NACGRAB, NIHORT frowns at unregister seeds, stakeholders seek support for vegetation production

The National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) and National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) have both expressed concern on the numerous numbers of unregistered seed varieties in circulation saying they are great vice to the agricultural development just as stakeholders at the seeds submit recently organized at Abuja solicited for more government support for vegetation production in the country.

Dr. Sunday Aladele, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NABRAB in his presentation at the seeds summit pointed the need for all the seeds imported into the country to be duly registered so as to have the data history of all the varieties in NABGRAB adding that his organization had documented all various types of improved seeds in catalogue pointed a seed variety that the country did not have its history and genetic character may be a vice in the development of agriculture.

In her speech also, the Executive Director of NIHORT, Dr. Adenike Olufolaji who was represented by Mrs. Sade Taiwo had solicited for more support to horticultural development in the country as much emphasis have always been for food crops living behind horticulture despite  huge economic potential in the sub sector adding that a policy that will ensure testing of seeds and certification must be put in place to certify seeds being transferred to farmers thereby curbing  any vices it may attract into our agricultural development.

However the stakeholders at the meeting had said NIHORT had not released any improved vegetable variety in the last years saying a policy must be channelled towards enhancement of vegetables production by the ATA of Federal government for the purpose of properly benefiting in the economic potential of the produce and its nutritional advantages to the body.

A woman, member of horticultural society of Nigeria in the meeting had advocated for a special programme for vegetable crop in the country saying this would be necessary for the benefit of our children in terms of health advantages and its ability to assist in the creation of jobs and wealth without using large expanse of land through availability of improved varieties of seeds for farmers.

According to the woman “there is need for the federal government to develop a special programme for vegetable because of its huge potential for the health of our children and economic importance. Sadly we do not have seed programme on vegetables except for onions and tomatoes”

Also, Dr. S.T Yusuf from Federal University Minna, also shared the view of other stakeholders saying that policy of government must give more support to horticultural development like food crops adding that other countries like India and Kenya are already enjoying the economic potentials in horticultural development through proactive policy for the sector adding that NIHORT must be well supported and funded for it to perform effectively. 

Stakeholders jointly agreed that foreign materials are more benefiting in vegetables seeds production than local companies saying NIHORT has not released any vegetable variety but argued this gathering must provide solution on how West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAP) and ATA could effective assist the Institute for the purpose of enhancing the economic potentials in the sub sector into the country to the fullest.

Our cooperatives economy can be enhanced through properly lending regulations with macro finance banks say Mrs Grace kikelomo of RUFIN, she spoke with food farm news on how the policy can be effectively deployed.

Can we meet you madam?

My name is Grace Kikelola, I work with Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) as desk officer for partnership and collaboration with the Federal Department of Cooperative (FDC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and apex body of National Association of Micro-Finance Institution (ANBMFI)

What is the role of RUFIN in all this?

RUFIN is the Federal Government of Nigeria and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded project. The essence is to create an enabling environment for the micro finance sector to strive in a sustainable manner in the country and also to equally build capacity of practitioners which includes the Micro finance Institutions and the financial cooperatives towards being able to provide their mandated services of ensuring access to credit loan by the rural active poor in the rural communities.

If I may ask, how long has this partnership started?

We started collaboration in 2009, and since then, it has been getting better because when we started, it was not easy breaking through some bureaucracy and system that were in place as this programme is to enhance more efficient and better performance push by the involving financial Institutional agencies to do what they do to better the system and micro finance environment.

Now since 2009, how has it really affected rural villages’ cooperatives?

You know access to credit has really been a challenge as when you go to field and ask any farmer in the rural communities about access to credit. The response has always been none ability to get credit to enhance his or her business. So RUFIN has been trying to link these groups of people to financial cooperative, or micro finance banks or financial Non Governmental Organization (NGOs). However we have recorded tremendous progress with the NGOs of financial Institutions and cooperatives lending very well to these poor groups. About 80% of the active poor groups have got credit leverage as there are about 6,600 rural groups that we have captured in our data base. We are already working with Micro Finance Banks to leverage on their ability to lend to the groups. Before now all these group lack financial management of book keeping and cooperative management and also lack basic criteria on how to access finance, but now we have put many of them through on how to access the fund from micro finance Institution.

