Editorial: Benue state: agric facilities collapse, food basket leaks. By Nenge Liam, Makurdi.

Though Benue State is the acclaimed Food Basket of the Nation, the position has depreciated significantly, and today states like Nassarawa, Niger, Taraba and Plateau seemed to be far ahead in the growth and production of varieties of farm produce. This is as a result of total neglect of farmers in the provision of farm inputs especially tractors, agricultural loans, improved seeds and agricultural extension services in the recent past.

Before the advent of civilian administration of Senator George Akume and Hon. Gabriel Suswam who have ruled the State for the past 16 years, Agricultural infrastructures at Ministry of Agriculture, Benue Agriculture and Rural Development Agency, Department of fisheries, Fertilizer Processing Company, and several demonstration farms dotted all over the State were functional.

All these infrastructures have collapsed and their premises overgrown by weeds while snakes and reptiles are all over the places.

The state ministry of Agriculture headquarters that harbored functional tractors and extension vehicles and well trained officers and scientists has become a ghost of itself with no single tractor in sight. Apart from the office of the Commissioner, Permanent Secretary and Director of Agriculture, most offices remain shut with other roof tops begging for rehabilitation with only 20 staffers counted on the spot during food farm news visit to the place. 

Food Farm News visit to the State Agriculture and Rural Development Agency revealed that the place has become the shadow of itself as weeds and grasses have taken over the place due to none agricultural activities going on.

 Benue state agricultural extension services was established to offer extension services and provide improved seeds, facilitate and grant foreign partnership for the local farmers. Ensure that tractors, harvesters, pesticides and several other farm inputs are offered to farmers at subsidized rates. 

Also the department of Fisheries was not in anyway spared as marketing of fingerlings and hatcheries have stopped just as Fertilizer Processing and Manufacturing Company Located along Makurdi-Naka Road is not operational as at the time of filing this story.

It was gathered that the fertilizer company used to chunk out thousand tons of finished products to the farmers in the state and others in the country as trailer load of fertilizers are being moved out on daily basis in their hundred.

Consequently, the state is now losing her bride of being the food basket of the nation as all measures that ensured this are no more functioning due to neglect on the part of state government just as the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s agricultural transformation agenda was not allowed to strive to the benefit of farmers.

When One billion naira was allocated for disbursement to Benue farmers like other states, food farm news gathered that the farming families who are the major producers of yams, maize, cassava, potatoes, mangoes, oranges, soyabeans, beniseeds, rice and tomatoes were completely sidelined and denied the facility under the disguise of corporate and mechanized farming.

 A source told us that only a paltry of 1.5 million naira was extended to the Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) as the only registered farmers out of the over 8,000 registered farmers in the state while several protests and petitions by other farmers fell on deaf ears.

Top State Government Agricultural Scientists and officials who spoke to Food Farm News on condition of anonymity lamented the despicable neglect of the sector by the past governments as never in the history of Benue State before. Agricultural festivals like Agricultural Shows, Lake Aketa Fishing Festivals and a host of others including the posting of Agricultural extension workers to villages have all disappeared under the past civilian administrations in the state.

Anambra Agric Programme Attracts $745m

Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has said that his administration’s agricultural programme aimed at making the state self-sufficient in food production has attracted about $745million in less than two years.

Governor Obiano who disclosed this at the weekend while flagging-off this year’s farming season at Otuocha, in Anambra-East local government area of the state, expressed satisfaction with the injection of $150 million (N30 billion) by Coched Farms Limited, a subsidiary of Coscharis Limited into its agricultural project in the state.

He further announced that Joseph Agro Limited, has invested the sum of $200 million (N40 billion) into its rice farming project in the state.

Governor Obiano further disclosed that Ekcel Farms in Umueje community, has invested $220 million (N44 billion) in cassava and tomato paste production, adding that Lynden Farms Limited, plans to set up an ultra-modern poultry farm in the state at the cost of $60 million ((N12 billion).

Governor Obiano emphasized that agriculture remained the corner stone of his administration, adding that his administration targets to become one of the three top states in the country in agricultural production.

He observed that the only way to sustain the gains already made in the agricultural sector is “to seek creative ways of multiplying the prospects of farming as a rewarding enterprise for farmers.”

He said, “As a consequence of this, we have created the Anambra State Farmers Enhancement Scheme to boost the chances of success for smallholder farmers in the state.”

Earlier in his speech, the commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Afam Mbanefo, said that the 2015 farming season with the theme “Pushing the Frontiers of Agriculture in Anambra State,” provided an opportunity for the governor to interact with farmers and stakeholders in the sector.

