Agric ministry plans strategic partnership with China

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has stated its readiness to partner with the Chinese government in the area of agriculture development.

Sonny Echono, permanent secretary, FMARD, disclosed this recently while receiving Gu Xiaojie, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

How smugglers hamper rice policy, frustrate investors

Apparently to halt the yearly loss of N360 billion to rice importation, the Federal Government came up with a policy aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in local production in 2013. It has a plan to ban rice importation by the end of this year. But, the policy is threatened by  smuggling, which has also put investors in the rice value chain under intense pressure. The investors fear their multi-billion naira investment might go down the drain, unless measures are taken now to stem smuggling, writes Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA.  

Nigeria: Govt Must Sustain Policies That Are Pro-Agriculture

Dr. Richard Okechukwu is the Project Coordinator of International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) on Cassava Project. In this interview with selected journalists, he spoke on the Cassava Project and the need for a sustained public-private sector initiative in driving the nation's agricultural revolution and the need for government to sustain policies that are pro-agriculture among other issues. Seyi Taiwo-Oguntuase was there.

African agriculture an opportunity for Indian investors: Experts

Going by reports of global consulting firms on African agriculture, Indian investors would need to turn their attention to an area that promises high returns.

A report by the international accounting firm KPMG has said agricultural growth in Africa has failed to reach its potential and there was need for a concerted effort at improving techniques, markets and access to credit for small farmers.

Banks’ scramble for agric business

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report that agricultural imports declined by 11 per cent from N738 billion in the first quarter of the year to N664 billion in the second quarter, indicates that farmers are beginning to meet food needs. Banks are exploring ways of funding  agric business to create jobs and reduce food importation, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

Banks with eyes on the future know where to put their money. Many of them have identified the agric sector and its value-chain as a key area to play in this period of deposit drought and reduced profitability.

Brazil to import less wheat in 2015 –Reuters

Brazil's wheat imports are projected to drop 13.5 percent this year to around 5 million metric tons, in response to lower domestic use and higher Brazilian production, wheat industry group Abitrigo said this week in a Reuters story.

Brazil, one of the world's largest wheat importers, bought 5.78 million tonnes in 2014, according to Abitrigo, mostly from Argentina.

Cumulative imports this year up to August were 3.3 million tonnes, 20 percent below volumes seen in the same period last year. Argentina accounted for 2.7 million tonnes of that, followed by the United States with 300,000 tonnes.

Global Hotspots: Brazil wheat imports, Australia's cattle herd to shrink

Will It Pay to Plant Wheat This Fall?

Wheat farmers are commencing with the planting of the 2016 wheat crop across the plains, but abysmally low wheat prices are raising questions on how aggressively farmers intend to plant winter wheat this fall.

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Small drop in global grains production forecast in 2015-16

LONDON, ENGLAND — Total world grain production in 2015-16 is estimated at 1.99 billion tonnes, about 1% lower than last season’s record, the International Grains Council (IGC) said in its Sept. 24 Grain Market Report.

FG Partners China on Agricultural Development, Woos Chinese Investors

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has mapped out plans to partner the Chinese government in the enhancement of agriculture development.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Arc. Sonny Echono, stated this in Abuja while receiving the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gu Xiaojie in his office.

Echono, who observed that the Chinese agricultural development model suited Nigeria’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), said Nigeria was working to improve its milling capacity in rice and cassava.

FAO e-conference: ‘Utilization of Food Loss and Waste as well as Non-Food Parts as Livestock Feed’

Why

Approximately 1.3-1.6 Gtonnes of food is lost or wasted globally every year, which is estimated to have enormous environmental (ca 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 eq. greenhouse gas emission/year, 305 cubic km water/year, 1.5 billion ha land to grow food that is wasted), social (936 billion US$) and economic (1055 billion US$) costs. Also the food loss and waste has an impact on food security, natural resource availability,  and local and national economies. FAO through the “Save Food” initiative is working with partners to develop, plan and implement initiatives for efficient use of resources and harmonization of methodologies, strategies and approaches. Globally many plant resources are being used either as food or as animal feed. This dual purpose use raises questions how to consider a change of utilization of plant resources from food to animal feed within the context of food losses and waste. Similarly if food gets lost or wasted a part of these losses can be converted to animal feed.

Agra Innovate Nigeria

Agra Innovate Nigeria will take place from 24 – 26 November 2015 at the Landmark Centre, Lagos. This event is the country’s leading and only international professional trade platform for the agriculture, poultry, livestock, fisheries & food processing, manufacturing and packaging sector. Launched successfully last year, the event continues to enjoy the full support of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD) and the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG).

