Controversy trails N9.6 billion Ges dry season

Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh

There are indications that the payment of the 2016 dry season Growth Enhancement Support (GES) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) may be queried due to a high bill of about N9.6 billion naira despite allegations of haphazard delivery.

Foreign Affairs, CBN pallies NAPRI on Livestock

 Leader of NALIT committee, Prof. Clarence Pakpini extending hand shake with PS, FMFA, Amb Sola Enikanlaiye..

The National Livestock Training Programme (NALIT), a Public-Private sectors driven model to upscale livestock productivity, under the coordination of National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) has received a positive nod from Federal Ministry of Foreign Affair (FMFA) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to achieving market space expansion of the sub sector to the global world through engagement of the youths in capacity building towards standard products of fresh milk, meat and feeds production.

UN’s sanctions on Nigerian produce, a result of export commodity levy misappropriation

United Nation (UN)

The United Nation (UN)’s ban on substandard agricultural produce’s export to any European country may have been hinged on inappropriate utilization of Export Commodities Coordinating Committee (ECCC) levies that are meant to enhance all the productivity processes at all the value chains of concerned produce from Nigeria.

BOI Bureaucracy Stalls Cottage Processing

cassava processing centre, kogi state

* Depositors Demand Interest 

The dream of Federal Government to reduce the post-harvest loses by the establishment of cottage processing centres across the nation since year 2013 may have been stalled by the Bank of Industry (BOI), as processor depositors of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500.000.00) have alleged the bank of non-compliance to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between her and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), just as they have demanded for the interest on their money from the date of deposit.

Brief focus on activities and achievement of Federal Department of Fisheries Under Agric Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh - 2015-2017 Introduction.

Chief Audu Ogbeh

The department of fisheries, Federal ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) under the leadership of the Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and Senator Heinehen Lokpobiri (Minister of state) has witnessed a lot of proactive activities in the last two years (2015-2017) with its positive impact very evident in many ways in the activities and achievement recorded in the fisheries production through the federal Department of Fisheries.

Uganda: Kampalans Demolish 3,000 Kilos of Pork At Festival

Pork

The first-ever pork festival in Kampala took place at Namboole and by 10am on Saturday, the meat's lovers were trickling in, also eager to stand a chance of walking away with 25 kilograms of pork in a raffle draw.

Nigeria: Communal Clashes - Avoid Grazing On Farmlands, Nasarawa Monarch Cautions Herdsmen

Clash

Lawal Musa-Nagogo, the Oriye Rindre in Wamba local government area of Nasarawa state has urged herdsmen to always avoid grazing on farmland in order to avert clashes between them and farmers in the interest of peace and to boost food production in the country.

Ethiopia: Importers Approve Ethiopia's Livestock Quarantine System

Meat production in Tanzania.

Experts of major livestock importing Middle East countries have given approval to the Mille International quarantine system, expected to uplift Ethiopia's livestock export.

Senegalese Women Revive Appetite for Traditional Grains

farmer

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We're at the point now where we can secure high-quality raw materials in sufficient quantities and at stable prices"

After years of watching working mothers switch from feeding their children Senegalese grains to imported rice, Bineta Coulibaly decided to take action.

Diverse Perspectives on Climate Change and Food Systems

 Climate Change

The Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF), supported by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition, recently published a series of dialogues to delve into the connections between climate change and food systems. These dialogues bring together the visions of diverse stakeholders to facilitate a global conversation regarding the challenges of food system reform.

Rwanda: Agriculture Ministry Tips Farmers on Climate Resilient Farming

Climate

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources has tipped farmers on various technologies meant to help combat the disastrous effect of climate change. This was during this year's National Agriculture Show that run from 22-27 June 2017 at Mulindi Agri-show ground in Gasabo District.

press release- South Africa: Minister Senzeni Zokwana - Media Briefing On Avian Influenza Outbreak in South Africa

Avian Influenza

Media Briefing by Minister Senzeni Zokwana Avian Influenza Outbreak in South Africa

Good morning-

The Department alerted poultry owners about the eminent threat of Avian Influenza when Zimbabwe reported their first case at the end of May. The disease, which at that time had been reported in 14 countries, 2 of which were in Africa, had been confirmed in Zimbabwe making it the third country in Africa to be affected.

Surviving the Drought: BCFN YES! Competition Winners’ Jamaican Farmer Field Schools

farmland

Since winning the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition’s YES! Competition last year, Shaneica Lester and Anne-Teresa Birthwright now run a knowledge transfer project for small-scale farmers in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Lester and Birthwright’s program, which focuses on irrigation conservation education, provides farmers with skills and education necessary to combat drought-related issues that impact their lands.