In his goodwill message, the South-East regional director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Uche Nwafor, commended the Anambra State government for supporting the federal government’s Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.

Wheat Production: Nigeria Still Far From Millers’ Demand

As the country looks towards reduction in wheat imports, wheat farmers in Sokoto and Kebbi States relish their experiences in the production of wheat as they claimed the federal government has not been encouraging enough. They spoke to Agbo-Paul Augustine in their farms in Sokoto and Kebbi recently
Aliyu Maigoro, 9, a primary four pupil of the 40-year-old Magaji Rafi model primary school in Tudan Wada, Sokoto North local government area enjoys his biscuits as he walks to school in the morning. He munches his sweetened biscuits with all pleasure, far from the intrigues of wheat farming and the ordeal millers’ face in getting the vital cash crop to feed their factories thousands of kilometres away from Sokoto.

Wheat also known as Alkama by the locals in northern Nigeria is the main source of flour production, biscuits and other confectionery in Nigeria. The production of wheat in Nigeria is said to be about 300,000 metric tonnes a year, a sharp contrast to about 4.2 million metric tonnes millers require to keep their factories in operation.

According to the executive director, Lake Chad Research Institute, Dr Oluwasina Olabanji, the average grain yield for wheat in the country is above 2.0 tonnes per hectare, although research has shown that this can be easily tripled if proper varieties and crop management is adopted.

The poor production level in Nigeria has put the cost of importation of wheat at a staggering N635 billion (about $4 billion) annually. The federal government through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) came with various measures including the inclusion of 10 per cent cassava flour to wheat flour production.

The Wheat Transformation Agenda, which is part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the outgone government, has a major target to increase national production from 300,000 metric tonnes to about 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum by 2017.

When LEADERSHIP Sunday took a tour of some wheat production belts of Sokoto and Kebbi states recently, it was clear that the challenges facing wheat production in Nigeria are enormous, many wheat producers are frustrated.

Wheat is planted in November and harvested early March and requires diligent attention because it is a sensitive crop. In Sokoto State, farmers revealed that their major challenges in the state are farm inputs, improved seedlings and access to finance and market.

Wheat is produced in Goronyo, Illela, Gwadabawa, Wamako, Yabo, Wurno, Sabon Birni, Kebbe, Shagari and Gada LGAs and largely rely on water from the Goronyo Dam while others rely on self-help.

The chairman, Wheat Farmers Association, Sokoto State, Mohammed Mahe Marafa speaking to FoodFarmNews in Goronyo said when the going was better, Sokoto produce more than 30,000 metric tonnes of wheat in three months.

Marafa noted that the government in the past buys wheat from farmers around Sokoto, but that stopped in 1985, a situation that has put farmers at a precarious situation. “We produce while government buys and give us money, but later government withdrew in 1985 and the situation has remained so till date,” Marafa said.
He said they were limited by the federal government to a certain variety which was given in addition to few fertilizers which were far from being enough.

“We got more than 500 bags (25 tonnes) because the seedlings they gave us were meagre. The most disheartening aspect of the whole thing was that the federal government that gave us the variety never showed up to buy the harvest from us.

“From the month of March, we kept waiting and waiting and up to November, another planting season came without a trace of the government.”

He said the Sokoto State government did not show much interest in wheat production. However, Marafa noted that wheat farmers are looking out for markets to sell their produce.

In Kebbi State, wheat is found in large quantity in Argungu, Augie, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Kalgo, Jega, Maiyama, Dandi, Suru, Bagudo, Koko/Besse, Shanga, Yauri, Ngaski and Gwandu LGAs.

Alhaji Muhammad Sahabi Augie, a wheat farmer who represented the president, Kebbi State Wheat Farmers Association, Ibrahim Argungu, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that fuel cost, lack of mechanisation, high interest rate for credits from banks including the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) at 13 per cent is still not low enough for wheat farmers.

He stated that though the state has about 20,000 farmers, the number is likely to increase if the government is seen to be serious with wheat farming programme. The high loss by farmers has forced many to turn their back on the grain.

Augie however, stated that farmers are trying to key into the federal government’s ATA programme. ‘Some are just trying to test the waters and ascertain government’s readiness, especially with buying back the produce. If farmers get good support in terms of inputs, fertilizer, implements (threshers) and market, the number would quadruple the present figure’.

