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Dangote Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Niger State Government for the establishment of a N166 billion ($450 million) state-of–the-art and fully integrated sugar complex.   Aliko Dangote President, Dangote Group Aliko Dangote, President of the Group, the project will generate over 15,000 jobs and bring about a complete economic turn-around for Niger State when completed. The pact, which was signed at the Government House in Minna, will see the company producing raw sugarcane on 16,000 hectares of land at Lavun Local Government Area, through an out-grower scheme. The Company, which is currently operating out-grower scheme in rice production in a number of states, currently owns Africa’s largest sugar refinery in Lagos, and a sugar cane plantation in Numan, Adamawa State. Dangote said his investment was informed by a firm belief in the potential of the Nigerian economy, adding that the new outlay will add value and create jobs for Nigerians.

Ten thousand farmers in Edo State cannot access the N350 million donor fund, Edo North Coordinator of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Mohammed Oshiobugie has said. Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State Oshiobugie, in an interview in Benin, said the government failed to pay the N94 million counterpart fund for Fadama III and Rural Finance Institution Project (RUFIN). He noted that while other states enjoyed additional financing from FADAMA III , this doesn’t apply to Edo. The AFAN coordinator said a similar thing applied to RUFIN where government had not remitted the N12 million counterfund. “The challenge this poses to farmers is that they have been denied access to about N350 million. “The effect of this is that 10, 000 farm families have been left on their own. “I wonder if this is the government’s plan for farmers; its plan to create 200,000 jobs in next four years,” he said. According to Oshiobugie , majority of those being planned

Kaduna State government and Hebei Province of China have signed a bilateral agreement for the establishment of agro allied industries, solar power plants as well as steel and cement manufacturing factories in the state. The partnership deal which was signed by Governor Nasir el-Rufai and Acting Governor of Hebei Province, Mr Wang Xiadong at the Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria was witnessed by the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian and the President Worldwide of China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), Zhad Dianlong, among other officials of the Kaduna State government and visiting Hebei Province. In his address, Governor El-Rufai commended the team for reciprocating his government’s visit to China two months ago, adding that the state and Hebei Province have a lot in common and would benefit immensely from any partnership. “We invited our private sector because we believe it is the private sect

Corporate Farmers International Limited (CFIL) and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, have unveiled plans to launch the first agriculture reality show in Nigeria by September. The show, which will feature 20 contestants, aims to showcase the agricultural potential of young Nigerians. In a statement, Akin Alabi, Co-Founder of CFIL, disclosed that the TV reality show will also address perception problems in the agribusiness sector. He said “This show will showcase the talents of the Nigerian youth to the government in terms of agricultural potential, as it works to diversify the economy. We decided to partner with Tony Elumelu Foundation because we want to create a standard with entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector so as to push youths to believe that they can develop the African economy. The programme will run for four weeks at IITA premises in Ibadan and the contestants will be engaged in several act

Lagos State Government is set to begin the sales of LAKE Rice across the state in preparation for the muslim Eid-El-Kabir celebration in September. Oluwatoyin Suarau Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture The sales of rice will begin on Thursday, 24 August 2017. Oluwatoyin Suarau, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, said the state government is committed to ensuring that the state remained a food secured place and has since inception, implemented policies and programmes that would ensure regular supply of food in the state. He said the state government would continue to ensure adequate production and a fair distribution of the rice across the state by making it available to the masses in the various accredited centres in the state. Suarau said sales of LAKE Rice will take place in the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas, the Agricultural Development Area Complex Oko-Oba, Agege; LTV Blue Roof Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja, and other designa

In Nigeria, the Government of Katsina State on Friday said it has signed a pact with Mahindra Group to purchase 225 tractors worth N2bn ($5.8million). This aims to boost food production in the state. According to the Deputy Governor of the state, Mannir Yakubu, the tractors would be distributed to farmers on a loan basis. He said under the agreement, the state government in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive Based Risk-sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Access Bank will serve as guarantor and would provide the sum of N1.6 billion ($4.7 million) while “the 225 benefitting farmers will provide N400 million ($1.1 million), which will serve as their 20% contribution, before collecting the tractors.” “The company has supplied the tractors through its agent, Spring Field Agro Nigeria Ltd., based in Ibadan. The tractor scheme we are launching today will be in phases, and we intend to procure about 361 tractors on the long run, which will translate to on