Senegalese Women Revive Appetite for Traditional Grains

farmer

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"We're at the point now where we can secure high-quality raw materials in sufficient quantities and at stable prices"

Free from Debt and Suicide: India’s Natural Farmers

 India’s Natural Farmers

Ashlesha Khadse’s friends in Bangalore’s hi-tech boom are sometimes envious of her work. It’s true that they have their weekends free, but being immersed in a David and Goliath fight for a fair food system seems like pretty meaty stuff.

Kenya: In Kenya's Drylands, Education is an Insurance Policy, but Only for Some

Livestock

Livestock is so central to the economy, food and status of pastoralists in Kenya's northern drylands that formal education has traditionally taken second place to children's role in tending to cows, goats and sheep.

Lesotho: Bumper Harvest Forecast for Lesotho

Lesotho

LESOTHO faces a food security respite this year due to a marked upsurge in both the area planted and yields for maize, sorghum and wheat, a Bureau of Statistics (BOS) report has revealed.

Nigeria: Govt Trains Bee Farmers to Meet EU Honey Export

 Bee

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) have commenced quality guideline training of bee farmers across the country.

Liberia: Stakeholders Validate Draft Food Law and National Standard Act

farmers

A critical stakeholders' meeting was held over the weekend in Monrovia to validate the proposed draft food law and the national standard act to ensure that food and other goods released to the public are evaluated properly to meet international standards of quality and safety.

Tanzania: Govt Insists a Ban On Maize Export Won't Be Lifted

Maize Export

The government has reiterated that the ban on maize exports is here to stay and that those trying to go contrary to the directive may face the music.

Tanzania: Traders Defy Cereal Export Ban, But 104 Trucks Seized

Maize

Barely three days after Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa issued a directive banning export of food crops, the level of defiance among farmers and traders has remained astonishingly high as police in Kilimanjaro had, by yesterday, seized at least 104 trucks smuggling maize into neighboring Kenya.

Nigeria: Why Nigeria's Akinwunmi Adesina Won 2017 World Food Prize

AfDB president Akin Adesina.

The World Food Prize Foundation has explained why Akinwumi Adesina won the $250,000 2017 World Food Prize Laureate prize on Monday.

Nigeria: Govt to Provide Enough Fertiliser for Farmers in 2017

Fertiliser

The Federal Government said yesterday that adequate provision has been made for farmers across the country to have enough fertilize to grow food throughout the year.

Uganda: MPs Want Govt to Act On Sugar Prices

sugar

Parliament has poked holes in a statement by government explaining causes of the current sugar crisis characterized by high prices.

Uganda: Farmers Smuggle Animals Out of Quarantined Areas

cow

Authorities in Nakasongola District have admitted failure in the management and control of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) as some farmers smuggle animals out of from quarantined areas.

Uganda: GMO Bill Back in Parliament After Three Years On Shelf

A research maize field.

Parliament on Wednesday began scrutinizing the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012, which has been on the shelves for more than three years.

Kenya: Distribute Maize Fairly, Millers Tell CS Bett

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Willy Bett addresses journalists at Mombasa port after receiving imported maize

A dispute is brewing between millers and the Ministry of Agriculture over distribution of the imported subsidized maize.

Stakeholders urge FG to provide adequate infrastructures for farmers

Farmers

The Chairman of Abakalike Rice, Hon. Joseph Nnunu, has charged the Federal Government to make agricultural infrastructure readily available and accessible to farmers.

Foreign Affairs, CBN pallies NAPRI on Livestock

Group Picture

The National Livestock Training Programme (NALIT), a public-Private sectors driven model to upscale livestock productivity, under the coordination of National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) has received a positive nod from Federal Ministry of Foreign Affair (FMRA) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to achieving market space expansion of the sub sector to the global world through engagement of the youths in capacity building towards standard products of fresh milk, meat and feeds production.

Zimbabwe: Agro Processors' Meeting Set for Tomorrow

Agro Processors'

Food fortification, Grain Marketing Board commercial activities and fertiliser availability are issues high on the agenda of the agro processors meeting to be held tomorrow.

Ghana: Fishermen Agree to Put a Stop to Light Fishing

Fishermen carrying their fishing nets off a boat at Jamestown, Accra.

press release
 

Fishermen in the coastal regions of the country have agreed to put a stop to light fishing as a measure of arresting the consistent decline in the stocks of fish within the coastal waters.

