of AFAN. But some people who felt threatened kicked against that. Now that I am the president, I’m talking with them and even attending some of their meetings. The other day I went to the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, the Groundnut Association was having a meeting there, I addressed them and they were very happy. All of these associations are members of our chapter in grassroots, at the local government, and states.
How many farmers do we have in Nigeria?
I am compiling a compendium of all farmers in Nigeria. I believe by the time we finish, we would have no less than 30 million farmers in Nigeria. If all those 30 million farmers are talking with the same voice, and we all accept to pay a certain token, for registration as farmers, if 30 million brings N200 each, if you collect that in one pool, how much is that? Do we really need government to help us publicise what we want to publicise if we have that kind of money? So if you give us time you will hear about us. I didn’t tell you I was the president of AFAN, but you came to me. I don’t know where you heard that I was the president and you are here today. If you see that plague there (pointing at the table), Obafemi Awolowo University gave me. I couldn’t go but they sent it to me and it was brought to me in this hotel today. That’s why I’m displaying it here. So I am not aware of this noncooperation among farmers in this dispensation. But previously, we made government the centrepiece of our association. I kept cautioning people that you don’t have to do that. I was president of poultry farmers between 2008 and 2012, there was no time I said we were part of any government. We were doing good works and government appreciated what we were doing and they were helping us in their own way and we appreciated it. If this government helps us in any way, we would appreciate it but we will not antagonise government in any way. Because who is government? The people in government are they not farmers? Majority of them are farmers. And if they are not now, tomorrow they will become farmers. So, is in their interest to support us. So we are not quarrelling with anybody. Every farmer you see in Nigeria today is our own. We are all farmers. We have one common denominator-farming. We can only do something that can add value to agriculture. Anybody who comes with anything else is not one of us. We have no animosity towards anybody, and this is the way to go. We will have a very strong farmers’ association if we do this.[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]

3-hectares moringa farm can generate N5m annually’

Meet Oluwadara Adekunle, a 22-year-old graduate of engineering, who wants to generate N5m annually from her moringa farm. She is still doing her NYSC in Abuja. Daily Trust caught up with her recently where she was exhibiting her product.

As an engineer, what prompted you into agriculture?
Personally, I feel agriculture is a way of life. The fact that we eat we should be able to farm as well. And also looking at the production I am into at the moment which is moringa Oleifera, aside its nutritional benefits it is also an antioxidant plant. The seed when processed into oil can be used as bio-fuel. That is what actually caught my interest in the moringa plant.
Do you have a moringa farm?
Yes I do.
Where?
In Kaduna.
Is that where you process the product?
Yes.
How is the market?
Generally, the demand is high and people are getting to know about the product, although much awareness is still needed because people still come to ask questions like: what is it all about? So the awareness is increasing and it is making the market good.
How much do you make from this farm?
Although I have just started, I am trying to do an estimate of three hectares of moringa farm. It can generate above N5 million if well marketed, both the seeds and the leaves.
Averagely how much do you make from the farm?
I make about N15, 000 a month.
Do you also intend to go into other crops?
I could expand to cassava and the likes. But for now, it’s moringa and all the chain of processing.
Do you supply your products to pharmaceutical stores?
Yes I do. I have met some of them and I told them about what I do. I also met some pharmaceutical stores where my moringa products are being sold at the moment.
What sort of assistance would you want from government?
I would like government to create the awareness because moringa is very nutritious and should be used in school feeding programme to tackle malnutrition. That will increase the usage and expand the market.[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]

Smallholder farmers lament neglect

A small scale farmer, Bayo Arogundade, has complained of lack of access to market information, finance, hybrid seed and inputs capable of enhancing production, adding that the government has neglected farmers.