Nigeria’s acting president will open a $1.5 billion fertiliser plant in the southeastern city of Port Harcourt on Thursday, highlighting efforts by Africa’s largest economy to boost its agriculture industry. Nigeria has for decades been dependent on exports of oil to support its economy, but as global crude prices have dropped and production has been hit by militant attacks the government has sought to diversify, embracing sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing. The new factory has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes of urea fertiliser and was built by Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited, the president’s office said in a statement on Wednesday giving details of the visit by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo. He is leading Nigeria while Muhammadu Buhari is in Britain on medical leave for an undisclosed ailment “Besides making fertiliser available to farmers nationwide at affordable cost, the plant will also boost crop yield for farmers,”

A communiqué issued at the end of the just concluded 2017 National Organic Agriculture Business summit in Akwa, Anambra State, has recommended significant roles for the Nigerian youth in the development of organic agriculture. The summit was organised by the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) initiative in Nigeria under the theme of “Global Organic Agriculture Development: Unbundling Abundant Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Nigerian Youths.” The summit which had about 120 participants in attendance observed that such an approach would ensure that young people are exposed to exciting job opportunities and enable them to contribute their quota to sustainable national development as well as addressing food insecurity.  The communiqué urged all tiers of government to mainstream organic agriculture into their agricultural activities with appropriate support. “The stakeholders of the organic agriculture sector in Nigeria should take advantage of several market opportuniti

The Federal Government has said the country needs more than 100,000 new tractors to achieve production targets in the agricultural sector.   President Muhammadu Buhari Senator Udo Udoma, Minister of Budget and National Planning, stated this while speaking at the inauguration of the Higher Institution Tractorisation Initiative in Abuja. The initiative is a joint agreement on Nigeria Agricultural Mechanisation Local Content Support Initiative between the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Hightech System Limited. The minister, who was represented by the Director, Economic Growth, Kayode Obasa, said the government could not afford to continue the importation of agricultural equipment. He said, “The Federal Government has made agriculture one of the six key priority sectors under the Economic Recovery Growth Plan. For the objectives of the agricultural policy to be achieved, the mechanisation of the subsectors has a vital role to play. Based on the alternative estimates

Peter Lundberg, United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, recently disclosed to newsmen in Maiduguri that the global body has distributed fertilisers, seeds and other inputs to 1.2 million farmers that were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East of the country.   Peter Lundberg, United Nations Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria Photo: Reuters Lundberg said this was done as part of effort to assist farmers who had returned to their homes in liberated communities. He added that the UN and its partners are also providing food support to 1. 3 million displaced persons on monthly basis in the region. He said the measure was part of a comprehensive support programme to enhance food security and tackle humanitarian crisis occasioned by the insurgency. “For the UN, food security situation is one of the major issues. “This means that hundreds and thousands of people do not have enough to eat as a result of the lean season currently a

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former military Head of State Abdulsalam Abubakar, have urged Nigerians to focus more on the agriculture sector, saying it is capable of taking Nigeria out recession. They were unanimous on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo this while delivering their respective speeches at the Niger State Investment Summit recently in Minna, the Niger State capital. Osinbajo who spoke first noted that if Nigeria can successfully harness its vast agricultural potential, the country will not only ensure food security for the huge population, she will also conveniently feed 50 per cent of the African population. He said the Federal Government has been working with the Niger State Government to reposition the state as the food basket of the nation. He urged the state government not to relent in its effort to attract serious investors and to do more to compliment Federal Government’s efforts in infrastructural development

