BOA advocates e-credit for farmers

Prof Danbala Danju Md/CEO Bank of Agriculture

Agent and ATM networks, mobile phone banking, and the debit cards can all be used to reduce the costs of lending to rural and agricultural clients, while making it easier for rural farmers to access financial services.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Agriculture, Danbala Danja made this assertion in his presentation on the topic: Optimizing the financial support for Agriculture and Agro-business in Nigeria Availability, Accessibility and Limitations.

Danbala Danja who spoke at the sensitization programme on ECOWAS Trade Liberalization scheme held at Royal Choice Inn Makurdi, Benue State, further argued that the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) where farmers were provided inputs like seedlings, fertilizers and chemicals was a bold step in the right direction. 

He lamented on the fall in budgetary allocations to the agricultural sector from 1.7% in 2013 to 1.44% in 2014 and to 0.9% in 2015 which are against 10% of the total annual budget of a member country in which Nigeria is a signatory at the Maputo declaration which according to him is unacceptable.

The MD/CEO Bank of Agriculture observed that the agricultural policies of ECOWAS countries are more competitive than complimentary stressing those countries of the community export the same primary produce including livestock on hoofs, meat, fish nuts and cereals.

There are specific areas where Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries stand to benefit by the harmonization of their agricultural policies, he said. One such area according to Bala Danja is in the development of the large river valleys such as those of Nigeria and the Chad Basin, adding that the harmonization of processing and distribution of livestock products would also help reduce the price disparities prevailing between the countries of the sub-region.

Speaking on the Nomads who control the bulk of the cattle in West Africa, moving freely across National Boundaries in search of food and water, he suggested a possible solution would be the establishment of common grazing reserves which cut across national frontiers at a cost to be borne by ECOWAS.

Danbala Danja who was represented by the Manager, Bank of Agricultural Makurdi Benue State Mr. G. T. Asema, noted that 70% of the country’s poor lives in rural areas and directly or indirectly depend on agriculture as their main source of income and employment.

Despite their socioeconomic importance, smallholders tend to have little or no access to formal credit, which limits their capacity to invest in the technologies and inputs they need to increase their yields and incomes and reduce hunger and poverty, both their own and that of others, he stated. 

He posited that funds should be deployed in consonance with appropriate commodity value chains so that optimum satisfaction can be derived by creditors and agro entrepreneurs alike.

Welcoming participants Amb. Bulus Z. Lolo Permanent Secretary Foreign Affairs stated that the workshop was aimed at assessing Nigeria’s participation and involvement in the ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme, targeted at appraising the challenges being encountered by the Nigeria Business Community in the course of the implantation scheme.

The scheme is thereby programmed to promoting intra-community goods by ensuring removal of import duties and prohibitions/restrictions on goods originating or produced in any of the member states.

Ambassador Bulus lolo, Permanent Secretary Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, who spoke at Royal Choice Inn, Makurdi noted that challenges like bureaucratic bottlenecks and relative low awareness among the Nigerian Business Community in the bountiful opportunities inherent in the scheme and how to tap into it are further worsened by the negative consequences associated with smuggling of goods made outside the West African sub-region.

He challenged the region’s young entrepreneurs, whose enterprises are being nurtured to become the backbone of Nigeria’s industrial and private sector growth and need to be fully abreast with the opportunities available in the scheme, among other ECOWAS programmes.

The Under Secretary African Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amb. Godwin Agamah, had on the occasion enjoined participants to assist in ensuring that member states comply with the provisions of ETLS especially on the issue of Rules of Origin.                                  

He pointed out that the sub-regional body is a huge market that is vital to our national and sub-regional development.

Amb. Agamah urged members of the region to desist from allowing companies to hide under ETLS to sell products that are manufactures in third countries, but rather fast-track the completion of sub-regional infrastructure especially in the transportation sector so as to boost the scheme.      

How southern Africa can unleash its agric potential-DG IITA

The Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga has called on Southern African countries to tap into the youth population in the region to address food insecurity and end unemployment.

Addressing policymakers and youths in the region at a conference organized by Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA), Dr Sanginga said the youth population in the region should be seen as more of an asset than a problem.

“Youths have the energy, and if we are able to tap into this energy we will be able to advance agriculture on the continent,” Dr Sanginga who was represented by Dr Alfred Dixon, said in Durban, South Africa, 3-6 August.

Speaking on the topic:  Unlocking Agribusiness Opportunities for Youth in Southern Africa; the Director General gave an account of how a youth program (IITA Youth Agripreneurs) initiated by IITA in 2012 is attracting youths into agriculture.

“From zero dollars, these youths have been able to grow their income to $700 per month,” he explained.

“On their own, these young men and women are today managing different enterprises including cassava, maize, vegetables, soybean, banana and plantains, fish, and livestock,” he added.