Agra Innovate Nigeria provides access to over 2000 serious buyers and distributors from the region and features a high level conference, which attracts senior government and C-level agribusiness professionals

For further information, registration, sponsorship and exhibiter opportunities, go to: www.agra-innovate.com/nigeria

Posted 18 September 2015

Nigeria Agricultural Information: Nigeria’s agric commodities import above N630bn –C...

Nigeria Agricultural Information: Nigeria’s agric commodities import above N630bn –C...: The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has decried the neglect of the agricultural sector by successive governm...

Nigeria’s agric commodities import above N630bn –CBN

The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has decried the neglect of the agricultural sector by successive governments, saying Nigeria is now a net importer of agricultural produce with import bill of over N630 billion.
The governor who disclosed this on Thursday at a workshop organised by CBN and the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) on Innovative Agricultural Products, in Lagos, stated that the large import of food products include wheat, rice, flour, fish, tomato paste, textile and sugar.
Specifically, Emefiele disclosed that the insurance pillar of the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has been activated as this would help reduce risks associated with the sector.  “NIRSAL is built on five pillars

IFAD Commits $27 Million For Rural Agric Development in Nigeria

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says it is implementing a seven-year Rural Agriculture Finance Support Programme aimed at reducing poverty in at least 345,000 rural poor households in Nigeria.  

The programme focuses mainly on women and youth empowerment through job creation, cooperative lending and other sources that will make them financially stable and secure Nigeria’s future.IFAD’s Country Programme Manager,Atsuko Toda, who disclosed this at a meeting with the management of Bank of Agriculture

Agriculture: Nigeria can catch up with Thailand and we’ll help -Amb Limsomboon

Mr. Chailert Limsomboon, the Ambassador of Thailand to Nigeria, was in Enugu and Anambra States to observe the free school meal programme initiated by the Pan-African Community Initiative on Education and Health (PACIEH), an NGO founded by Prof. Uche Amazigo, a public health physician, lecturer and former Director of the World Health Organisation’s African Programme for Onchocerciases Control (WHO-APOC). In this interview, the ambassador speaks on the programme and Nigeria’s potential in agricultural development and expresses Thailand’s willingness to help

 
• 

Mr. Chailert Limsomboon

After going round to see the primary schools where the school meal programme is being run, what is your impression?

Edo Can Feed Nigeria With Rice – Oshiomole

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said the state could feed Nigeria with rice if waiver on the commodity was removed.

“Edo could do a lot if the Federal Government has coherent agricultural policies that do not provide the window for waivers, and expired rice and cheap rice to be dumped on Nigeria,” Oshiomole said following the backdrop of decision of the National Economic Council to promote local production of food crops in states with comparative advantage on them.

Speaking with State House correspondents on Friday in Abuja, Oshiomole decried the waiver granted rice importers by the previous administration, saying that it led to dumping of various goods in the country. He said that the incentive also drove local producers of food items, including rice, out of business.

According to him, big rice millers in Edo State were already waiting to see if a new policy that favours local production will be implemented before they would return to the farms.

Oshiomole said Edo has huge potential for massive rice production but such might not happen until the right policies are made.

He said that Leventis Group, which had a large rice farm in Agenebode, had promised that with the new administration in the country, and controversies over duty waivers removed, it was willing to resume production. He also said that Dangote Group had acquired about 50,000 hectares of land for rice farming in the state and was enthusiastic to go into massive rice farming with the right policies in place.

He said his administration had waived land charges as incentives for big investors in agriculture and urged those interested in investing in the state to embrace the gesture.

Govt inaugurates SME expo committee

Determined to make Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the fulcrum of development in Nigeria and Africa, the Federal Government has inaugurated a multi sector planning committee for the maiden International SME Expo scheduled for the first quarter of next year in Nigeria.

Inaugurating the Committee in his office, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Ajiya Mamman, reminded the members of the committee that the Expo is “aimed at providing a continental forum for policy formulation and exchange of ideas on fostering synergy within the African SME sector, as participants would be drawn from all the continents.

He added that the maiden SME Expo will provide a platform for positive engagements among stakeholders and promote an avenue to draw up a holistic framework directed at addressing the challenges of the sector. He noted that issues relating to challenges on specific products ranging from standardisation, packaging, competitiveness, etc would be addressed in line with global best practices.

While planning, the acting Permanent Secretary enjoined the committee to focus on overcoming the barriers to affordable financing, employment generation, development of SME industrial clusters, export promotion, technological advancement and value addition to products emanating from the sector.