The federal government has offered to partner the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the training of agricultural workers. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogheh, made the proposal at the valedictory project of Market II in Nigeria. Market II was a development programme funded by USAID since 2012 to assist smallholder farmers and others in the agriculture value chain achieve improved yields. The US development agency trained 500 extension workers as master trainers in the value chain of agricultural production including, threshing, input sales, bulking services, book-keeping, distribution, tilling and irrigation services. Ogheh said in order to fix the vacuum the departure of Market II in Nigeria will create, government has approached USAID to undertake the training of value chain and field workers of the ministry. The minister said the training would subsequently be upscaled to other states of the federation where t

​Anambra State Government has approved a proposal for the construction of export processing facility estimated to cost about $150million in Ogidi, the hometown of Late Chinua Achebe, a celebrated author. When completed, the “Ndi Anambra Export Facility Project” will become first Global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certified conditioning and food processing centre in Nigeria. Global GAP is the global organization that assures standard agricultural practice- safe, sustainable agriculture worldwide, of which abx world is the only member from Nigeria. The facility expected to be built and completed in Anambra State within the next 12 months, will further complement abx world’s plans with the provision for Boeing 777 cargo plane for weekly agro-produce exports to the European markets. Speaking on the project, John Okakpu, Managing Director and CEO of Abx World Nigeria Limited, described the partnership as “serious agreement that will positively improve the state’s in

Ebonyi State Government has signed a N4 billion agreement with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to promote agriculture in the state.   Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State Mrs. Hadiza Olaosebikan, BoI’s Head of Corporate Communication disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos recently. Olaosebikan said the N4 billion would be used to establish one industry in each of the 150 communities in the state and create economic boom. She said the partnership would enhance employment and wealth creation through entrepreneurship. According to her, Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi commended BoI for supporting the state’s economic growth initiative with 50 per cent of the fund. She quoted Umahi as saying that the initiative was part of the solutions to the current economic recession plaguing the country following the crash of global oil prices. The governor said that N2 billion, under the initiative, would be dedicated to the agricultural sector, while the remaining N2 billion would be allocate

Osun State Government has concluded plans to collaborate with the Nepal khadya Bank Limited on scientific agriculture to boost agricultural activities in the state and also create jobs for unemployed youths through its programme known as ‘Agropreneur’ in Nigeria.   Rauf Aregbesola, Osun State Governor Mr. Ram Raja Shrestha, Chairman and Managing Director of Nepal khadya Bank Limited, disclosed this during a programme organised by a non-governmental organisation, World Institute for Peace (WIP), in collaboration with the Osun State government. The NGO encouraged Nepal khadya Bank to come to Osun as part of efforts to assist the government in facilitating investments that can improve the economy of the state and benefit the youths. Shrestha said the state government has agreed to provide 1,000 hectares of land for the bank for the purpose of commercial farming and that the land would be used to plant cassava and maize. He said over 100 youths in the state would be em

Kwara State Government has approved N40 million in loan facilities for members of the State House of Assembly to cultivate soya beans and maize. The fund was taken from the N1 billion agriculture loan released to the state government by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently. Speaking to reporters at the farm-site which is spread over 300 hectares of land in Agogo, Ejidongari district, Moro Local Government Area of the state, Dr Ali Ahmad, Speaker of the state assembly said: “Our visit today is symbolic. Seeing is believing. We have been saying that we have a farm. We chose a day that we are supposed to be sitting to visit this place, so that when the public wonders why we are not sitting, we want to create awareness that we are here today. “We incorporated a company, called Dodo Integrated Farms Nigeria limited. It has a board of trustees. It is clearly commercial and purely non-governmental. The shareholders are the 24 members of the Kwara state House of Assembly.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has approved the temporary closure of the state-owned College of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi with immediate effect.   Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State The state government, in a closure notice signed by Barrister Osarodion Ogie, Secretary to the Edo State Government, explained that the action was in line with its “determination to reposition the college to achieve the goal and objectives for which it was established.” The statement added that a team, headed by Prof. Anthony Durojaiye Ologhobo, has been put in place to assist government in repositioning the college. Other members are Prof. Sylvester Oboh and representatives of Presco Plc; Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc; Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR); Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria; Rubber Estate of Nigeria and Leventis Farms Ltd.