Wheat harvest in Kebbi State according to Augie is about 990 tonnes, no sales has been made yet. The variety mostly planted is that from the Lake Chad Research Institute, called Atilla Gan Atilla, an exotic breed that gives an average of 4 – 4.5 tons per hectare.

Augie also believes establishing relationship with flour milling companies with an ‘outgrowers’ scheme would be much better than bank credits because every party to the arrangement would be very committed to see to the success.

He pointed out that engagement to thriving wheat farming would employ a lot of youths and reduce restiveness, thus improving the peace of the area and society at large.
In Kebbi State, farmers say the government buys wheat at N25,000 a bag but in Sokoto State, farmers are not that lucky to enjoy government patronage.

When contacted, the immediate past commissioner of agriculture, Sokoto State, Mohammed Arzika Tureta declined to make any statement on the matter. But a senior official in the ministry who pleaded for anonymity said wheat farmers in Sokoto State rely on the open market to sell their farm produce as ‘government does not buy wheat from local farmers in the state’.

The source further said the Sokoto State government through the Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System of Agricultural Lending of the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN), has empowered several farmers in getting funds that are friendly and affordable.

“Farmers are not getting patronage in the state and this has affected the production of wheat. Sokoto State has no scheme aimed at buying wheat from farmers. The farmers have to find market for their produce”, the source revealed.

Also speaking, a Soil Scientist at the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof Sumaila Sani Noma, was of the view that wheat is no longer a common crop in Sokoto State.

“The farmers have now shifted to irrigated rice instead and the reason largely is the lack of market because importation has put pressure on local production. The imported wheat are cheaper for the users and those making bread and associated food products buy foreign wheat leaving local farmers without a market”, Noma said.

Noma added that the soil in Sokoto State is best for wheat production. “You can grow wheat at the low land areas where a considerable amount of clay soil exists in the state because they have added retention of water,” he noted.

With a little above 1,000 MT from Sokoto and Kebbi States and the situation in the North East not still suitable for farmers, Nigeria’s journey to wheat sustenance is better described as daunting.

Little Maigoro in Sokoto may still have his delicious biscuits but his parents will continue to cough more money while farmers, as well as millers, will continue to languish and pay more foreign exchange to get high grade wheat to feed their hungry factories.

Agric Co-operative Societies Hold Great Benefits

Agricultural co-operative societies are platforms for assessing funding interventions from government. Ruth Tene Natsa writes on why farmers should exploit them  

“I cannot afford to take the loans banks are giving to farmers because I don’t have any collateral and neither can I afford the interests on those loans.”
These are the words of Margaret Iliya, a rice farmer from Kachia.

According to her, “ I do not have a house or land, I do not even have anything of value that I can give as collateral for the loans and even If I do, I cannot afford to pay the 15 per cent the banks are asking for.”
Iliya is not the only farmer that is having issues with access to loans due to her ignorance of the fact that she could join hands with other farmers to create a stronger base for accessing funds and providing good collateral basis as was the case of Madam Mary, a fresh produce farmer from Jos.

“For me belonging to a co-operative society is the best thing that happened to me because we were able to purchase a power tiller and tractor which we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. With the new machinery now, it has helped reduce our labour and will help expand our production. Our co-operative society, the Small Holder Organisation Farmers In Nigeria (SHOFN), linked us with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and we were able to acquire the power tiller after a 20 per cent down payment, while the balance is spread across 12 months,” she said.

She added, “There are lots of benefits to gain from co-operative societies,they provide one with a platform to acquire machinery, seeds and fertilisers, in addition to helping to access loans.”
The lack of collateral to take advantage of the various funding platforms provided by various financial institutions such as the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) or even the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also been identified as a major challenge.

Permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Sunny Echono, has also echoed the benefits of agricultural co-operative societies to farmers especially as regards assess to the N220billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Echono,who spoke at the maiden special matriculation ceremony of the Federal Co-operative College, Organised for Co-operative Registrars and Officers of FMARD undergoing professional diploma courses on co-operatives at NCDC Sheda, was represented by the director of co-operatives, Dr Dickson Okolo.

Echono revealed that the ministry was also in touch with officials of the Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) on how best to assist farmer groups and agricultural co-operatives access credits for their farming operations.
He added, “With a good number of available credit windows now in place, we are confident that the difficulties in accessing credit from financial service providers will soon be a thing of the past.”

Restating the commitment of the ministry towards supporting co-operative societies to play a greater role in achieving the goals of the federal government’s transformation agenda, Echono further added that” it is partly for this reason that approval was given for the 23 staff of the ministry to attend the 9 months course. We hope the training you receive at the end of the programme will equip you to be technically able to discharge your duties as cooperative registrars and officers respectively.”