He added: “the Federal Government is committed to addressing the challenge currently facing SMEs sector,” adding: “the on-going efforts would be towards enhancing the development of the supply base and value –chain as a means of boosting rural income and export volume as well as creating employment opportunities and wealth creation for the Citizenry.”

The 27-man committee comprised representatives from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Science & Technology, Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Bank of Industry (BoI), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industry (NASSI), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) among others.

The committee is expected mobilise speakers and resource persons within and across the globe, mobilise resources, exhibition both national and international, determine the content and package of the event similar to any foreign SME Expo. It is also to develop roadmap to address the challenges faced by the SME sector among other issues necessary for the success of Expo.

The committee will mobilise dignitaries, speakers and resource persons for the Expo as well as exhibitors both nationally and internationally.

Nigeria’s agric produce imports exceeds N630b, says Emefiele

There is urgent need for government to give priority to the agricultural sector and save over N630 billion spent in importing agricultural produce, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele has said.

The CBN chief who disclosed this at a workshop on innovative agricultural insurance products, in Lagos at the weekend, said the agricultural sector provides up to 70 per cent of employment in Nigeria and accounts for about 42 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Hello Tractor’s Jehiel Oliver Speaks About “Tractors On Demand” For Nigerian Farmers

So when a startup surfaces introducing techn

ology smarts into farming to make it suck less, it gets my attention.

Hello Tractor is a startup trying to do this. The startup is making tractors available to farmers, on-demand.

D’banj promotes agriculture in upcoming commercial

Lagos - Music star Dbanj is  currently filming a TV commercial for the Bank of Industry’s CAP Fund .
In the commercial D’banj can be seen talking about his ‘Koko Garri’ while asking people to get informed about the CAP (Cottage Agro Processing) Fund.
 The Creative Lead/Social Media Management at Bank Of Industry Limited, Toyin Oyekanmi shared pictures of the commercial on Instagram.
Also read:D'banj makes it confidential
“D’banj shoots TV commercial for his Koko Garri and CAP fund. Cottage Agro Processing ( CAP ) fund is an initiative of the Bank of Industry ( BoI ) which allows beneficiaries to access a N5bn loan to establish small scale plants or mini mills to process Nigeria’s agricultural products.... so instead of going to buy 3 condos in USA ds one is stuck up in 9ja trying to empower d youth? Receive sense IJN” he wrote on Instagram.

A plant breeder and leader, of the Biotechnology research programme, Institute of Agricultural Research at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Mohammed Isiyaku Faguyi, has observed that agriculture should be seen as a business that will engage more work force to yield money for the development of the country.

He noted that it should not be looked upon as government intervention likened to alms giving but should be something that would create wealth for the people of the country.

Expressing this to DAILY POST in Kaduna, he pointed out that Nigeria’s agricultural institutions have contributed immensely to the development of agriculture in the country, stressing that they had generated technologies that, if appropriately deployed and supported, would be translated into huge agricultural production and improve food security.

 He explained that government has recently been struggling with a number of problems such that the potentials of the research institutes have not been adequately harnessed by government.

‘‘These research institutes have enormous capacity if they can be channeled appropriately by government and supported adequately, l am sure they are going to take the agriculture of this country out of its wilderness.

‘‘Let’s cite Ahmadu Bello University with the needed funds and incentives, what can’t this institute do towards ensuring food

security in the country? Even at this level of sub optimum support from government, this institute has developed more than fourteen varieties of Cotton, forty-six varieties of Maize and hybrids, about equal number of Sorghum varieties and about twenty-four of or twenty-five varieties of improved groundnuts with high productivity and agricultural machineries,” he stressed.

He maintained that if all the needed support is accorded agriculture, Nigeria would feed the whole of Africa and with agricultural products being the markets of some countries in Europe, the country has all it takes to provide beef to Europe.

According to him, oil-based products have the capacity to fill in the production deficits in various African countries requirements ranging from all manners of grains and other crops.

Non-oil sector key to economic revolution

At a time like this when the country is facing the challenges of dwindling foreign exchange earnings and depleting foreign reserves, there is need for concerted efforts to develop the nations numerous commodities with a view to diversifying the economy.

Thankfully, presently the non-oil sector holds the key to an economic revolution that would catapult the nation into an economic super power. Given the potentials of the sector to turn the economy around through diversification of the nation’s revenue base from oil to non-oil coupled with its capacity to provide the need for the economic planners to formulate policies that would help stimulate robust activities in the sector

Bauchi farmers benefit from FG’s wheat value chain initiative

Registered farmers numbering 400 have benefited from the wheat value chain initiative of the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS).Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.

He explained that each of the farmers got three bags of fertiliser and improved seeds to enhance their production.