Can you throw light on issue of counterpart and states that are involved?

We have 12 states including Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nazarawa, Edo, Imo, Oyo and Lagos

Enhancing local business, stakeholders hail cooperative regulation.

In its determination to substantiate her leadership as new emerging economics in Africa, the Federal Government Nigeria (FGN) in partnership with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the department of cooperation is now repositioning the sub sector towards enabling the active poor in the rural communities to have access to loan through a proactive regulated policy that will ensure more access to business credit facility.

At a meeting tagged “ an interface with state departments of cooperatives, leaders of RUFIN mentored financial cooperatives and micro- finance officers of the 12 pilot states” recently organized by the Department of Cooperative, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD),the director, Dr. Dickson Okolo said the enhancement of the cooperative societies towards being able to access loans as a group would assist many rural active poor farmers and other businesses in the rural communities with attendant positive impact to the nation’s economy with increased earning of people adding that a policy paper for regulation  will soon be presented to the national executive council for approval. 

Dr. Okolo emphasized the need for proper mainstreaming the cooperative societies into financial business so as to enhance a rural driven economy where the farmers, processors and marketers can have access to credit facilities through micro financial banks and other bigger organized cooperatives just as he mentioned a bill for an act to enable micro finance operation with cooperatives with regulation will be soon sent to the National Assembly. 

Some of the cooperative representatives commended the positive impact the injection of the present leadership of  Federal cooperative , FMARD saying the financial base of their multipurpose have increased they keyed into the new regulation policy of the present macro economy policy of the federal government and RUFIN. 

“RUFIN is the Federal Government of Nigeria and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded project. The essence is to create an enabling environment for the micro finance sector to strive in a sustainable manner in the country and also to equally build capacity of practitioners which includes the Micro finance Institutions and the financial cooperatives towards being able to provide their mandated services of ensuring access to credit loan by the rural active poor in the rural communities” said Mr. Kikelomo.

Internal corrupt practices rocking ATA

The Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Mr. President through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) is facing internal corruption that Is already negatively challenging the progress the programme would have recorded. 

Food Farm News reliably gathered that an ordered compact cassava milling machines imported from China for the purpose of enhancing processing of agricultural produce at the value chains since 2012 have been facing challenges of being unable to be cleared from the custom duty post which was occasioned by inflation of the custom duty by some officials of the ministry through assumed connival with the clearing agent as the custom officials invited agent for interrogation before being detained for conflicting statement.

It was reliable gathered that the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi had to issue query to the Permanent secretary, Mrs Ibikun Odusote based on the unnecessary delay of the machines from being cleared from the Tin Can Highland of the custom services.

 Our source confirmed that the intervention of the overall boss of Nigerian Custom services was able to uncover that some of the items have been moved from the port authority to a hideout ware house in Abuja just as the acclaimed amounts for clearing was discovered to have been inflated from about forty million to N120 million which therefore resorted to the detention of the clearing agent. 

Already majority of the stakeholders in the sector have been calling for the total review of the Growth Enhancement support scheme of the government based on the lapses which is suspicious of corruption as cases of faulty farmers’ compilation and figure inflation have been accused of the process.

In many of the states farmers have complained about manipulation of figures and alteration of original lists which has made it impossible for many genuine farmers to get access to the subsidized inputs of the federal government.

Stakeholders posited that farmers should be left to patronized private companies of their choice for input procurements as they wanted government to concentrate of creating friendly policy and environment that will grow the sector into commercial business adding the present operation have deviated from the initial plan of the Minister.