Presenting a paper on the theme: “Repositioning Cooperatives for Greater Impact of the Nigerian Economy,” Mrs Justina Otaokpukpu, spoke on the challenges of Nigerian co-operatives to include weak co-operative movement, lack of enabling laws, limited access to finance, weak infrastructure, lack of awareness, among several others.

In her address, acting provost of the Institution, Hajiya Aisha Ishaq, called for a law establishing the college, better staffing of the institution, additional academic programmes, capacity building and teacher training programmes, provision of ICT infrastructures and facilities, fencing of the college as well as construction of student hostels.

There is no doubt that farmers would gain a lot by joining co-operative societies. It would not only help them access loans, but would stand as absolute guarantee in terms of emergencies caused by flooding and other natural disasters to their produce.

Farmers across Nigeria are in good stead to access various funding windows created by the immediate past government. It is imperative that every farmer should take advantage of these windows to further develop the nation’s agriculture.

Energy Tops My Agenda For Africa – Adesina

The president-elect African Development Bank (AfDB) and former minister for Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina has said energy efficiency will top his agenda for Africa when he assumes office in September.
He said the power challenges in Africa were unacceptable because without power there can be no industrialisation,  inclusive growth, Private sector growth or agro processing.

Akinwumi who spoke at an emotion laden sent forth ceremony on Friday June 12, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture to honour him and his counterpart Minister of State, Hajia Asabe Asmau Ahmed  who was noticeably absent was optimistic that “curbing power challenges will give rise to the much needed industrialisation Africa was long due for”.

In his words ” the number one thing on my agenda for Africa is energy,the fact that Africa does not have energy is not acceptable and we cannot have industrialisation, private sector development and agro processing unless we have power”.

He said, “Africa must power itself and with that we can have industrialisation, be Green and become a global power house in food and Agriculture.”

Akinwumi in his appreciation for the support he received during the campaigns said, “I feel so proud as a Nigerian for the tremendous support I received from everybody,particularly former president  Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who nominated me and generously supported me and President Muhammadu Buhari who made several interventions and worked ceaselessly to ensure we won the elections.”

Akinwumi  said, “It is a great honour to have been called,I did not win elections I was simply given a responsibility to lead Africa to achieve Inclusive growth and I know together we will build an Africa where we have inclusive growth, prosperity, peace, stability and security and an Africa we will all be proud to call our Africa.

He assured he would not rest until poverty was eradicated on the continent through the development of power infrastructure across Africa.

For the many stakeholders who poured encomiums on the former Minister including members of the National Assembly, diplomats, youth farmers, rural farmers and cassava growers among several others, described Adesina as an outstanding personality who had not only revived the nation’s agriculture, but is set to do Africa and indeed the world proud.

Presenting a toast to the minister and his wife, Mrs Grace Adesina, former director of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and also a former VP of the AfDB, Mrs Aruma Oteh, noted that “Akinwumi’s emergence as the President of the AfDB calls for celebration  because in the bank’s over 50 years of existence,this is the first time a Nigerian would emerge as its leader.

It would be recalled that Akinwumi Adesina emerged the AfDB president after securing 58 percent of the total votes on May 28, 2015 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and will succeed Donald Kaberuka on September  1,

Council Advocates Youth Engagement In Agriculture

The Chairman, International Youth Council (IYC), Mr Onu Okorie, has called on youths to engage in agriculture and other innovations to reduce the rate of unemployment.

Okorie made the appeal on Thursday during a news conference on the forthcoming International Youth conference tagged `Youth Civic engagement’ schedule for Aug. 12, in Abuja.
“Agriculture should be the starting point with every family, traditional institutions, every youth, as well as the public and private sectors.
“Youths should be encouraged to own and cultivate on farms to permanently eradicate hunger and poverty across the world,’’ he said.

Okorie said one of the focuses of the youth conference was the empowerment, job creation, diversification of countries’ source of income to include technological development and commercialisation of research to develop agriculture.

He also called on government to embark on the re-orientation of the public on the need to save guard the environment through aggressive tree planting campaigns to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“The IYC will not rest on its oars until jobs are created for the youths across the world, hunger is eradicated and global peace is achieved.

“We will ensure that government, philanthropists as well as corporate organisations, are making concerted efforts towards making the world a better place.’’
Okorie said the forthcoming conference was aimed at ensuring sustainable job creation, fight crime and corruption as well as sustain peace globally.
He, however, called on world leaders to keep politics aside and collectively fight terrorism, ensure peace and discourage youth violence.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that IYC is the platform that brings together youth leaders and members of various youth organisations and NGOs across the country.

