A memorandum supporting an Act to establish the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science delivered by the National President. Prof. Vioctor Chude at the public hearing.

Distinguished Senators, Fellows and members of SSSN, stakeholders and gentlemen of the press. The Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN), founded in 1968 is a registered member of the International Union of soil science. The society aims at promoting and fostering better understanding of basic and applied soil science in Nigeria.

The society also strives to enhance dissemination of knowledge in all aspects of soil science and share ideal with national and International societies through conferences, symposia, lecture, seminars and journal publication. For over four decades, the soil science of Nigeria has made it its cardinal duty to unleash the potentials of Nigeria’s soil through surveys and land evaluation/ capability studies for sustainable agricultural production of food and fibre, professional management and conservation of Nigeria’s soil and rehabilitation of polluted soils and water bodies after oil spills, gas effluents and industrial wastes. We also participate in the Federal Ministry of Environment project on reclamation of devastated erosion gullies and curbing of desert encroachment in Nigeria. In the area of capacity building and human development, the soil science society of Nigeria is at the forefront in encouraging the production of brilliant soil scientists who later hold enviable national and international positions. Our soil fertility and plant nutrition experts rank among the world’ best and have over the decades produced numerous publication such as the fertilizer use and management practices for crops in specific soils in Nigeria for Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Nutrient Response Maps for Nigeria soils, Manuals on soil fertility assessment, soil test based fertilizer recommendations for Extension workers etc. our experts have developed packages for the use of Nigerian phosphate rocks commercially abundant in Sokoto and Ogun states as viable substitutes for imported expensive phosphate fertilizer and have perfected the use of urban refuse as organic fertilizer now applied national wide in Nigerian agriculture. Nigeria soil scientists are fully involved in land use planning and management and in the use of Geographic information system for enhanced agricultural productivity in Nigeria.

Justification for the establishment of NISS
The Society through the Bill 2014 (SB89) is seeking for an enactment of a law to establish its professional arm to be known as Nigeria Institute of soil science which will represent and promote the interest of soil science as a career and professional activity. The following reasons could be adduced fro the establishment of the Nigeria Institute of soil science.

1.    Soil ios the resource base for agriculture and forestry. While there are National Institutes concerned with the regulation and practice as well as research into animal science, crop science, as well as forestry, there is no such Institute to cater for soil science. The ‘disconnect’ needs to be rectified through the establishment of the Nigeria Institute of soil science.

2.    Soil science is a specialized discipline that can only be practiced by appropriately and adequately qualified and experienced scientists and engineers. Nigeria therefore, requires an accredited certification body authorized to issue professional certification of competency or authority to soil scientists and consultancy contractors to enable them participate in soil based projects in agriculture, forestry, industry, recreation and engineering construction work.

3.    The Institute would serve as a one stop shop for information on soil research in Nigeria. At the moment, there is no central place ( a kind of reservoir) where information on soils and soil research in Nigeria is domiciled. Anybody looking for information on soil has to go to Polytechnic and university departments and laboratories scattered all over the country. The establishment of the institute would ensure the availability of such information in a central place.

4.    The first step in the science use of the soil is to produce crop and soil capability and suitability maps after a soil survey exercise. Nigeria at the moment does not have a detailed soil capability and suitability maps on a national basis. The dearth of such information has greatly hampered optimal use of soil resources and by extension, agricultural production. The Institute working with the Ministry of Agriculture and relevant international organization will fill this gap in soil information.

5.    One of the cardinal programme of the Federal Government is the transformation of the agricultural sector. This would greatly reduce unemployment both directly and through the stimulation of ancillary activities. Since soils play a crucial role in agricultural production, the extablishment of an Institute would have a trans-sectoral effect a as soil data are also useful to engineering science, especially civil engineering.

6.    The quantity of imported agriculture inputs is best determined by authorized soil laboratory which itself must be subject to control and accreditation in keeping with best practices in accurate analytical data generation. The Nigeria Institute of soil science is poised to ensure that soil science practitioners in Nigeria uphold the ethics of the profession and guarantee the sustainability of high quality soil. So it will be the bounding duty of the Institute to promote rapid sustainability of high quality soil through scientific method and regulate all issues pertaining to soil management in Nigeria.

7.    The Institute will provide some support services such as capacity building and refresher courses for farmers in land use, soil and fertilizer management in cooperation with other development partners towards achieving sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.

8.    The massive nationwide soil degradation caused by soil erosion, flooding and water-logging, sodicity and alkalinity, deforestation and desertification among many other factors recorded by FAO (1992) and more recently, by Federal Ministry of Environment (2010) will be stemmed progressively with the extablishment of the Institute.

9.    Better land use and soil management nationwide accruing from the dynamic work of the Nigerian Institute of soil science will have far-reaching effects on raising agricultural productivity, farm income and living standards substantially, especially in the rural areas where most of us live.

10.    There is presently no well defined link between teaching and research institutions and the Federal and state Ministries of Agriculture on policy formulation relating to fertilizer use and soil management. This Institute when enacted into law will provide this most desirable linkage.
Similar Institutes in other countries
Many advanced and some third world countries have well established institutes of soil science or an extablishment with the same or similar functions. Examples are: Soil Quality Institute of the USDA, Dockuchaev soil Institute in Russia, Soil science institute/ Academy in Germany, China, Korea, India and even Ghana’s soil research Institute.

Conclusion
Mr. chairman, distinguished Senators, other members of the National assembly here present, my fellow soil scientists, stakeholders in agriculture, ladies and gentlemen, the establishment of the Nigeria Institute of Soil science (NISS) is imperative and desirable and should be supported to further ensure the security of food for the nation through adequate soil management, environmentally friendly fertilizer use and modern agronomic practices. The time to put this structure in place is now.
However, Prof. Chude has expressed appreciation the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President Senate President and senate committee chairman on Agriculture for ensuring positive movement of the bill to next stage. 

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.