Agricultute

The Federal Government on Monday in Ilorin restated its commitment to agriculture development through its support to the country’s research and training institutions.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood Abubakar stated this after his inspection visit to the Nigeria Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI), Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMYl) and National Centre for Agriculture Mechanisation (NCAM) in llorin, thr Kwara capital

Abubakar said it was not by accident that these three institutions were situated in Ilorin, that they are related and their synergy will produce and develop agriculture more than what one single institute will produce.

The Minister commended the Executive Directors of the three institutions for their efforts at upholding the mandate of their establishments.

”All the three institutions are doing well, and with what I have seen here, I am impressed, we do not need to look outside for machines needed in agriculture starting from the ones needed for cultivation, to processing and storage,” he said.

Abubakar added that the institution was in tandem with what the president Muhammad Bihari wants, that is, an Executive Order No 3 which is to materialize local content.

He said the present administration was focused on research and development which these three institutions stand for, and there is no way there will be true agricultural development without research and innovation.

Abubakar added that the cliche of President Muhammadu Buhari that we must grow what we eat and as well export is justified because we no longer import rice.

”We are not only rice sufficient, we are no 1 producer of rice in Africa and No 4 in the world as well as No 1 producer of cassava, yam and other farm products.

”So, this administration has in the last eight years moved Nigeria upward in terms of agriculture and export as well,” he said.

ARMTI Executive Director, Dr Olufemi Oladunni in his remarks said the visit was like a corrective measures for the institute to improve on already established policies.

He said the institute now has three regional training centres out of the six intended ones, all thanks to the minister.

In his remarks, NCAM Executive Director, Dr Kamal Abdulgafar-Rasheed said the visit was a great boost for the Centre to continue in its resolve to recognize home grown mechanisation technology and to a great extent, reduce importation.

On his part, NSPRI Executive Director, Prof. Lateef Sanni, said the visit allowed the minister to see the value and the strength in value addition which was just added to the institute’s mandate apart from production alone.

He said they were able to displayed the technologies that are small holder friendly which will eventually be adopted and maintained by them.

In his remarks, Kwara Commissioner for Agriculture, Abdullatif Gidado Alakawa also pledged the state government’s support for the three institutions.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), and agriculture stakeholders will tackle food safety and aflatoxins management in Nigeria.

The Head of IITA in Abuja, Prof. Lateef Sanni, said this at the Food Convergence Innovation (FCI), Stakeholders Convention in Nigeria, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Sanni said that there was need to converge for sustainable management at farm level, across agricultural supply chains, and the society at large.

He explained that aflatoxins were hazardous food that affected food and feed during crop and livestock production, transportation, storage, processing, and all food handling processes leading to consumption.

“Dietary consumption of aflatoxins is harmful for human and animal health, causing liver toxicities, hepatocellular carcinoma, reduced immunity in humans and animals, reduced animal productivity and growth retardation in children,” he said.

He noted that according to FAO, there is no food security without food safety, consequently, aflatoxin management is critical for food security and requires attention.

Sanni said the aim was to develop strategies and a document for aflatoxin management in national policies, and also develop a roadmap for a 10-year strategic advocacy platform for addressing aflatoxin risks in food crops.

Prof. Chibundu Ezekiel, a participant from FAO, said that aflatoxin contamination was a privacy food safety challenge ravaging many tropical countries, including Nigeria, because of poor food production practices.

According to Ezekiel, the impact of aflatoxins negatively cuts across several sectors in agriculture, health, education, sciences among others.

He therefore, called for urgent innovative, smart interventions and interventions that would integrate all partners in the convention.

Tavershima Torhemen, the Commercialisation Project Manager (GAIN) said the realisation of food security in Nigeria was feasible as the country moved towards reforming food systems in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the action plan of the UN Food System Summit.

Torhemen said GAIN was working with HarvestPlus, an NGO, to accelerate progress in improving access to bio fortified seeds and food through the commercialisation of Biofortified Crops programme.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, says the National Agricultural Extension Development Committee Forum will accelerate agricultural extension service and livelihoods of Nigerian farmers.

A statement by Mr Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Chief Information Officer, ministry of Agriculture,  said Abubakar made this known at a two- day workshop for 2022 NAEDC meeting in Nasarawa State.

The minister said NAEDC would also improve technology innovation of the farmers.

The workshop is ‘’ Strengthening the Agricultural Development Programme (ADPs) for Effective Agricultural Extension Service Delivery at the Grassroots in Nigeria”.

 Abubakar said that NAEDC was a veritable tool to interact, clarify and amplify some of the on- going policy objectives of the Present Administration in the Agricultural Extension sub-sector.

He said that the forum had formed part of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension (FDAE) strategy to achieve one of its key mandates of the coordination of the Nigeria Agricultural Extension System (NARES).

Abubakar said that the meeting would assess the status of National Agricultural Extension System, its national coordinating activity at the federal level and efforts of agricultural development programmes in the States.