Arogundade, who manage an 800-bird poultry farm at Oko-Oba area of Agege in Lagos, maintained that nobody cared about smallholder farmers who, he said, were rendered incapable of  making sufficient production.
He mentioned one of the challenges facing smallholder farmers as limited incentives to produce more than what is needed for their own livelihoods, adding: “This is primarily caused by the limited access to the inputs, support services, markets and credit, which would enable us to increase our production and sales volumes.”
He complained that most of the government’s intervention funds for the farmers and agribusiness operators were not accessible by the real players in the business as the funds were usually diverted to other things by those at the helm of the scheme.
Arogundade disclosed that even those who benefitted from the funds went through rigorous processes and received insufficient amounts that failed to boost their businesses.
Another farmer who has a small vegetable farm at Oko-Oba, Boladotun Agbaje, said he has severally tried to grow his business but lack of access to funds undermined his efforts.
He said accessing facilities was either too cumbersome or given on man-know-man basis.
Continuing, he said: “Government needs to properly monitor all the agric enhancement programmes embarked upon to make sure that the right people who really need these interventions are the ones befitting. A situation whereby everything is portrayed in the media as if the grassroots farmers are now having access to improved farming tools and grants is not too good when in the real sense we are still at the level we have been operating for decades.”[SOURCE: DAILY TRUST]

“Organic Agriculture, Capable of Feeding the Whole Nation” – Professor Adeoye

With the ongoing crusade to ensure food security in Africa, the National President – Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners in Nigeria (NOAN), Professor Gideon Olajire Adeoye has called on farmers and stakeholders in Nigeria to embrace organic agriculture based on its capability to feed the nation with proper implementation and sustenance.
Adeoye, at a recently held meeting tagged “Mainstreaming Ecological Organic Agriculture into National Policy Strategies and Programmes in Africa” at the NOAN Secretariat, University of Ibadan, said “with sustainable organic agriculture, there can be an improvement in the quality of urban and rural livelihoods. We can manipulate the environment without destroying it and through that, waste generation and recycling can be done to suit our organics need.”

Further commenting on agriculture in Africa, “there is a problem of food security across Africa and the main issue now is that man, animals and environmental health is threatened as a result of the adoption of conventional agricultural system where the use of chemicals, insecticides and even fertilizers have poisoned our lands and by extension foods produced.”
While applauding the Federal Government for various initiatives and policy implementation, Adeoye reiterated the fact that small holder farmers who are predominantly producing for the Nigerian populace would continue to receive training until the entire country goes organic.
“Government can do a lot by sustaining the organic agriculture initiative and create more awareness so that more youths, women and farmers- alike can be part of the revolution” he added.
During his acceptance speech, the newly elected Chairman National Steering Committee of Ecological Organic Agriculture – EOA in Nigeria Professor Victor Adegboye Togun said: “Large scale crop production is possible through organic farming with bumper harvest to show for it on a yearly basis.”
He thereafter called on government’s collaborations on the initiative especially now that researchers, large scale agricultural entities and higher institutions of learning in Nigeria are keying into it.

FG Commissions the Largest Silos in West Africa

As part of the agenda to unleash hope for farmers, assure markets for farmers and secure our food supply as a nation, President Jonathan recently commissioned a 100,000 MT Silos in Abuja.
The significant event which was a showcase of Nigeria’s capability to become the food house of Africa, is a step towards rapidly building the nation’s storage capacity to store food and reduce food losses.
According to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, CON, Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the silos with its capacity is the largest in West Africa bringing the total of the nation’s silos capacity to 1.3 million MT.
He further noted that in 2011, only 35 percent of the silos in the country were completed but by December 2014, all the network of silos will be completed and ready for use.
On the potential for continental food security, Adesina said “One can only imagine, if our farmers could produce an additional 21 million MT of food between 2012 and 2014, without tractors or mechanized equipments, they will definitely feed the world if they have a fully mechanized agricultural system. Together with our network of silos we will secure our food supply and those of other African countries.”

Amaechi Launches Distribution Of 1,000 Tiller Machines To Sokoto Farmers

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State on Friday in Kasarawa village, Wamakko local government of Sokoto State, launched the distribution to farmers 1,000 tiller machines purchased by the state government.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that Amaechi began a two-day official visit to Sokoto State on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event, he said that the only plausible solution to most of the problems of Nigeria was “heavy” investment in agriculture.

” It creates employment for skilled workers, hence makes them to be engaged productively.”

He appealed to the beneficiaries to utilise the machines properly, to boost food production and food security.

Amaechi further urged that leaders desist from dividing Nigerians using religion.

The governor advocated the reduction of the existing wide gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.

” This is absolutely necessary to ensure even socio-economic development, unity, peace and prosperity,” he added.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said that the machines would empower farmers and enhance their productivity.

” Most of the rural dwellers in the state and Nigeria in general, are farmers and they need to be assisted with such tools.

“Farmers should be further encouraged and assisted to keep on producing food for the nation and for export.