Alhaji Bukar Hassan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has said the Federal Government is in the process of setting up 15 additional universities of agriculture in the next few years.   Acting President Yemi Osinbajo Bukar who disclosed this to the governing boards of three federal universities of agriculture in Abuja in the presence of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh and Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State in the ministry, recently said the move will assist in meeting the agricultural needs of the country’s huge population. He said the country would have 10 to 15 universities of agriculture in the next few years because the existing three universities are inadequate to drive the government’s efforts to reposition agriculture in the country. Ogbeh reiterated that the three universities were reverted to the agriculture ministry because it was considered the rational, just and timely action based on tod

Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Dangote Group and GrowAfrica as part of efforts to boost private sector’s investment in agriculture in the country.   Emmanuel Ijewere, Vice President of NABG Emmanuel Ijewere, Vice President of NABG, who signed on behalf of the group, said the purpose of the agreement is to explore ways of ensuring that farmers at the grassroots are involved in the development of agricultural policies. “This will create a relationship that builds from the ground to the top, thereby carrying the farmers along in decision making.” Also speaking, Sani Dangote, Vice-President of Dangote Group, noted that the private sector has the capacity to boost production and promote greater interest in the agricultural sector as long as the Federal Government is able to provide the enabling environment. William Asiko, Chief Executive Officer of GrowAfrica, on his part, described the development as a landmark achievement,

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has, in its latest weather outlook, indicated that incidents of flooding in parts of the country this year may affect cocoa crop and boost rice output. According to NiMet, irregular rainfall cause flooding in no less than 32 states before the end of this year’s wet season. NiMet Director General Sani Mashi said, “When you have serious cases of flooding, the tree crops will be forced to accommodate more water than they can absorb. Unlike a cereal crop like rice that can be submerged, cocoa will be seriously hampered.” Wet conditions like those created by flooding, causes fungal diseases such as black pod which reduces cocoa’s output and quality. While many cocoa farmers in the country lament the lack of means to acquire chemical sprays to fight the fungal diseases, some rice farmers in flood-prone areas of Jigawa state appreciate the excess water to irrigate crops including tomatoes, peppers, sorghum and corn. With 2015-2016 output

Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, has urged African leaders and development institutions to address the deepening unemployment crisis on the continent. Elumelu, who is the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), made the call recently at the Youth Connekt Africa Summit in Rwanda. He spoke on the theme “How do we create 10 million jobs by 2020?” According to him, access to electricity and increased focus on the agricultural sector would enhance entrepreneurship and tackle the challenge of unemployment. He explained that the private sector has the responsibility to play the lead role in contributing to job creation in Africa. He cited the TEF, which has contributed to various investments in these key areas, adding that this is visible from the $100million commitment over the years, towards supporting African entrepreneurs. He said: “Today we have businesses in 20 African countries and employ 30,000 people directly and 50,000 people indirectly. Ag

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AFDB), has said the bank will invest $24 billion in agriculture in Africa over the next 10 years.   Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AFDB) Adesina made the disclosure at the 50th-anniversary celebration of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan recently. The AFDB president said the bank was committed to turning agriculture into a business across Africa and to ensure that the continent fed itself within the next 10 years. Adesina said AFDB had decided to work with IITA to help drive Africa's agricultural sector transformation and unlock its full potentials. "At the core of this is getting technologies to millions of farmers and the bank has developed the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) together with IITA and other centres as a technology platform. " This is to help take high yielding technologies t

Mr Muda Yusuf, Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), has commended the removal of Customs check-points on highways, saying the move is a reflection of Federal Government’s commitment to the promotion of ease of doing business in the country. Yusuf said the directive will reduce extortion and disruptive activities to domestic trade, and end needless embarrassment to motorists for import duty receipts and revaluation of duty payments. “The streamlining of their operations is therefore a welcome development. Their activities are most times arbitrary, especially on issues of vehicle valuation and documents, certifications on the highways, which often result in extortions. “The development is a clear demonstration of the responsiveness of the present administration to complaints of the Private Sector on business environment issues,” he said. He called for an effective implementation framework for the policy geared toward improving the