The council was formed in commemoration of UN’s International Youth Day on Aug. 12.

Pay Attention To Improving Soil Fertility, Don Tells Governments

Dr Nditoi Idem, the Head of Crop Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, has urged governmentto pay more attention to improving soil fertility.

He spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Sunday, saying that encouraging appropriate institutions by governments to improve on soil fertility would increase food production.

He advised that applying both organic and inorganic fertiliser to the soil adequately could enrich it and boost production.

Idem, an agronomist, said that organic fertiliser improved the structure of the soil and also helped in retention of inorganic fertiliser.

“So,we need to pay more attention to improving soil fertility and we need to get up and have a government that thinks about farming,’’ he said.

He said that if the government did not take critical steps to improve agricultural production, the country might not be able to feed its teeming population.

“Previously, we used to have land left for fallow between five to seven years and in some places 10 years.

“But now, a number of areas in Akwa Ibom and other parts of the country, farmers do continuous cropping which makes the soil barren,’’ he noted.

He advised the government to make farming attractive and provide incentives, especially to the youth, to boost food production.

Food Security and the Impoverishing Challenge of Post Harvest Loss

The season which marks the end of a growing period for a particular crop and begins the process of gathering mature crops from the fields is known as the Harvest. The social importance of this event makes it the focus of seasonal celebration such as a harvest festival. However, harvesting is the most labor intensive activity of the growing cycle. It involves cooling, sorting, cleaning, packing, up to the point of processing or shipping to the wholesale or consumer market.

A main challenge for agricultural development and policy is mainly on how to feed the fast growing population with safe food, and increment of food production by 50 – 70 per cent. One complementary factor is often forgotten which is reducing food loss and food wastage.

A World Bank report reveals that, each year, significant volumes of food at estimated value of USD 4 billion for grains, are lost after harvest in sub-Saharan Africa. Post Harvest Loss occurs between harvest and the moment of human consumption, it includes on-farm losses, such as when grain is threshed, winnowed and dried, as well as losses along the chain during transportation.

According to a FAO report significant volumes of grain in developing countries are lost after harvest, aggravating hunger and resulting in expensive inputs-such as fertilizer, irrigation water, and human labor-being wasted. During postharvest operations, there may be losses of both cereal quantity and quality.
Post harvest losses significantly endanger the livelihood of stakeholders and farmers across the value chain by reducing valuable income and profitability.

Studies have shown that reduction of just one percent in post harvest losses can lead a gain of 40 million USD annually as government investment will lead to huge reduction and increase income levels of actors across various agricultural value chain.

According to Ahmed, O.A. (2013), post harvest losses is making Nigerian farmers poorer. For a very long time, Nigerian farmers have lamented the situation without getting meaningful assistance. Roughly one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion of tones per year. This inevitably also means that high amount of the resources used in food production are used in vain.

All these are grave concerns for most small holder farmers in most developing countries of the world as managing their post harvest losses will not only improve their livelihood but the food security of their community.

FAO estimated that global demand for food will increase by 60 percent. Experts say the world population by 2050 is expected to reach 9.6 billion. Looking at this challenge to feed this population, the FAO established a global demand for food increase by 60 percent by the year 2050. In order to meet this target, there is need to ensure that food produced is not wasted between the farm and the table, adding that one-third of the food produced globally, go to waste.

Stable food crops are fundamental sources of energy and calories for the world and this is evident in grains, fruits and vegetables with greater levels of loss. According to the United Nations/FAO report on post harvest loss on vegetables and fruits in Africa an average outstanding 49 per cent is recorded, which means that for every two tomatoes produced, for every two bananas produced, for every two mangoes produced, it means on the average, only one of it is available for consumption.

Food is lost along every step along the food production chain, from harvest and handling to storage and processing to packaging as well as transportation. There are farmers who do not have a fast and dependable way to get food to the market owing to inefficient transportation or quality transport vehicle that pose various challenges for moving commodities from farm to market.