Sources confirmed that many corrupt dimensions have crept into the ATA  through exorbitant spending on ceremony like tents, printing programmes of event, payment for master of ceremony which is the mandate function of the department of Information in the ministry  and many others frivolities where millions that suppose to be spent on more meaningful things that would have positively affect the development of the sector are being channeled to their family friends and faith cronies at the expense of poor farmers and research Institutional development.

 Food farm news also gathered that an eye brow has been raised by a deputy director in the procurement department of the ministry for non proper procedure for how about 3 billion naira meant for cassava mechanization was spent as the issue has been referred to the due process office of the Head of service of the Federal Government for more clarification.

Looking at JASCO from inputs and production impact on farmers.

 The Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company Limited (JASC0) is very strategic when it comes to both animal and crop inputs` support to small household farmers in the state cum the neighbouring ones like Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Kastina with evidence of what the food farm news sees on its visit to where young farmer are using mechanized machine to harvest rice and seeds centre at Birin kudu.
At the inception of this administration in 2007, Dr. Sule Lamido, the Executive Governor of the state, according to the General Manager (GM) JASCO, Alhaji Hassan Idris Girbobo had to set up this outfit (JASCO) for the purpose of tackling the challenges of small scale farmers not getting input supplies as only less than 10% of them are enjoying the government`s subsidy which is meant to enhance food production and wealth saying “ when this administration came in 2007 based on diagnosis, we discovered that less 10% of our small holders’ farmers are using improved inputs for their production. This improve inputs include seeds, agro chemicals and other essential ones.

Through this company, the GM, Alhaji Girbobo told us that farmers` capacity have been built in terms of using mechanized inputs to enhance both crops and animals` production thereby creating jobs and wealth through more earning occasioned by labour cost effectiveness as a visit to irrigated rice plantation at Gamsarka where harvest is ongoing revealed the positive impact of JASCO as regards provision of modern tools for quick planting, harvesting and processing.

Speaking with the head of farmers at the rice plantation site, Mallam Ibrahim Garuba said the government assistance through JASCO has really assisted them in mechanized ways of planting and harvesting with combined machine saying it has really reduced labour cost as more youths are being employed because they are now attracted to farming with the use of mechanization method and use of improved seeds of rice Faro 44.

The injection of combined harvesters into farming activities in the state according to Alhaji Girbobo was the belief of His Excellency as a means of attracting youths into farming which is already yielding dividend as of them are already keying into farming as food farms news` visit to Gamsarka irrigated rice plantation confirmed some of the youths using the modern machine to harvest and thresh thereby reducing hard work and losses that is usually recorded during harvest.

He added the importance of rice production in this dispensation to checkmate exorbitant import bill and generate job for our teeming youths has necessitated the state government to assisting farmers with a combine rice harvester thereby reducing hard work of cutting, heaping and threshing with more coverage of larger expanse of land in less time.  We also provide net against invasion of birds from far countries as this easily handled simple machine by the youths will make farming easy in planting, harvest and processing in very holistic manner.

It was obvious that the activities of JASCO in the state cut across both animals` nutritional food, and crops inputs as about seven (7) agro chemical have been customized according to the JASCO GM to checkmate adulteration, and thereby enhancing economic power of farmers just as he pointed that animals nutritional food are being given to livestock farmers during critical period to compliment ATA of the Federal government.

Alhaji Girbobo said “in animal feeds production as it is imperative to compliment the effort in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) through the supply of nutritive feed to the livestock farmers especially during the critical feeding period which is April-June. Feeds for dairy cattle ‘fatling and reproductive rations are produced using local available materials which are scientifically formulated to meet the nutritional requirement of the livestock” 
At the Birinkudu seeds centre, food farm news saw work going on towards enhancing the tonnage production per hour based on the increased demand of improved seeds of rice, sorghum, cowpea, sesame, millet groundnut by farmers in the state and the neighboring ones.