Plateau State chapter of the Small-Scale Women Farmers of Nigeria (SWOFON) has cried out over lack of access to various agricultural intervention funds provided by the Federal Government to farmers across the country. Mrs. Mary Afan, Plateau State chapter president of SWOFON, who disclosed this while addressing women farmers at a seminar in Jos, the state capital, said it has been impossible for members to access agriculture fund. She said, “As women farmers, it has been impossible to access the Federal Government agric fund. There is hardly adequate information to women on how to access the fund and other advantages provided by both state and federal governments.” SWOFON is a coalition of smallholder women farmers who are engaged in agricultural activities especially farming and have formed cooperatives groups across the country. Women farmers are not often involved in decision making and policy formulation at federal, state and local government levels, which is why wo

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said the Federal Government will focus on mining and agriculture for rapid economic development.   Acting President Yemi Osinbajo Osinbajo who disclosed this in Argungu while inaugurating a N10 billion WACOT Rice Mill in Argungu Emirate, Kebbi State, recently said the continued investment in agricultural production by the private sector has vindicated the resolve of the Federal Government to invest in agriculture for revenue generation and development. Commending WACOT Mill for establishing the largest single line rice processing mill, especially on the employment of Nigerians, Osinbajo said the investment is a sign of support to the priority accorded food production by the current regime. He called on more investors to engage in agricultural production, especially considering that investment in oil production had resulted in loss of jobs unlike investment in agriculture that had resulted in employment. The Acting President assure

Katsina State Government has said it will support 73 unemployed graduates who did not benefit from the N24 million National Fadama III programme by introducing them to financial institutions where they can be offered reasonable loan packages Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, Deputy Governor, Katsina State, represented by Alhaji Idris Tune, Permanent Secretary, Katsina State Ministry for Agriculture, gave the assurance in his speech at the closing ceremony of a two-week training exercise for 200 beneficiaries of the National Fadama (III) Programme recently in Katsina. The National Fadama III Additional Financing programme has trained 293 unemployed graduates in the state in different agricultural enterprises including crop production, poultry production, livestock production, fish production and Agro-business. “I wish to draw the attention of the beneficiaries that will scale through the final selection of the National Fadama to make use of the golden opportunity to utilise the fu

A team of Nigerian experts under the auspices of African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACCG) in Nigeria has announced a breakthrough in poultry production in Nigeria following the development of disease-resistant breed of chicken with higher egg output. Funso Sonaiya, Principal Consultant, ACGG-NG and lecturer in the Animal Science Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, said this at a press briefing in Lagos recently. ACCG is an Africa-wide collaboration led by the International Livestock Research Institute that seeks to increase access of poor smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to high-producing, locally adapted and appropriate chicken strains. According to Mr. Sonaiya, after employing the science’s ‘6 genetics’ over a two-year period, the team developed a new breed of chicken that has a high yield of egg production than the local breed. He said, “The six genetics produces up to about 200 eggs annually while the local breed produces less than 65 annually. The

Prof. Ivara Esu, Deputy Governor of Cross River, has said the state government is keen to be first in cocoa production and, therefore, is taking the necessary measures boost the production of the cash crop. Esu said this recently at Ikom during the Tree Crops Development Cocoa Value Chain Capacity Building workshop for cocoa estate managers, farmers and agricultural officers. The workshop, Esu said, is expected to impact on management and extension delivery system for high quality and increased yield in cocoa production in the state. He said it was time the state returned to agriculture as an alternative source of income in view of the dwindling federal allocation.   He, therefore, enjoined all participants to take the workshop serious for the benefit of farmers and the state. He said the workshop, organised by the State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of the participants for effective and safe usage