However, the Post-harvest Education Foundation highlighted some key factors associated to food losses and the gap in knowledge:

• Poor understanding of harvest indices of plant foods and how maturity is related to quality and shelf life.
• Poor sorting and grading practices during preparation for market, allowing damaged/decaying foods to enter the supply chain and spread decay to other foods.
• Poor temperature management and lack of control of relative humidity, leading to shriveling, wilting and deterioration of perishable foods.
• Poor quality packages which provide little or no protection during handling, transport and storage.
• Delays in marketing without proper storage (cool storage for perishables, drying of staple grains/beans/legumes before storage)
• General lack of education on appropriate post harvest handling practices and technologies, leading to rough handling, mechanical damage, improperly handled mixed loads, and food safety dangers.
• Lack of the utilization of sustainable cost effective post harvest practices, leading to high levels of food losses on the farm, and in retail markets.

Reducing post harvest loss is highly important and it can be achieved by providing access to adequate, safe and affordable food which is one of the great challenges of the society, as today, millions of the world citizens do not have access to adequate food. Numerous studies have shown that the world food system has to create capacity to feed additional 2 billion people over the next 20years.

Meanwhile, there is evidence that one-third of the world current agriculture production does not reach intended final consumer. The concern is that the high level of loss existent, is particularly dominant in Africa.
Studies have shown that, there are two conditions that seem to be consistently present when successful adoption occurs, one of which is incentives, particularly economic incentives. It has to be in the best interest of farmers to use their best resources to adopt the technology, and it has to be in the best interest of economic agents to supply those technologies. The second surrounds information equal system, an equal system that supports a direct buyer and seller of the technology. Conversely, presence of this broader equal information system can reduce post harvest loss.

However, providing a long lasting solution to the challenge of post harvest loss requires stemming up technologies and understanding the complexity of food production systems. In addition to the provided technology, the farmers need education, training and support. There is need for improvements in technology, but that should not be a stumbling block to initiate actions that will benefit small holder farmers and the society, as appropriate technologies exist that farmers can adopt and when they do this, there will be drastic reduction in post harvest loss.

It is important for all to see that post harvest loss is reduced so as to achieve the food security goal of the future. Everyone, whether in the public or private sector, or in civil society, need to appreciate the key role that can be played in fostering and maintaining the vibrant support system that will facilitate decision making and adoption of post harvest loss reducing technology.

Farmers Decry High Transportation Cost As Threat To Livelihood

As Nigeria faces soaring transportation costs due to the fuel crisis, stakeholders especially farmers in the agricultural sector have lamented over the impending threat of poor sales as the crisis intensifies.

This was disclosed by the Chairman, Yam Traders Union, Bwari Central Market, Abuja, Mrs. Amina Haruna, who commented on the adverse effect of the on-going situation on their fortunes.

Haruna particularly cited yam as one of the produce that has witnessed substantial drop in sales due to increased cost of transportation from the farms to the market which had affected the price, as traders had to hike up their prices in order to avoid losses and make some profit.

“Yam is our main food; we cannot continue to meet the growing demand at present within the area due to increased cost of transportation. It takes time to transport yams from the farm to the market and by the time we arrive they would have gone bad, thereby reducing the value in the market” she said.

Although yam is a major agricultural farm produce mostly cultivated by farmers in the area, the difficulty in conveying them to the markets has become a challenge which threatens the livelihood of the farmers as they record loss to spoilage if not transported for preservation or sales from the farms.

“This business is our only means of sustaining livelihood, especially at the home front for the 150 members that make up the Yam Traders Union in this market.” She stated.

Haruna urged the local council authority to assist them through the provision of adequate  vehicles to transport their yams from the farm to promote the growth of the business.

Borno: World Bank Supports Farmers To Drive Food Security and Sustainable Income

The World Bank Insurgency Relief Fund has provided N787million for four farming communities to invest in agricultural activities for sustainable income and food security in Borno State.

Presenting cheques for the amount in Maiduguri, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hajiya Inna Galadima, urged the benefitting communities to make use of the funds for the intended purpose as a guarantee to ensure the sustainability of the programme.

“By so doing, more credibility and assistance from donor agencies would be earned to promote agriculture in the state,” Galadima said.

According to her, the state government was ready for regular payment of counterpart funds for all partnership programmes, adding that the government would look into the issue of over withdrawal of funds meant for Borno state by other benefiting states through the National Fadama Coordination Office last year.

The State Coordinator of the Fadama III project, Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Tijjani, said the Fadama III project was a tripartite project of the World Bank, Federal and State governments to stimulate agricultural growth of poor peasant farmers, disclosing that the state government had received $200,000.00 cash for disbursement under the World Bank Insurgency Relief Fund.

The beneficiaries include Shokwari, Masha-mari, Dusuman and Kirbiri Fadama community associations in Maiduguri metropolis and Jere LGA of Borno state.