According to him, the experience of IITA from the youth program clearly demonstrated that with institutional support and mentoring, youths could be engaged in agriculture to make a decent living.

The IITA Youth Agripreneurs (IYA) also gave their presentation during the break-away sessions, in the sub-theme 3 group tagged; The Role of Youth in Innovations and Agribusiness Solution: Cassava Case Study by the IITA Youth Agripreneurs. The presentation was titled: “Cassava Product, Processing and Marketing.” 

Mustapha Quadri, a member of IYA, gave the presentation after which he took questions from the audience. The presentation was based on the various products and value addition that can be derived from cassava. Cassava products were concentrated on due to the fact that the exhibition focused on cassava-based products. Participants visiting the exhibition stands liked the cassava products (eg  fufu, garri, tidbits, chinchin, cake and cookies).

Earlier in his keynote address, the Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), DrYemiAkinbamijo said, “Agricultural sector needs to be transformed in order to provide employment for the youth in Africa and we need to increase value addition to attract the youth.”

The Executive Director of CCARDESA, Prof Timothy Simalenga on his part commended IITA and other partners for initiating youth programs to attract youths into agriculture, and emphasized that CCARDESA would continue to support agricultural development in the region with emphasis on getting more youths engaged in agriculture.

Those who attended the meeting from IITA were: Dr Alfred Dixon, Mr Godwin Atser, UgheokeAvoedoghia Diana,Mustapha Quadri, Christophe Kongolo, Caroline Liwena, Bupe Gwasa, Ronald Ongario and Christine Zamugurha.

The unseen opportunities- by MD Flower Gardens

Abraham Akawu, MD Flower Gardens

Floriculture and nursery industries together are often referred to as ‘ornamentals’ or ‘the ornamental industry’ or ‘non-food agriculture’. The phrase ‘ornamental horticulture’ also includes the sod and Christmas tree industries. A review of the ornamental horticulture has shown a wider benefits that many people do not know about as revealed in our interview with one of the practicing stakeholders who said that the plants can provide multiple benefits to the economy, environment and human lifestyles as many of these benefits are not well known or understood by the general population.  As a result, there is a considerable opportunity for the ornamental horticulture industry to sell more products based on its benefits. Read the rest of excerpts with Seun as Mr. Abraham Akawu of the MD Flower Gardens at the Jabi Primary School spoke on the opportunities at flower cultivations.

Can you introduce yourself?

I am Abraham Akawu in charge of the MD Flower Gardens at the Jabi Primary School, which I will call a family business, because it is a business our father introduced to us as it was also introduced to him. The MD Flower Garden has been in existence for past twenty years now. 

Why are you doing this business?

As I earlier said MD Flower Gardens is a business introduced to us by our father who we also believed has inherited the business from his own father too. I will tell you that flower horticulture business is a business that pays more the other aspect of agriculture. The flower horticulture business is no just a business but a means of employment, to tell you the truth we have close to about seven (7) staff here and we also have a branch at the Idu Yard junction opposite Pepsi junction with another set of workers. Yes so many people see us managing flowers, but because they have failed to ask questions they remain ignorant to see the opportunities in the business.

How would you describe the business?

 Early civilization has found that plants were used to furnish foods, medicines, clothing and shelter. Ancient Chinese documented the many uses of plants for beautification. Plant collections were an important activity by the Egyptian military and commercial expeditions, and Egypt became a breeding ground for plant magic. 

The Greeks excelled in their inventiveness of plant superstitions. Christian priests in Europe used plants and flowers as teaching tools, and missionaries brought back to church garden flower plants as source of ornaments. Those who preserved flowers’ lawn and achieved both good and bad with plants during the Renaissance were called witches or herb women. Victorian times witnessed many wealthy countries using flowers and plants for ornamental uses, sometimes paying enormous sums to collect and house their prizes. 

As more people gravitated toward cities during the Industrial Revolution they began to use plants as decoration, being a reminder of their rural heritage and improvement of their surroundings. In Canada, after both World Wars, the surge in immigrants with backgrounds in cultivation of plants, coupled with improvements in transportation, government disseminated production information, growing methodologies and technologies, and breeding of new varieties all encouraged the development of greenhouse and nursery facilities for growing ornamental plants.

What is the economic benefit of Floriculture?

There are many benefits that one can derive in this business ranges from economic to environmental and what I want to call a life style. Under the economic benefits, having a particular species of flowers in the house can give your home a cooling environment that may not require spending money on any air-conditioner that will be gulping energy money in terms of electricity. Also a well flowered lawn house will attract rentals because everybody will like to live or work in a beautiful environment just as someone will be attracted to paying a premium price on a well floriculture house. There is no way a tourism business will strive without injection of floriculture of using flowers to beautify an environment.

On environmental benefits, it can be used to moderate urban climate extremes occasioned by climate change, mitigate urban heat island as flowers produce oxygen, sequester carbon and ameliorate pollutions thereby improving air quality both indoor and outdoor. It has high potential of phytoremediation to mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the contaminant material and dispose of it elsewhere as it Improves water quality, treat sewage and wastewater, Improve water management (flood control) and erosion control, reduce impacts of weather through windbreaks and shelterbelts, reduce noise pollution, control urban glare and reflection, attract birds and other wildlife.

Lifestyle Benefit- Reduces stress and improve productivity at workplace or any school environment as it can calm and reduce discomforts, hasten recovery of patients in the hospitals as it serves as practical horticultural therapy to improve mind, body and spirit. Improve general quality of life in urban settings, Create pride in community through community gardens and allotment gardens. It is use to get attention and concentration improvements for children, reduces aggression and violence, provide space for recreation, enhances sport field safety, encourages healthy active and passive lifestyle pursuits.

How are you making the market?

To survive, the industry has to sell more plants or flowers and obtain higher prices. The four ways to increase ornamental sales are: Increase the number of households who are purchasing and younger customers. Increase the frequency of purchases by existing buyers. Increase the transaction value per buying occasion. Create a popular culture of personal use and enjoyment of ornamentals.

Can you list some of the flowers you have here for customers?

Mentioning a few of the flowers Zebralin, Antrium, Efaventure.

What are the challenges faced in the business?

The cost of maintenance I will say is our major problem, during the dry season; we need more water to wet our plant depending on the location, if there is no water at the location then we need to buy, which is an additional cost.

How do you breed your flowers?

We breed our flowers through their appearance and study. These plants before displayed in our garden must have undergone research and study on how it grows, its lifespan, its sunlight attribute etc. Floriculture farmers produce about 6,000 species of cut flowers, potted flowering plants, houseplants, cut foliage, bedding plants, bulbs, cuttings for propagation, food and medicinal plants in greenhouses and outdoor-grown cut flowers.

Nursery farmers produce about 9,000 species of annual and perennial plants, woody shrubs (foreign flowers), deciduous and coniferous trees, roses, outdoor garden flowers, Christmas trees and sod.

However, the domestic market for ornamentals has remained relatively flat, despite the increased interest in gardening and landscaping over the past two decades. This is because flowers, indoor plants and landscaping have to compete with many other luxury items. The Nigerian horticultural industry can produce approximately 2 billion naira or more annually if investments are proactively deplored to the sub sector by our government.

Cotton stakeholders advocate RMRDC empowerment, demand quality seeds and market.

cotton

The National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOSAN) in a meeting organized by the umbrella body Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) has strongly advocated for more funding to Raw Material Research Development (RMRDC) based on its strong commitment to ensuring intervention for mass production of agricultural raw materials for industrial uses through quality inputs provision through other mandates agencies or any private sector with ingenuity capacity which it has exhibited in cotton, tomatoes and many other crops. 

While the RMRDC was noted for its contributions to locally produced local raw  materials for  industrial uses to checkmating the import bills running to billion  on agricultural materials alone for further industrial foods and other products for further manufacturing and production with evidence of positive impact in the many crops, especially in cotton quality production for textile industry according to spokesmen of NACOSAN) in a meeting organized towards ensuring standard to prevent rejections in the global markets.

Commending RMRDC, the Chairman of NACOSAN, Ondo state, Mr. Ogungbe Richard said the passionate effort of representative of RMRDC towards encouraging cotton farmers in the south through provision of quality seeds saying its activity in this regards is very encouraging and disserved more government financial support for her to continue in making local raw materials availability for industrial uses through research intervention of quality seeds and processing materials.

Mr. Richard pointed that the South West cotton market potential in the world market’s demand is increasing day by day as more foreign textile companies abroad are showing interest as off takers thereby asking for more potent, improve and ecology adaptable variety quality seeds for this region stressed that there is need to researching into long stable variety of Samcot 11 for the use of farmers.

According to him “At a conference held outside this country which I attended, about 12 companies in China identified with South West cotton and that is what brought Arewa Company into the South. I want to commend the effort of officers of the RMRDC and also solicit for FG more funding for the council because of their passion for development of locally produced raw material to checkmating imports through supply of quality seeds for standard produce; otherwise many of us would have quitted farming in the region. But I must say there is need to establish cool room for prevention of improved seeds quality because cotton in the region can give 500,000 job if properly positioned”.

The Edo state NACOTAN, Rev. Moris supporting the view of his colleague from south west said that there is need for more logistic for cotton and other crops’ production in the region adding that farmers need to replicate more foundational seeds for more multiplication