” A hungry man is an angry man and most of the violence and insecurity in Nigeria is due to hunger,” Abubakar said.

The sultan thanked Amaechi for the visit, which he said would strengthen the bonds of peace, unity and understanding among Nigerians.

Gov. Aliyu Wamakko, in his speech, maintained that agriculture is the occupation of over 90 per cent of the people of the state and Nigeria in general.

” The gesture is to encourage the people to farm and live happy as well as be peaceful.

” The economy of the nation should be diversified to avoid the unpalatable consequences of total dependence on oil revenue.”

He further underscored the importance of food to mankind, saying: “With food all other sundry needs can follow.”

The Agriculture Commissioner, Alhaji Arzika Tureta said that the tiller machines were aimed at mechanising the agricultural sector in the state. ( NAN)

Nigeria to generate $1.5bn from cocoa export –Adesina

The Minister of Ag­riculture and Ru­ral Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, has said that Nigeria is expected to generate $1.5 billion from cocoa ex­ports in 2014.

Adesina who disclosed this recently in his paper entitled, “Nigeria’s High Growth, Low Develop­ment Gap: Harnessing the Untapped Potential of Agriculture for Inclusive Growth,” at the first Con­vocation Ceremony of the Land Mark University,  Aran, Kwara State, said that foreign exchange earning from Nigeria’s cocoa exports had grown from $900 million in 2012 to $1.2 billion in 2013.
According to him, the cocoa revolution in Nigeria is receiving global attention as Hershey, one of the larg­est chocolate companies in the world, has invested $20 million to procure cocoa from over 20,000 certified cocoa farmers in the coun­try.
He said Nigeria has also launched into local manufacturing of Nigerian chocolates through a strate­gic partnership with a US-based company, the first of such in the manufacturing history of the country.
Adesina said, “we are revamping our cocoa plan­tations, replacing old trees with high yielding cocoa hybrids that give farmers five times the yields they currently obtain. Over the past two years, we have distributed 1.1 million pods or 39 million seedlings, free of charge to farmers, enough to plant 40,000ha of new cocoa fields.
“We are working hard to drastically mechanise our agriculture from reli­ance on hoes and cutlasses. Hoes and cutlasses are for museums not for modern agriculture. To allow farm­ers to acquire and or lease modern mechanised ma­chinery, we have launched 600 agricultural equipment  hiring enterprises run by the private sector to pro­vide full complements of tractors and pre- and post-harvest machinery to farm­ers,” he added.
The minister explained that farmers would be pro­vided subsidised mecha­nised services via electron­ic vouchers on their mobile phones, for mechanisation support, to allow them to hire agricultural machinery from private sector opera­tors. He said these centers would create employment for agricultural engineers, as operators, managers or owners of agricultural mechanisation centers. [Source: DAILY SUN]

Improving National Agricultural Output

THE basic fundamental of all economies is agriculture and all industrial nations know this. That their economies are on solid rock is basically because they have galvanized their agricultural potentials, which is also the offshoot of their industrial development That is why concerned citizens of Nigeria have continued to warn on the dangers of continued dependence In the nation on crude oil which is today the mainstay and sustaining source of the Nigerian economy.

THE traditional focus of the Nigerian economy before the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantity was agriculture and it played a fundamental role in shaping the economy of the nation and regions as Nigeria was then constituted in its immediate post independence era.
IN the 1960s, each region of the country was noted for producing some cash crops such as cocoa, groundnut and palm oil as well as rubber in co quantities. Basically, the Wet tern region, now the political South West except Lagos which was the Federal Capital, was noted for producing cocoa in large commercial quantities for export. The revenue from cocoa helped in shaping the infrastructure and economic environment of then Western Nigeria and its legacies and landmarks were -very very visible, as they affected virtually all aspects of life of the people.

IN the Northern region, groundnut was the mainstay of the economy, to the extent that the volume produced in the region was typified by the “groundnut pyramid”. It symbolized the success of the crop as a veritable earner of revenue which impacted economically on the life of the people.

IN the Eastern region, palm oil was its predominant feature and similarly, it was a success in boosting the economic atmosphere of the country and tile region. Interestingly, it is now an irony that Nigeria has been relegated to the background in palm oil production and has been overtaken by Malaysia, a country which took the Nigerian specimen of the plant, palm kernel, and adapted it to its own climatic condition and is today a leading producer of palm oil, which is a major derivative of palm kernel.