“This year we process five tons per hour and what you are seeing today is the installation of these machine for more production of certified seeds which we sell to farmers at a very subsidized price lower than other private seeds companies in the country as our own price is 5% lower than other. The quality of our seeds cannot be compromised because the farmers know our logo very well and National Agricultural Seeds Council can attest to the quality of our seeds. In the last GES we are made to supply the state and Kano which we did effectively well” said the GM.

Sokoto Government support cassava farmers with N140milion

In the spirited effort of ensuring the development of cassava economy against the background that the produce is majorly a southern crop, the Governor of Sokoto, Alhaji Magatakarda Wamakko has released a total of about One Hundred forty millions naira to support farmers in the state for its national association membership registration and Bank of Agriculture (BOA) 10% deposit for the purpose of attracting Federal Government intervention fund.

Speaking to Food farm News, the Vice President of National Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Alhaji Abubakar Chika Aliyu,a Sokoto state origin said that the Executive governor has assisted about 7000 farmers who are state indigenes to pay N35million as membership registration fees and also 10% of N150,000.00  each to Bank of Agriculture (BOA) as an account deposit requirement for cassava intervention loan. The rest of his excerpts are stated below
Can we meet you sir?
My name is Abubakar Chika Aliyu, the Vice-Presdent, National Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) from Sokoto state.

What is the assessment performance of cassava in Sokoto state?
You see when you talk about cassava, it is not in Sokoto state alone, i am representing the whole nation. But if you want me to speak on Sokoto state, I will gladly do that. In the whole of the Federation, I am proud to say that the Executive Government of Sokoto state has done very much in farming and not cassava alone. Almost all aspect of farming he has touched. His Excellency has done so much for cassava farmers, he is the only Governor in the whole of the Federation that have paid the thirty five million naira National Cassava Growers Association’s (NCGA) registration money for the whole seven thousand cassava farmers in the state. He has also assisted them to pay the required 10% Bank of Agriculture account deposit that will qualify them for N150,000.00 loan  provided by the Federal government as 10 billion naira intervention fund for cassava.

Can you expatiate on this 10% mandate deposit to BOA?
The 10% is the amount requested from each farmer as deposit into BOA before the cassava intervention of N150, 000.00 to each farmer can be collected. This amount of 10% has to be paid by all farmers throughout the federation, but because of the special love of the sokoto state Governor for farmers especially cassava, he had to pay for every registered farmers. It is the only state that has a booklet of all the cassava farmers in the country. The NCGA has a complete list of cassava farmers in the state. One in the Federal ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, one in the state ministry of Agriculture and one at the association office. Practically I will say we have the record of the all cassava farmers in the state, we know them by their name, and telephone numbers, farm locations and their BOA account numbers. This is a reflection of better repositioning of association to meet present day ATA reality of using farmers cooperative to drive farming as business.

Are you saying issue of political farmers is now ruled out in the present dispensation arrangement?
Yes that era is gone because all your identity must reflect in our record before you can be accepted as our members. And when you talk about cassava before, people don’t take it serious. Thank God the Federal Government was able to reposition it from being seen as consumable alone, but start adding value to it for other industrial uses-like ethanol, glucose syrup, sweetener etc. As a matter of fact, we position this crop properly; this nation can use it to sustain its economy.

What is your reaction to cassava being regarded as southern crops?
Let me tell you one thing, our Governor is the only one that has over 200 hectares of cassava. If you go there now, you can see the farm. See the love he has for the production. The same with the commissioner for agriculture and the permanent secretary, and the Director of Agriculture also have a farm. You see, not only the common men are producing cassava in Sokoto state, but the elites also are in the production. The Sokoto production in term of cassava alone can feed the whole nation.  Because initially people believe cassava is just meant for consumption but we have now realized that the crop has a lot of things to be used for apart from consumption but industrial uses. There is a lot of prospect for it in Sokoto state with 7,000 being registered as cassava farmers producing 10 hectares each. You can imagine what quantity they will produce yearly.