According to him, the cost of the inputs per farmer in the open market is N16, 600, but each beneficiary paid only N6, 150, while the government paid the remaining N11, 350. The director said that the ministry also gave the farmers technical support with proper monitoring to ensure the attainment of the set goals of the wheat value chain.

He noted that the support was part of the government’s efforts to boost wheat production.

“The Federal Government came out with the wheat value chain initiative to assist farmers with inputs and create market for their produce. “This is with a view to boosting productivity and enhancing economic status thereby reducing dependency on importation.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/bauchi-farmers-benefit-from-fgs-wheat-value-chain-initiative/#sthash.ucmxlSvY.dpuf

Registered farmers numbering 400 have benefited from the wheat value chain initiative of the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS).
Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.
He explained that each of the farmers got three bags of fertiliser and improved seeds to enhance their production.
According to him, the cost of the inputs per farmer in the open market is N16, 600, but each beneficiary paid only N6, 150, while the government paid the remaining N11, 350. The director said that the ministry also gave the farmers technical support with proper monitoring to ensure the attainment of the set goals of the wheat value chain.
He noted that the support was part of the government’s efforts to boost wheat production.
“The Federal Government came out with the wheat value chain initiative to assist farmers with inputs and create market for their produce. “This is with a view to boosting productivity and enhancing economic status thereby reducing dependency on importation.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/bauchi-farmers-benefit-from-fgs-wheat-value-chain-initiative/#sthash.ucmxlSvY.dpuf

Registered farmers numbering 400 have benefited from the wheat value chain initiative of the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS).Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.

He explained that each of the farmers got three bags of fertiliser and improved seeds to enhance their production.

According to him, the cost of the inputs per farmer in the open market is N16, 600, but each beneficiary paid only N6, 150, while the government paid the remaining N11, 350. The director said that the ministry also gave the farmers technical support with proper monitoring to ensure the attainment of the set goals of the wheat value chain.

He noted that the support was part of the government’s efforts to boost wheat production.

“The Federal Government came out with the wheat value chain initiative to assist farmers with inputs and create market for their produce. “This is with a view to boosting productivity and enhancing economic status thereby reducing dependency on importation.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/bauchi-farmers-benefit-from-fgs-wheat-value-chain-initiative/#sthash.ucmxlSvY.dpuf

Registered farmers numbering 400 have benefited from the wheat value chain initiative of the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS).
Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.
He explained that each of the farmers got three bags of fertiliser and improved seeds to enhance their production.
According to him, the cost of the inputs per farmer in the open market is N16, 600, but each beneficiary paid only N6, 150, while the government paid the remaining N11, 350. The director said that the ministry also gave the farmers technical support with proper monitoring to ensure the attainment of the set goals of the wheat value chain.
He noted that the support was part of the government’s efforts to boost wheat production.
“The Federal Government came out with the wheat value chain initiative to assist farmers with inputs and create market for their produce. “This is with a view to boosting productivity and enhancing economic status thereby reducing dependency on importation.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/bauchi-farmers-benefit-from-fgs-wheat-value-chain-initiative/#sthash.ucmxlSvY.dpuf

Wheat Value Chain Transformation Team

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) is a component of the general Transformation Agenda of the present administration in Nigeria. One of the identified crop commodities under ATA programme as from the year 2013 is wheat. Its production has over the years witnessed some setbacks which forced the country to spend billions of Naira annually importing it to meet local demand. It is in realization of the need to revamp wheat production in Nigeria so as to be self sufficient in its production that, the Lake Chad Research Institute Maiduguri that has the mandate for the genetic improvement of wheat was given the approval by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to conduct the second phase of the advocacy / sensitization visit to the wheat growing states of Nigeria which is solely sponsored by the Ministry. The tour which started on the 12^th of July 2013 lasted for 7days and took the team to 7 states of Nigeria.

EU, UK, others invest N900bn in Nigeria’s agriculture

Nigeria’s key development partners under the New Alliance Cooperative Agreement Framework/Grow Africa initiative are committed to a funding equivalent of N100bn ($500m) for the country’s agricultural sector for a three-year period, the Federal Government has said.

It also stated that international and local business establishments were committed to make investments of about $4bn (N800bn) in the agricultural sector.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Mr. Sonny Echono, disclosed this on the occasion of the validation workshop on the New Alliance Report involving Nigeria, private sector investors and its development partners.

The development partners, according to Echono, include the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany and the United States.

The permanent secretary, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, FMARD, Mrs. Ademola Abiri, stated that the new alliance was a collaborative approach geared towards developing the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy.

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