SIGNIFICANTLY, the Midwest region was noted for its rubber plantation and was quite a huge success as the crop played its role as a major economic transformation agent to shore up principally the economy of the region.

WE are concerned that there is slow progress in returning to the traditional focus of reviving these cash crops as major sources of revenue for the Federal Government.

HOWEVER, we are aware that not too long ago, the Federal Government launched the Cocoa Rebirth Initiative, as launch pad to regenerate interest in the crop and encourage farmers who have abandoned the plant to come back on the scene to make cocoa play its role in the national economy.

THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER implores the Federal Government to similarly create avenues for other cash crops as well as sensitise farmers to take proactive action towards their cultivation.
WHILE the Federal Government has shown the interest to refocus attention to agriculture, there appears to he so much disinterest in the way it has pursued the goal.

THERE is no conscious effort to empower small scale Earners to undertake mechanized farming for greater yields, as this is still the exclusive preserve of the elite farmers. Thus, farmers who are interested in expansion have no way of coping with the financial demands to undertake mechanized farming. Access to bank loans is uncertain with high interest rate, serving as enough scare to discourage the desire for any expansion.

WHILE the banks may have played significant roles in the past in assisting farmers, they did so purely on the initiative of the individual farmers and therefore expect in the new arrangement as already envisaged, a friendly lending terms that will encourage investment in the agricultural sector. THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER now calls on the Federal Government to consider an upward review of allocation to the agricultural sector. Amounts always allocated in the budget have been a pointer of the genuineness of government’s commitment to the agricultural sector.
WE assert that improving the national agricultural output should be devoid of any prohibition that will limit access to the fund by small scale farmers whose contributions to agricultural development for part of the concerted effort of the production chain that will lift the nation out of the continued dependence on oil. [SOURCE:  THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER]

Land Tillers Set to Improve Food Production by Small Holder Women Farmers

Small holder women farmers of Nenwe chapter in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu state demonstrated their willingness to invest in the business of agriculture when they recently procured two units of land tillers (mini tractors).
Upon assemblage, the equipment were tested to ensure their workability at the end of which the women expressed satisfaction with its performance. The tractor, which was said to be feminine-gender friendly and very effective in its operations.
According to Lovelyn Ejims, a leading voice in the Women-In-Agriculture (WIA) circles, “one major problem of the tractor is the difficulty which elderly women have in controlling it”. “Equally, we have observed that the topography of the area also poses considerable challenge” Ejims stated.
Ejims noted that most communities in the south east have small land parcelation and poor rural roads so the tiller is a veritable tool for improving agricultural production in line with the Agric Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government and also help the women in agriculture improve their standard of living, while contributing their little quota in helping Nigeria become self sufficient in food production.
“We want to be seen to be contributing positively and not waiting for handouts” Ejims added, while calling on women in other rural communities across the country to also explore the possibilities of deploying the tractor which according to her, is a new innovation and “a good development for small holder women farmers because of its convenience”.

FAO Lists Nigeria Among World’s Top-10 Fishing Countries

The Nigerian Fisheries sub-sector received a major boost recently as the country was listed among the top fishing economies. According to a report by the Fishery Committee For the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) which relied on data provided by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “Uganda is ranked sixth on the list, Tanzania eighth and Nigeria ninth in the category of the World’s top inland water capture nations.”

The list which is an indication of the growing role that fish farming plays as a vital source of Economic opportunities, livelihood and nutrition for the listed countries, is traditionally compiled based on the quantity of fish captured in their inland waters – lakes and rivers. It underscored that this was achieved despite the fact that these countries still combine modern and traditional methods of fishing in the past decades.

Available data shows that fish captured by Nigeria has increased compared to the last decades as demand jumped both locally and internationally. However the report complained about the management of fish stocks emphasizing the need for replenishing. In this regard, the FAO advises that sustainable fishing practices must be adopted and ecological balance of the lake and river ecosystems must also be maintained.

The report stated further that in 2011, Nigeria captured 301,281 tonnes of Fish and in 2012 312,009 tonnes of Fish which is 3.6 percent growth in the number of fish captured in the years under review. It however called on the country’s fisheries managers to evolve policies which will foster the practice of efficient fish management as this will avert any possible decline in projected fish production and forestall a downturn in production which could deny the Country a healthy source of nutrition and sustainable foreign exchange earning medium.

