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Ogun State Government has said it would introduce branded rice into the market before December. Mr. Tosin Ademuyiwa, Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, who disclosed this in Abeokuta, the state capital recently said rice would be available following massive planting of the commodity during the rainy season. He said the commodity branded “MITROS Rice” would be produced and packaged in the state. He said the harvesting of 1,500 metric tonnes of rice has commenced in various rice farms at Eggua in Yewa axis and Onigbedu in Ogun Central. “At Eggua rice farm, rice will be harvested from 262 hectares of farmland while 110 hectares are at Onigbedu rice farm. “Another 100 hectares of rice farm will be harvested at Iloti Ijebu within the next one month. “The harvesting of rice will reduce the dependence of the state on imported rice and reduce its price in various markets,” he said. Ademuyiwa also said the state government was working hard to solv

Members of the Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria (PAN), Kaduna State chapter, have asked the Kaduna State Government to come to their rescue by extending credit facilities that will aid the expansion of their operations in a bid to meet increasing market demand. Adeniyi Ibrahim, Secretary to PAN in Kaduna, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recently, after a meeting of the State Core Delivery Team (CDT) of Agriculture, organised by Synergos Nigeria in Kaduna. According to him, the state can replicate the CBN Rice Anchor Borrowers’ Programme for poultry farmers to enable them fill the huge gap in the supply of poultry products in the state. He said members of the association are willing to cash in on the ban placed on importation of poultry products and expand their existing level of production, but more than 2,000 of them require financial support to do that. Ibrahim said, “Currently members of the association supply nearly 50,0

Bank of Agriculture (BoA) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand and facilitate access to collection and distribution of agricultural credits to farmers. Mr. Kabir Mohammed, Managing Director of BoA, who signed on behalf of the bank in Abuja recently, said the partnership was will enable the BoA to fulfill its mandate of reaching farming communities across the country. Mohammed said NIPOST has facilities, particularly in rural areas, that could serve as warehouses for farm implements and inputs for distribution to farmers by BoA. He said the partnership would serve the purpose of the two organisation for network expansion at minimal cost and asset optimisation. He said it is common knowledge that NIPOST has more than 1,000 post offices and about 600 functional postal agents and post shops. “Seventy per cent of these outlets are located in rural areas. Sorting offices of most rural post offices are highly un

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has appealed to the Federal Government to assist the state in its effort to provide relief to 458 farmers whose rice fields were flooded after heavy rains in Shonga, Edu Local Government Area of the state.   Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State  The affected farms are situated on 3, 200 hectares irrigation land set aside by the Federal Government for rice cultivation in Tada-Shonga. The farms were established under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) anchor borrowers’ scheme Ahmed, represented by Alhaji Yusuf Abdulwahab, his Chief of Staff, disclosed this while leading a delegation from the Federal Government around the flooded farms. The federal delegation included chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Water Resources, Aliyu Ahman-Patigi, representative of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Elijah Aderibigbe and Managing Director, Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Mr. Adeniyi Aremu.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has directed the state’s Ministry for Agriculture to commence and ensure continuous sales of Lake Rice in designated sales centres across the state. The governor has also approved the creation of more sales centres.   Mr. Oluwatyin Suarau, Commissioner for Agriculture Mr. Oluwatyin Suarau, Commissioner for Agriculture, who disclosed this recently at a meeting to discuss ways of implementing the governor’s directive, remarked that the directive was part of the strategy to increase access to the product and ensure effective distribution across the state. The newly created sales centres include Farm Service Centre Odogunyan in Ikorodu; Farmers Mart in Surulere; Agric Input Supply Authority (LAISA) in Ojo; Agricultural Development Authority (ADA) in Oko Oba, Agege and Lagos Television (LTV) Complex, Agidingbi-Ikeja. “The need to ensure that Lake Rice circulates into the nooks and crannies of the state is key in our drive to attain f

Cotton farmers under the aegis of National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) have received four metric tonnes of improved cottonneseeds from the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). Dr. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim, Director-General of the council, while addressing the farmers at the official ceremony held at the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, recently, said the council was concerned by the declining performance of the Cotton, Textiles and Garment sector (CTG), and was, therefore, motivated to continue boosting cotton production. He said this was to enable idle ginneries starved of cotton seed to come back to operation. “In continuation of the boosting programme, RMRDC presented 5.82 tonnes of cotton seeds to farmers in 2015 and 4.3 tonnes of improved cotton seeds (SAMCOT 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13) to all cotton farmers under the umbrella of National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) in 2016. The council is today providing additiona

Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Stanbic IBTC to enable individuals, cooperatives, companies, organised investment groups that have bankable agriculture projects have access to N50 billion. Mr. Aliyu Abdulhammed, NIRSAL Managing Director, explained that under the terms of the agreement, Stanbic IBTC would give loans of bankable agriculture projects while NIRSAL would provide credit guarantees. He added that the credit guarantees would range from 50 to 75 per cent depending on the aspect of the agricultural value chain that loan is given. He said the financing scheme would cover NIRSAL supported projects livestock, cross, mechanisation, logistics and poultry value chains. He noted that the initial N10 billion financing scheme would impact on some selected segment including “Farm mechanisation, where 1,250 new tractors will be purchased, 5,000 direct jobs created and 250,000 lives

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has urged farmers to embrace organic farming in an effort to boost food production and also promote the production of farm produce that are fit for human consumption in all ramifications. Sunday Durodoye, Trade Promotion Advisor, NEPC in Ondo and Ekiti states, who made the appeal at a one-day workshop organised by NEPC for farmers in Akure, the Ondo state capital, explained that there is need for the popularization of the organic farming policy among farmers because organic farming is still in its infancy stage in the country. Durodoye added that farmers are being trained on the need to ensure that cocoa beans being exported out of Nigeria are among the highest quality available anywhere. The workshop was attended by cocoa merchants and agriculture experts from the two neighbouring states.

Olam International Limited, exports, imports and branded packaged food products firm, has invested $150 million in animal-feed mills and poultry farms in Nigeria in an effort to boost its agribusiness in the country.   Mukul Mathur Managing Director, Olam Nigeria Olam, in a statement recently, said the investments cover bird and fish feed mills with the capacity for 360,000 metric tonnes each in the Kaduna and Kwara states respectively as well as a hatchery with a capacity to produce 1.6 million day-old chicks weekly. According to the company, feeds from the mills will support the production of an estimated 8 billion eggs and 100-million kilograms of poultry a year. Our new facilities will invigorate the industry by closing the supply gap in animal feed,” Olam said. Speaking at the opening ceremony in Kaduna, President Muhammadu Buhari, said the investments will contribute to national growth and help the government in its effort to diversify into agriculture and end

Mrs. Karima Babangida, Director, Federal Department of Agricultural Extension at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said annual demand for maize in the country is estimated at over seven million tonnes. Babangida who disclosed this at a seven-day training workshop for women on modern skills of maize production, processing and marketing at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) in Zaria recently, said the training has the objective of adding impetus to the government’s desire to move the economy away from its dependence on oil revenue. The director who spoke through Mrs. Sugra Mahmud, an Assistant Director, said “This is a situation that is unacceptable and inimical to our economic development as a nation. Therefore, there is a huge market opportunity that can absorb additional local production.” She said “Under the Green Alternative – Agriculture Promotion Policy of the present administration, the issues of unemployment, wealth creation

In a bid to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers, who constitute 75 per cent of the country’s farming population, Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has signed a partnership agreement with the ACDI/VOCA, US-based economic development organisation, to encourage investments in agriculture in local communities. The pilot project is expected to produce 80,000 tonnes of maize, rice and soybeans, create 22,000 new jobs across the value chains and ensure individual farmer income of N1,000,000 per year for beneficiaries. Speaking on the agrrement, Mr. Abdulhameed, Managing Director of NIRSAL, said “I am pleased to partner with ACDI/VOCA on this project. NIRSAL will provide the leadership to start the process and make it a reality for the benefit of our local farmers. As the producers of the food that the nation feeds on, they deserve strong support and should also get decent reward for their produce. “It is my expectation that th

Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has hinted of plans to reduce the price of 50kg bag of local rice from N18,000 to N13,000.   Rice Mill In this respect, he said talks were ongoing with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria to crash the N150,000 per ton price tag of paddy rice to N120,000 to enable millers sell the commodity at N13,000 per bag. Ogbeh, who was speaking at the weekend in Abuja on the upcoming national conference on the transformation of the country's livestock industry, lamented that local rice were becoming costlier than imported ones. He regretted that a tonne of paddy rice that sold for N65,000 in July 2015 had suddenly jumped making it extremely difficult for millers to sell a 50kg bag of rice less than N17,O00. The minister said: "To Nigerians, I'm sorry that the prices of food are too high. We are not too happy about it, but we are not going to turn around and bully the farmers. We will persuade them, b

The decision of the Federal Government to pursue production of locally-blended fertilizer with vigour has yielded bounty savings of about N55billion that would hitherto have been spent on foreign exchange to import the product. The figure represents savings from the N60 billion in budgetary provisions in this year’s budget for fertilizer subsidy. Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who disclosed this recently while speaking on Hannu Ya Dawa, an audience participation programme on FRCN Kaduna, said the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) will deliver four million bags of 50kg Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer to farmers at an affordable price before the end of the year. Shehu said "The problem of the shortage of fertilizers and its attendant high cost plaguing the nation's agricultural production, seemingly intractable for decades, have been resolved following the successful execution of t

Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) has pledged to deliver four million bags of 50kg Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer to farmers, at an affordable price, before the end of the year. Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, disclosed this at the weekend on ‘‎Hannu Ya Dawa,’ an audience participation programme on FRCN Kaduna. Also, the presidential aide said the 11 fertilizer blending plants in the country will be increased to 18 by the end of the year; which will, in turn, provide direct employment to no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians. Shehu said the projected delivery of the commodity (4 million bags of fertilizer) by December is in addition to the six million bags of 50kg fertilizers already sold to farmers since the Initiative commenced early this year. ‘‘The problem of the shortage of fertilizers and its attendant high cost plaguing the nation’s agricultural production, seemingly intractable f

The Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR) has revealed that the food market in Africa may be worth over $1 trillion by 2030. The AASR, commissioned by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and unveiled at the 2017 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Cote d’Ivoire recently, asserted that agriculture will be Africa’s quiet revolution. The report noted that the revolution would happen in the form of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and smallholder farmers creating high productivity jobs and sustainable economic growth. The report said despite 37 per cent of the population now living in urban centres, most jobs have been created in lower paid, less productive services rather than in industry, with this service sector accounting for more than half of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). AASR said: “Smart investments in the food system can change this picture dramatically if planned correctly.” Commenting on the report findings, AGR

The Federal Government has signed a Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations as part of enhanced joint effort to manage the spread of the Fall Armyworm (FAW) across the country.   FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Suffyan Koroma, FAO Country Representative to Nigeria, both signed the Technical Cooperation agreement at a ceremony in Abuja recently. Speaking on the agreement, Ogbeh emphasized on the need to build the capacity of countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region for effective management of the pests. "If we do not contain the FAW infestations, it is likely to compromise our agriculture efforts in this country. I want to make a passionate appeal to all agencies especially FAO to be on the standby and come to our rescue", he added. He noted that the attack on cr

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has said only foreign exchange earnings generated from non-oil products will spur sustainable economic growth in the country.   Mr Segun Awolowo, NEPC’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Segun Awolowo, NEPC’s Chief Executive Officer, who disclosed this at the EBS RED Quarterly Lecture in Abuja, said forex generated from remittance from Nigerian relatives abroad could not provide sustainable economic development for the country. Represented at the lecture by a director at NEPC, Barrister George Enyiekpon, the NEPC boss said it was obvious that crude oil was no longer profitable as it was before, adding that the non-oil export should therefore be focused on by the country. According to him, Nigeria’s exchange rate violability started way back in the 1960s; not just in 2015. He urged the youths to focus on export as a business, as they would not only make ends meet but also help the country garner much foreign exchange. But a seni

Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 87 other civil society groups have rejected a plan by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to grow genetically-modified cassava in Nigeria. The civil society groups which disclosed this in a statement recently expressed worry that in spite of objections an application for the actualisation of ‘confined’ field trial of transgenic cassava had been submitted to the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA). They averred that the trials would involve using genetically-modified cassava under a new gene- silencing technology that had never been tested in the country. The groups claimed that the plan is to “obtain storage roots with lower post-harvest physiological degradation without any loss of the nutritious starch.” Speaking on the plan, Joyce Okeoghene, HOMEF Biosafety Project Manager, said even as the IITA admitted that such approval had never been given anywhere in the world, the Institute collaborated with

Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, National President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), has said the association is making efforts to access the $30 billion agricultural grant contributed by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other donor agencies for rice production in Africa. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit $5 billion to the fund while OCP Africa, a fertiliser firm, pledged $150 million at the Green Revolution Forum tagged `New Push for Africa’s Agricultural Transformation,’ held in September 2016 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Goronyo who was speaking in Abuja recently said the association has submitted a template that would qualify it for the grant and held a meeting with a team of experts from Geneva to explore how Nigerian farmers can access as much as $600 million. He said the grant would cover investments in the rice value chain including production, processing, packaging and marketing. Goronyo listed other partners that contributed to the

In a bid to chart a new path to economic prosperity, the Kebbi State Government has signed a partnership agreement with a private company in Lagos to embark on a large scale soya beans production. The state government kicked off the partnership by giving the go-ahead to over 30, 000 farmers in nine local government areas to produce the crop in commercial quantity.   Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu Alhaji Muhammed Garba, Kebbi State Commissioner for Agriculture, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, explained that the state government also plans to sponsor a further 10,000 farmers to also cultivate soya beansin an effort  to meet its production target. Some of the communities in the programme are Danko/ Wasagu, Zuru, Fakai, Ngaski,Shanghai, Yauri, Koko/Besse, Bena, Birnin Tudu, Augie and Bagudo. Already, a team of agriculture experts led by Dr. Kenton Dashiell from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (I