Cassava Growers, Abuja University partner on 1,000 hectares

 Cassava Growers, Abuja University partner on 1,000 hectares 

An Agric partnership deal last Monday was struck between the National Cassava Growers Association ( NCGA) and management, University of Abuja to cultivate 1000 hectares of improved cassava crop using students for commercial production to enhance economic earnings and food security.  

FG promises to enhance soil health, fertility

 * Scientists lament

 The Federal Government ( FG) has reiterated its commitment to achieve soil healthiness and fertility towards a better food nutrition and security in the country, just as scientists expressed disatisfaction on its management.

Global leaders brainstorming in Rwanda on African food security

World leaders and partners in agricultural productivity have yesterday started a conference to address salient challenges confronting food system commercialization and sustainability in Africa.

Editorial - Poor Research funding makes food security vulnerable

The climate change challenges is taking tolls on food security even at the point that no amount has been released to any research institute to perform its statutory capital project responsibilities as the year cross over the middle of the 2024.

How do we relate this to the state of emergency being declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the sector. How can research delivery be helpful to food security when the necessary funding are not timely released. These are the questions on going in the minds of concerned stakeholders.

Apart from much expectations on repositioning the methods and styles of policies implementation of the sector, more expectations on research development is highly envisaged in this present dispensation for smarter climate change agriculture in view of scarcity of foods in Nigeria. 

But all these are all in doubt even as no dime has been released to any Agricutural research institute to justify the seriousness of Government to tackling food security in the country through more availability of new research improvement into farming systems.

Six months have already been counted with no fund being released to enhance research, neither is any concrete direction through the National Agricultural Council Meeting where the decisions to chart direction for the sector is been taken.

Our concern particularly on this editorial is why are we repeating the same mistake of untimely funding to research particularly on matters that relate to food security.

The impact of climate on food security has necessitated the need for research institutes to double their efforts towards drought and floods resistant seed varieties with ecologies adaptability so as to be able to give high yielding crop varieties even in the face of shorter and longer rainy periods as the case may be.

All these will be wishful thinking without a proactive finding system to research and extension, because the present situation where money to operate in our agriculture research institute is a signal to unpreparedness to checkmate food insecurity.

And this must be uppermost in the heart of any Government to help the growth of the food systems in Nigeria.

FG sets to host global conference on rubber

The Federal Government of Nigeria has slated the 30th of July for International Rubber Conference, with an official opening at the Presidential Villa by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Nigeria's Premier Event for Sustainable Innovation

The Nigeria International Agriculture Expo (NIAEXPO) 2024 is set to be the ultimate event for sustainable innovation, research, and scientific advancement in agri-food production.

Collaboration with IAR makes grape seeds available, says President

 

National President Grapes Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdullahi Dalhatu has said that his association is seeds sufficient with eight varieties available through the collaborative relationship with the Institute of Agriculture Research (IAR) Zaria.

Why research findings may not leave the shelves..NAERLs ED

 

The Executive Director (ED) National Agricutural Extension Research Liaison Service (NAERLS) Prof. Emmanuel Ikani has revealed funding delay as a major cause of improved technologies not getting to end users.

Grape farmers appeal govt support for sufficiency, says demand is very high.

The Grape farmers in Nigeria have through its National president, Alhaji Abdullah Dalhatu appealed for government financial support to enhance mass production of the produce towards meeting local and international demands.

Organic: We use Quarantine certification to export yam, says President

 The president of Yam Produce, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Prof. Simon Itwange has said that the only certification that aided all the yams exported some few years back was the one given by the National Agricutural Quarantine Service ( NAQS) as there was no official standards yet for organic produce.