Nigeria’s Agricultural Policy Is Now Local-Private Sector Friendly – NABG

The new policy thrust of the Nigerian government is what the country’s private sector has been yearning for over the years. This point was made by the Nigerian Agribusiness Group (NABG) which recently held a strategic meeting at the Multi-Trex Integrated Foods PLC complex, Warewa, Ogun state, to further conclude and outline their plans to assume the status of the main advocate for the agriculture private sector’s business interest.

Sequel to earlier group events, the meeting focused on fine-tuning the NABG’s framework in a way that will enable it effectively serve the interest of stakeholders in the Nigerian agribusiness space.

The group which thrives on ensuring the growth of agribusiness, processors and value-chain stakeholders in the agricultural sector, recognizes that there are over 45 million people involved in farming and all other activities along the value chains but not all the 45 million people can be brought together at once, hence NABG has been set up to drive all Nigeria’s agricultural activities within and outside the country towards profitability.

Given their significant investments into integrated agriculture and agribusiness, the NABG is expected to lead, support and advocate in favor of institutional, policy and regulatory reforms by working with the three tiers of government in Nigeria, federal, state and local governments.

Sani Dangote – who chairs the board of Dansa Agro-Allied Coy Limited, in addition to being the Vice-President of the Dangote Group – NABG’s interim chairman, said, “This group will drive inclusive market growth, representing the interests of farmers, aggregators, input providers, supply chain managers, food processing and marketing”.

Speaking further, Dangote harped on the principles undergirding the Organisation, “we will be transparent and very clear in our objectives to grow the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy”. “We are also going to base our decisions on investment activities and not on religious or ethnic basis”. He noted that no matter the point of interest in the agricultural value chain or the extent of involvement of the stakeholders – whether farming, processing of food, consultancy, finance, agricultural inputs production or supply, they can benefit from NABG as the Group is set to engage the government on policies that would encourage and boost agricultural activities in the country.

Amongst other benefits of membership of the Group, Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere, Vice- Chairman and Coordinator of the Group harped on the fact that part of the objectives which the NABG will work to achieve is access to the international market for all stakeholders down to the smallest farmer.

New fish policy: Bailout for local players – Vesa

The new fish policy introduced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been described as bailout strategy for local players in the fisheries industry.

The Managing Director Vesa Fisheries, Mrs. Vera Aighbe, who said this during an interview with journalists in Lagos, noted that the policy has provided a level playing field for local players as well as promoted increased entrant of local players into the industry.
She said their previous challenges which had been unattended to by former administrations are being tackled with the new Fish Policy.
She said the focus of the new fish policy is to promote fish-sufficiency as Nigeria’s total fish demand is 2.7 million metric tonnes with local production accounting for 800,000 metric tonnes, while a large deficit of 1.9 million metric tonnes is being met by imports.

Maximising advantages of greenhouse farming

A greenhouse is a farm device designed to control relative humidity, rainfall, excessive sunlight, insects, pests and other vagaries affecting vegetable and fruit production.  Growing crops under greenhouses has many advantages, among them are the ability to produce huge quantities on a small piece of land and continuous harvesting. The tomato varieties grown under greenhouses have a shelf life of 21 days compared with 14 for those grown in the open.

Other crops planted in a greenhouse include bell pepper, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin, among others. The beauty is that a greenhouse can be located in the heart of the city or near a market where the produce could be easily sold.

According to Dizengoff W. A. (Nigeria) Ltd, greenhouse farming is a real sustainable source of income for small scale farmers, and its use “provides youth employment, reduces rural-urban migration, grows vegetables nearer to market, increases food security in the vegetable segment, encourages transfer of knowledge and know-how.”

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It takes a shorter period – two months – for greenhouse-produced tomatoes to mature, while it takes a minimum of three months with outdoor farming. Due to controlled irrigation and temperatures, the crop sports a continuous output of flowers and fruits, all at different stages. And one plant has a potential of up to 15 kilogrammes at first harvest, going up to 60 kilogrammes by the time it has completed its full cycle.

The plant vines are supported inside the greenhouse with sticks and strings, growing up to 50 metres in height. If well looked after, the minimum plot of land under greenhouse production can yield up to 5,000 tonnes of tomatoes per cycle.