“This NAEDC is therefore an opportunity to review progress in the sector and project for future,” he said.

The minister urged stakeholders to review the progress on the legislation of the Draft National Agricultural Extension Policy, and provide solutions to identify logjams.

He equally urged the stakeholders to do an unbiased investigation of the major factors that had hampered the effective performance of the APD in agricultural development as well as the existence of synergy or lack of it.

In his remarks, the governor of Nasarawa, Abdullahi Sule said that the state had left no stone unturned in ensuring that the policies of the Federal Government on agriculture were well positioned and  implemented in alleviating people from the shades of the realities of life.

” Partnering agriculture have become expedient in the lives of everyone, because each and every one of us here depend on all facets of agriculture for survival ‘’.

The Nasarawa  Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, Mr Ibrahim Oshafu said that the  Government of Nassarawa had made the workshop a priority which would fast track the  agricultural extensions.

Oshafu said this is toward achieving food and nutrition security.

An agriculture expert, Dr Fadlullah Issa, has called for an end to over-reliance on agro-imports to boost the nation’s agriculture sector.

Issa, a fellow at the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), made the call on Thursday in Lagos.

The expert said that rejoicing over the expected arrival of wheat import from Ukraine to quell the rising price of bread was an anomaly.

According to him, “To stop over-reliance on outside sources for produce such as wheat is not rocket science, when we have so much arable land.

“It is a shame that we are rejoicing over the first batch of wheat being imported into the country since the Ukraine/Russia war began.

“It is a big shame that we are still involved in the importation of essential agro- produce in the country.

“When we have abundance of land, why should we import in the first place? This is some of the anomaly the government wanted to correct but even we Nigerians, we are not ready for change,” he NAN.

Issa reiterated the need as a nation to consume only what we produce locally.

He added that we must curb the growing appetite for imported agro-produce.

He said reliance on locally grown food would help to boost the nation’s economy.

“There was a minister of agriculture who once insisted on the use of cassava for bread but was not embraced by Nigerians.

“It is a matter of taste, if we have been eating what we produce, our taste would have changed a long time ago.

“We should adopt that mantra of ‘what we produce, is what we eat’ like other countries. We should engage in backward integration.

“We have places in this country where wheat can be cultivated and grown well but the efforts put into the process is minimal. It shows that we are not actually serious about agriculture.

“We are not supposed to have any business importing any agriculture produce with the climate, the arable land, and great resource God has given to us.

“And importation kills local agro-productivity. We are complaining over inflation rates but we are actually the cause,” Issa said.

He noted that imports had plunged the country into serious debts over the years.

“Rejoicing over the import of wheat is deceptive, it does not benefit our country in any way.

“We should lockdown the economy and advance the policy of ‘what we eat, is what we produce’ and it will be to our advantage.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and get things right in agriculture ,we have a lot of policy statement very good on book but no implementation,” he added.

The Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) has called on stakeholders in the agricultural sector to reduce climate change impact on agribusiness with Climate -Smart Agriculture approach.

The Director General of NABG, Dr Manzo Maigari, said this on the sideline of a

2-day Workshop on Developing a National Framework for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Abuja, with the theme of the workshop Cleaner, Safer, Rewarding Agriculture’

Maigari said that it had become incumbent on all stakeholders to embrace climate -smart agriculture because of the value it adds to productivity and the potential to reduce the risks faced by farmers via climate change.

He advised that stakeholders should imbibe practices that causes minimal damage to natural environmental systems so that it is sustainable.

“So, we must either stop or begin to imbibe practices that cause very minimal damage to environmental systems, and natural environmental systems so that it is sustainable.

” In order for the environment to be regenerative enough for us to hand over something to our children,” he said.

He said farmers in Nigeria needs to adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture as solution to crop cultivation, mitigating post-harvest losses, improving crop yields, restoring soil nutrients, among others due to ravaging climate change impact on the ecosystem.

He said that the  use of fertilizers, felling trees, burning grasses and trees, as well as saturation of carbon lead to the disruption of the environment, which causes climate change affecting farmers’ productivity.

On tackling climate change in the agricultural sector, he said, “We will bring all the Farmers Associations, Non-Governmental Organisations  and Government together, and we will embark on an awareness campaign where we will embark on a reorientation for farmers to know all of the procedures and problems.”

He said the whole idea of the having a National Framework for Climate-Smart Agriculture is to be able to come up with a draft document that nourishes the resilience document that has been developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“The whole idea is to be able to come up with a draft document that nourishes your resilience ( to climate change) document that has been developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“This is to support and  enrich that document, that resilience framework from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development such that it can be upgraded into a policy document that can be approved by Federal Executive Council.

” This will enable us mainstream climate smart agriculture in all spheres of the Nigerian society, whether private or public, or the informal sectors with this climate smart agriculture”, Maigari said.