Sudan: Drinking Water, Bread Shortage in White Nile and North Kordofan

water

A severe drinking water crisis has gripped El Gezira Aba in White Nile state, in south-east Sudan. A bread shortage in El Obeid is causing long queues in front of bakeries.

Malawi, Unicef Launch Humanitarian Drone Testing Corridor - the First Project of Its Kind in Africa

Malawi and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has launched Africa's first air corridor to test the use of drones in humanitarian missions.

FG to compensate 136 poultry farmers who lost their birds to flu

Chicken

The Federal Ministry of Finance will soon commence the payment of N438 million compensation to 136 poultry farmers, in 22 local councils, who lost their birds to avian influenza in Kano.

Food Security in the Niger Delta

food Stuff

The Superhighway project has been controversial from the day it was first announced publicly for many reasons. First, it was routed without regard to the negative impacts it would have on the Cross River National Park (CRNP) and a number of community forests in its path.

PRESS RELEASE -FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO END FARMERS/HERDSMEN CLASHES­­­­­­­­­-INAUGURATES LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE.

Chief Audu Ogbeh

The Federal Government in her determination to end the regular clashes between Farmers/Herdsmen which result in huge loss of lives, crops and properties has inaugurated a Local Organizing Committee.

Agriculture Group: Drought Has Cost Italian Farmers 1 Billion Euros

Drought

Soaring temperatures and a lack of rainfall across Italy have cost farmers 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) so far this year, the national agricultural association said on Friday.

FG Restates Commitment To Job Creation Through Agriculture

Senator Heineken Lokpobiri

The Federal government through the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has again expressed the political will and commitment to creating business employment in agriculture.

Zimbabwe: Fortification Debate Rages

grain milling industry

The grain milling industry has appealed to Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Mike Bimha to engage Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa to rescind his decision to impose a mandatory fortification programme citing lack of adequate consultation on the matter, among other reasons.

How smuggling affects Kebbi paddy rice market fortunes

Rice

For some, Kebbi State is the rice capital of Nigeria. Home to hundreds of thousands of rice farmers with over 500,000 hectares of rice farmlands, the story of rice in the state is, however multidimensional.

Ethiopia: Towards Optimal Utilization of Livestock Sector

Livestock

The rapid economic and population growth in developing countries caused an unprecedented demand for livestock products. The demand is estimated to grow year in and year out and could hit 70% over the coming 30 years, as documents show.

Sokoto to train 2m people on poultry farming

The Sokoto State Government has announced plan to train two million people on poultry farming.

This was contained in a statement signed by Malam Imam Imam, the media aide to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal..

Cottage Processing: Industry Bank, Agric Ministry, private stakeholders meet July 4-5

Cottage Processing

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with the Bank of Industry will be holding a stakeholder meeting on cottage crop processing factory.

RMRDC distributes 10,000 improved oil palm seedlings

farm

The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has distributed 10,000 seedlings of improved variety of oil palm known as Tenera to farmers’ associations and cooperative societies for the 2017 planting season.

Zimbabwe: Avian Influenza - Govt Remains On High Alert

Birds

Government is in the process of mounting a risk based survey of the wild bird population to establish possible primary source of the Avian Influenza, with an external international specialist support team expected in the country this week for backup services.

FG to inaugurate Committee for land use decree

Land

The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh may this week formally inaugurate a committee that will look into better repositioning of National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA).

Editorial- FG yam export, commendable

Yam

The recently launched yam export to Europe and America by the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh is a welcome development that was long overdue--towards expanding the market space for farmers and foreign exchange earnings for the entire nation. This step is indeed commendable and on the right path at this critical point in time when the value of the naira has depreciated, with resultant high prices of food items.

Ethiopia: Enterprise Monopolises Salt Distribution

Salt

The Enterprise plans to distribute 100,000 quintals of iodine-free salt in the next two months

In a letter written to the Ethiopian Industrial Inputs Development Enterprise (EIIDE) two weeks ago, the Ministry of Trade (MoT) gave the full mandate to EIIDE to be the sole distributor of salt that is used as industrial input.

Nigeria Ready to Begin Rice Export By 2018 - NAGB

Rice

The Nigeria Agribusiness Group, a think tank group that advises government on ways to grow the country's agriculture sector, has said that with the successes already recorded in rice production the stage is now set for the country to move from rice importation to rice exportation.