An agronomist at Agronet, a greenhouse farm located around new Bodija, Ibadan, said the farm had recorded 3,500 kilogrammes of tomatoes from 1000 plants. He, however, said it requires adequate attention and commitment to do well.

Tomatoes are generally highly susceptible to diseases, requiring heavy application of pesticides, but under the greenhouse growing techniques, which come with basic training on hygiene, most of common infections are easily kept at bay. Also kept at bay are insects and other pests known to invade plants,  as well as weeds. Apart from huge savings on crop protection chemicals, which constitute a huge part of production cost, less labour is employed in a greenhouse, while exposure to chemical toxins associated with application is minimised or eliminated altogether.

Success factors

Knowledge: In-depth training on all aspects of high yield intensive vegetable production by agronomists is required.

Quality inputs: Quality seeds, fertiliserand agro-chemicals from the beginning to the end are essential.

Design of greenhouse

The greenhouse (tunnel) is usually constructed in 8m x 24m  size, strong and durable tarpaulin cover to control environmental factors: pest and disease, sunlight, rain  and for effective off-season growing, and continuous harvesting up to six months.

Cost implication

Acquiring a greenhouse, which includes seeds and chemicals for one cycle, a 500-litre septic tank, pipes and holes, according to a source at Agronet, is sold for N1 million, in addition to installation and other costs.

Yield and income potential

Dizengoff conservatively estimates yield per season/kit to be 5,000 kilogrammes of tomatoes, done about two times in a year.  And Agronet said it sells a kilo at N400 per kilogramme to supermarkets and groceries. Cucumber (six weeks), watermelon and bell pepper could also be planted in the greenhouse, especially in the dry season, to maximise price advantage.

Lessons from Israel and Kenya 

Kenya has started greenhouse production of tomatoes, raising hopes that the popular vegetable will become available throughout the year at affordable prices. One of the objectives of  the programme in Kenya is supporting to help increase the incomes of rural households, and the technology is borrowed from Israel, where the country has most of its agriculture under greenhouses due to scarcity of water and land. It is also widely practised in the United States.

If the concept is widely embraced, Nigeria could start enjoying year-round supply of tomatoes, which currently get damaged during the wet seasons, pushing prices through the roof, especially in the southern part of the country

Weed Challenge, Constraint To Cassava Farming

IN an interactive discussion aimed at unraveling bottlenecks to farming, young farmers identified devastations by weeds as the most challenging constraint demoralizing cassava farming and hurting yields.

“Our experience is that even before you complete the first course of weeding, you see another set of grasses coming behind,” Akinyele Bankole, a youth agripreneur with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, said during a meeting with members of the Cassava Weed Management team at IITA.
“We have weeded about five times but it appears we are not doing anything when you see the weeds in the fields. This is the most difficult challenge we are facing,” he said.
“And sometimes it looks discouraging seeing our fields with weeds competing with cassava,” Evelyn Ohanwunsi, another youth agripreneur added.
Generally, farmers weed cassava three times, but in cassava farms where perennial weeds such as spear grass are predominant, more weeding may be required.
Researchers estimate that weeding takes 50 to 80 per cent of the total labor budget, and up to 200-500 hours of labour of mostly women and children per ha are required to prevent economic cassava root losses in Nigeria.
Dr. Alfred Dixon, Project Leader for the project Sustainable Weed Management Technologies for Cassava Systems in Nigeria said solutions on weed control in cassava farms were underway following efforts between IITA and partners to combat weeds in cassava.
Under the cassava weed management project, Dixon and his team are conducting research that will develop new best bet innovative weed management practices, combining improved varieties, proper planting dates, plant populations, and plant nutrition, all coupled to intercropping and tillage options, through well-focused trials in the three agro-ecologies where cassava dominates in Nigeria. The project is also testing herbicides for efficacy and economic merit to help make weed control in cassava more efficient and effective.
Dixon said results from the five-year cassava weed research would be shared with the IITA young agripreneurs and other farmers to enable them to make informed decisions that would not only increase the productivity of cassava but also make cassava farming more attractive and put money in their pockets.
“I am sure with the cassava weed project, we will be able to tackle the menace of weeds, and we will support you,” he said.
Established about two years ago under the leadership of Dr. Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General; the IITA Youth Agripreneur program is an Africa-wide initiative that is attracting youths back to agriculture by exposing the youth to the numerous opportunities that exist in the agricultural sector.
Last year, the IITA youth agri-preneurs in Nigeria cultivated more than 50 hectares of cassava, maize and soybean. The group intends to more than double the hectarage this year as weather conditions look positive.
Dixon was accompanied by Dr. Gbassey Tarawali, Representative of the IITA DG and Deputy Director General (Partnerships & Capacity Development); and Godwin Atser, Communication & Knowledge Exchange Expert.  IITA DG Sanginga also dropped by and partook in the focus group discussion.