The initiative championed by NABG is to ensure a sustainable agricultural framework is established, which is inclusive where Nigerian youths would have opportunity to get involved in food production.

Nigeria has resolved to explore the potentials in the Chinese JUNCAO technology for the development of a stronger Agricultural base for the country.

A statement by Mrs Eno Olotu, Deputy Director, Information in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on Thursday explained that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, said this would be done through the ministry.

Abubakar said this when the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria , Cui Jian Chun visited him on Thursday, in Abuja.

The minister applauded China for its vast agricultural programmes and projects which he said has helped the country attain food sufficiency despite its huge population.

“If China can feed itself with over one billion population, we can too. We are ready to leverage on the Chinese technology to also develop our agricultural base,” he said.

Abubakar commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his focus and interventions in the agricultural sector, saying that it is a viable sector that would create jobs especially for the youth and boost economic development .

He assured the Chinese ambassador that the ministry was keen in partnering with China to share in the Juncao technology in grass feed for livestock farming, traditional medicine and in biomass energy for crop protection.

“We want to harness on these projects to create more jobs for Nigerian youth.

” Anything we do in agriculture is directed to youth empowerment, we will continue to collaborate and cooperate with China to actualise our goals,” he said.

Earlier, Chun, said he was in the ministry to share areas of mutual, bilateral and economic benefits between Nigeria and China.

He said that China was ready to launch a 3- prone pilot project in Nigeria, using the Juncao technology.

Chun said that the Juncao grass grows faster with high yields and rich nutrition and is used for the alleviation of soil erosion and rocky desertification.

He explained further that the technology utilises Juncao raw materials to produce feeds, fertilizer, biomass energy , biological materials to support environmental protection and climate change response.

Mr Nasir Adhama, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Student Affairs, said Nigeria and China had a lot to share together especially in agriculture.

Adhama, who accompanied the ambassador on the visit said, the nation would gain more if it taps into the vast potentials of China to develop the sector.

He also said that any country that wants to develop in agriculture and generate jobs for its youth, must partner with China for their expansive and innovative technology, adding that both countries would gain a lot in the collaboration.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal Government of Nigeria is to allocate $200 million for the creation of 780 Agricultural Service Centres to serve as catalysts for training and equipment sharing, under the Nigeria-Brazil bilateral development programme.

The Vice president, who was represented by the Secretary of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, said this at the 4th 2021 Nigerian Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS21) held at the Congress Hall, the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

The summit was organised by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), in collaboration with the Federal Government and the Nigeria Diaspora Summit Initiative (NDSI), under the theme: “Partnership and linkages for post-COVID economic growth”.

He said that the Federal Government had designed a programme to transform agriculture and scale up productivity in Nigeria called the Green Imperative Nigeria-Brazil Bilateral Development Programme.

It was designed to sustain the economy through the use of Brazilian technology for the development of agricultural mechanisation that would make farming a dignified venture for the Nigerian people and ultimately increase agricultural production and boost food security, Osinbajo said.

He noted that the solution offered Nigeria the connection of the agricultural value chains, through an initial investment package worth $100 billion dollars, set by the governments of Brazil and Nigeria, to be used for the improvement of overall infrastructure in Nigeria’s rural areas.

The key objective, he added, was to scale up the country’s agriculture, through close collaboration between Nigerian and Brazilian industries, for the delivery and use of technology to improve crops.

Osinbajo said that the Green Imperative was still in its early stages of implementation to deliver any outcomes expected from the active and engaged participation of both countries, through their respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Finance.

“The Green Imperative is part of the foreign agenda of both countries, thus representing a worthy cooperation initiative for a duration of 10 years with long term goals for food security, expanded job growth and, ultimately boost food production and household incomes in Nigeria.

“The project will have over two phases of implementation. The first phase will be the allocation of over $200 million dollars for the creation of around 780 Agricultural Service Centres as catalysts for training and equipment sharing.

“While the second phase will be technology transfer from Brazil to Nigeria via the commercialisation of agricultural equipment and inputs such as tractors, planters, seeders, fertilisers and pesticides.

“This programme will provide another veritable avenue for investments and engagement by the Diaspora for sustainable outcomes. Recovering the economy of the nation cannot be achieved by the government alone.

“We need the partnership and deep involvement of the Diaspora and foreign investors, among others, investing in local businesses to boost and diversify the economy,” he said.

Osinbajo added that the administration came to the realisation that it needed to drive support for the NDSI, as its clarion call to the Diaspora and their friends to come and invest in a land of boundless opportunities and possibilities like the Chinese, Indians, Lebanese, Israelis and South Africans were already and successfully doing here in Nigeria.

He cited last year’s summit when the Federal Government witnessed a number of Diaspora investors heeding that call and that it was encouraging to note that even more had turned up this year.

“We assure you of our commitment to ensure that your investments are not only secure, but that you get a good rate of return on the investments you make, while basking in the glow of being contributors to the growth of business and development of the nation,” Osinbajo said.