AFAN president’s farm soon to produce powdered egg

Architect Kabir Ibrahim is a successful poultry farmer, immediate past chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and now the president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN). In this interview Daily Trust, he explains how his poultry farm is moving towards production of powdered egg in commercial quantity. Excerpts:

What can you tell us new about your poultry farm?
I started this farm in 2012, and my capacity was 50,000 birds, which is about 50 tonnes. I had a cold room and some distribution vehicles. One thing that I will tell you that will shock you is that soon after I started, insurgency intensified. I brought out one tonne (about 1,000) of my chicken to the Katsina market. I spent 14 days and I could only sell 299 kilogrammes from this 1,000 kilogrammes. I had to take the chickens to Kano to sell below my production cost and on credit. Let’s say between 2012 and now the bane of agribusiness is lack of patronage. The people are poor. There is a lot of poverty in Nigeria.
But government budgets huge sums of money annually to alleviate poverty?
The budget is not funded. If you take this year, the budget was only assented to few months ago. By December, 2015 election activities will be top of the agenda. The development or rebasing of the economy or whatever is called means nothing to the masses.
Are you still in poultry business?
Of course I am. Now we are back to egg laying business. I am going to do an egg powder plant. I will try to produce my own egg, turn it into powder, elongate its shelf life and encourage people to buy that powder. In fact, right now we are working on it. I want to start with 50,000 birds.
Is there such project in existence or you are the first to start it?
In West Africa, there is probably one that has the capacity of one tonne per day in Ogun State. It just came on board two or three months ago. What we are going to have capacity of 300,000 eggs a day. But for now we will do 120,000 eggs a day. In about six month we should be in production. Our target is to export this egg powder. In Nigeria, I believe the market is not yet going to be very good for that product. We will reduce the bacterial load in the product so it will be good enough for export.
How will the production chain be, will you be responsible up to the finished stage?
We will do everything ourselves. In fact, we will have the albumen- egg yellow, the egg white and whole egg. We can even give you liquid egg. The system can do that. So depending on what you want, we can give it to you.
The beauty of it is that, some components of the chain is cholesterol-free so that people who have problem with cholesterol level in their system will also buy our egg powder. But that is quite a lot of money and requires a lot of supervision. To survive, we have to be innovative. If you do the conventional farming, believe me, it will collapse.

Africa’s top three young entrepreneurs share their secrets to success

Almost one-fifth of Africa’s 1bn strong population is estimated to be between the ages of 15 and 24. This age group is entering the working space where unemployment is high, and many are turning to entrepreneurship as a solution.

Best Ayiorwoth

Every year the Anzisha Prize, Africa’s premier award for its youngest entrepreneurs, selects 12 of the continent’s top entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 22 to gain access to Anzisha’s community of mentors, business contacts, investors and other young business owners.

To find out what it takes to be young and successful, How we made it in Africa spoke to the top three award winners from last year’s Anzisha Prize.

Best Ayiorwoth (22), founder of GIPOMO, Uganda

When Best Ayiorwoth lost her parents at a young age, she had to cut short her high school education because her older siblings struggled to pay her tuition in the Nebbi District in northernUganda.

Having always wanted to take her education further, this was a massive disappointment and inspired her to start an award-winning microcredit business at the age of 19, that would go on to help hundreds of women and young girls in Uganda.

Ayiorwoth realised that if she could empower mothers financially, they would support the education of their children, particularly young girls. “I have seen that when families can’t maintain all their children at school and have to make a choice, they would often choose a boy over a girl,” she told How we made it in Africa.

At 17 she moved to Kampala and joined S7 Project, a skills empowerment centre, where she started to form her business idea for Girls Power Micro-Lending Organisation (GIPOMO). Using her savings earned while working in a restaurant, Ayiorwoth returned to her home community in early 2011 and started giving monthly micro loans to women with small businesses, on the condition that they kept their children, especially young girls, in school.

GIPOMO has helped 64 women start their own businesses, 111 women expand their existing businesses and kept 168 girls in school by supporting their mothers. Last year Ayiorwoth won USh. 1m (US$400) at the FINA Africa Enterprise Business Challenge and first place and $25,000 at the Anzisha Prize.

Ayiorwoth credits much of GIPOMO’s success to the good mentor she had at S7 Project and advises other young entrepreneurs to look for mentors.

She also believes her success comes from using the challenges she has faced as inspiration to make a difference in both her life and the lives of others.

“[Aspiring entrepreneurs] have to actually do something that they feel strongly passionate about, and in most cases they should seek inspiration from their own experience… If you had a terrible experience, you should despise the experience to the extent that you are continuously seeking a solution for it,” she advises others.

Titus Mawano (23), founder of Ffene, Uganda

Ugandan Titus Mawano is the entrepreneur behind Ffene, an award-winning business management platform for African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that assists with accounting, customer and inventory management.

After studying computer science in the US for three years, Mawano decided to cut short his university education in 2012 and return to Uganda to pursue his passion of creating a business management tool that would assist SMEs. He told How we made it in Africa that one of the main challenges facing small businesses in his country is keeping adequate financial records.

In less than a year after launching his app, Mawano was awarded a $10,000 prize at the Apps4Africa 2012 challenge and last year won second place and $15,000 in the Anzisha Prize. Today close to 600 SMEs use Ffene’s software, which runs on both desktop and mobile devices.

According to Mawano, it is a myth that a person simply needs money and connections in order to be a successful entrepreneur. “It’s all about good strategy and it’s all about improvising with what you have. Really, the best tool is creativity. If you are a creative person, then you are going to figure it out.

“If you are not a very creative person – and have your own distinct set of skills – then get someone who is creative on your team. If you have a very creative team around you then pretty much anything that comes your way you are going to be able to knock down.”

Mawano believes his success comes from his tenacity, dedication and passion for what he is doing, adding that these traits keep entrepreneurs going through the long working hours that are typically needed to start a business.

He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to begin early. “And that doesn’t mean starting your own business early. It means thinking about the kind of industry you want to work in, analysing that market and just amassing information. Information is power and if you have a dream of starting a certain enterprise, it’s time to start researching that now.

“I feel that Africa is kicking into its golden age. There is so much opportunity that there is enough for everyone… So I suggest they get started.”

Domitila Silayo (21), founder of Jatropha Soap Production, Tanzania

The idea of producing Jatropha’s handmade soaps with medicinal uses came to Domitila Silayo when she attended an agricultural festival with her brother in 2012 and was introduced to some of the medicinal and cosmetic uses of the Jatropha plant. The plant extract, for example, has healing properties for a number of skin problems, such as ringworm and dandruff.

“We have Jatropha plants in our country but people are not using it,” Silayo explained to How we made it in Africa. “So I thought that was an opportunity and started making the soap.”

After doing research and raising finance from family to buy the oil and equipment, Silayo and her brother went into producing Jatropha soap from a room they rented. Today she produces around 1,000 bars of soap a month and has one other full-time employee. Last year she won third place in the Anzisha Prize.

Although Silayo’s business is still young, she believes her entrepreneurial success comes from looking to solve a problem in her community, and suggests others do the same.

“[Young entrepreneurs] should try to look at the problems their society is facing and try to think of what can be the solution to the problem. That is how I came up with my idea of making soap with Jatropha oil… My society has a lot of people who are suffering from different skin diseases and the Jatropha soap is one of the soaps that help in curing [them].”

She has also learnt that business success does not come without hard work, humility, determination and focus. “I have learnt that you also don’t need to do everything yourself. Entrepreneurs should learn to delegate to other people. You need to have people who can help and advise you. You don’t have to leave all the baggage to yourself.”

Furthermore, she advises young entrepreneurs to be brave enough to try new ideas and think differently.

“You should know that entrepreneurs who are successful right now also faced many problems when they first started out. Entrepreneurship is a process. It’s a process that someone faces and has to go through – from a small stage to a higher stage – without losing hope. Always try to pull up your socks and open yourself up to new ideas. And have the courage to know that you can do it, because all entrepreneurs face the same problems. You are not alone,” she emphasised