Farmgate prices face high supply pressure through 2015

All farmgate prices could stay under pressure from strong European production this year, according to latest forecasts.

The European Commission’s new short-term outlook says there will be no let up from the high supplies that have taken agricultural markets slump to multi-year lows.
The cereals harvest for the 2015-16 marketing year could hit 307m tonnes – 6% above average but 7% below last year’s record.

Crop areas will be down due to lower prices, though yields will return to normal levels.

See also: Edgy market produces grain price spikes

Oilseed production could fall 8.5% in 2015-16 compared with the previous year.
But the 32m tonne crop would still be the second best recorded season.
In the dairy sector, EU milk production this year is expected to rise about 1% – despite the pain of lower prices
.
This could be followed by another 1% increase in 2016.
Production in top dairy nations Germany, France and UK will be similar to last year or slightly higher – though 2014-15 was particularly strong.

EU beef output could rise 1.4% this year and another 0.6% in 2016.
This will be caused by more culling of dairy cows, as well as growing herds in countries such as Spain.
The resurgence of European pigmeat production will slow, as the crash in prices hits farmers.
Production in 2015 will be 3% higher on the year, followed by a 0.9% rise in 2016.
Growth in the EU flock last year could also see sheepmeat production in 2015 jump almost 2%.

Lancs bird flu confirmed as highly pathogenic H7N7

Defra has confirmed that avian influenza found on a Lancashire egg farm last week is a highly pathogenic H7N7 strain of the disease.

As such, it has converted the Temporary Control Zone that was in place since Friday (10 July) around the Staveley’s Eggs unit to the north-east of Preston, to a 10km Surveillance Zone, with an inner 3km Protection Zone.

In practical terms, this makes little difference, as movements of live birds, carcasses, eggs, other animals and manure within the zone were already restricted.

See also: Culling gets under way on Lancs bird flu farm

But Defra has also moved quickly to start issuing some licences over the weekend, to allow the lowest risk movements to take place from the control areas.

General licences were made available on Saturday (11 July) for the movement of table eggs to designated packing centres, subject to producers inspecting and confirming the health status of their flock and notifying the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

A general licence was also provided for the movement of mammals to or from premises in the zone where poultry are kept. Again, this is subject to confirming the health status of the flock and other strict biosecurity measures.

A number of specific licences – which have to be applied for from APHA – were also set up, including one for the movement of poultry from outside the zone to a designated slaughterhouse within the zone.
It is understood that independent poultry processor Gafoor Pure Halal has its main factory just inside the outer zone.

“It’s very much business as normal,” senior executive David Broxton told Poultry World. “We have been going through the process of getting licences in place. We are pulling in birds from outwith the zone, so supply is not interrupted.”



Another specific licence is available for the movement of day old chicks from a hatchery in the control zone. The Tom Barron hatchery at Catforth to the north-west of Preston is one such affected premises.
Chief vet, Nigel Gibbens said in a statement following the confirmation of H7N7 highly pathogenic avian influenza that the humane culling of the birds involved was continuing.

“These actions are part of our tried and tested approach to dealing with previous outbreaks,” he said.
“Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspect disease to their nearest APHA office immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.”

H7N7 was last found in the UK in a flock of broiler breeders in Hampshire last February. On that occasion the strain was found to be low pathogenic.

Research needs more collaboration and Commercialization

The first collaborative research initiative held at the Kwara State University, Malete, Kwara state, from the 9^th – 13^th May, 2015. The theme of the conference was Building Research Capacity in Nigerian universities and other research Institutions. The opening ceremony was chaired by Dr Killian C. Ikwuakor, the Director Centre for Sponsored Project Convener/Chairman LOC. 

The Collaborative Research Initiative Conference is a forum for representatives from academia, government, industry and other interested parties to discuss the importance of collaborative research in nurturing future research leader and more importantly finding solutions to the developmental challenges facing Nigeria.

Dr Killian during the conference said research needs to be commercialized in order be taking serious and important to create solutions to problems facing the country, saying research and innovation are the bedrock of the successful development of countries all over the world and Nigeria like the rest of the world , faced with daunting and complex societal and developmental challenges will only create solutions to its problem if only we are prepared to embrace collaborative research and advancing it, as we also look forward to commercializing every aspect of our research.

The key benefit of the 1^st collaborative research initiative conference is to promote collaborative research, support sustainable research linkages among universities, research institutions, government and industries. To strengthen the capacity of research institution to conduct and deliver more applied research, encourage partnership for effective collaboration and funding, recommend world-class and uniform research standards for Nigerian universities and other research constitution, create a directory of experts and research supervisory/advisors accessible to prospective researchers and postgraduate students, working towards achieving world-class research-oriented postgraduate education for training and nurturing future research leaders and finally promote under-graduate research programmes in social entrepreneurship. 

During an interview with the Coordinator, Centre for Undergraduate Research Programme (CURP) Dr Grace T. Abolaji, who said that apart from the collaborative research, the university has shown love to its community by helping to improve the level of agriculture within its environs, although they had already trained the women in the community  on how to improve their lives through various agricultural vocational training and the institution is not stopping at that, but also working to create a suitable environment and platform, to train and educate the students on the importance of research and agriculture, and ways to create job opportunity and wealth.

She futher noted that with more collaborative research the country is going to experience a huge success in agriculture and other sector, as research will be taken with all seriousness. She also said that family farms should be encouraged and farmers should also make use of the irrigation system created.

The stakeholders at the end of the conference resulted, that research should not be generalized but should be specific, and should collaborate with local authorities. It was further said that definite research policy should be created to regulate all it activities, which also includes funding that needs to be spelt out on percentages that should be allocated to research.

The stakeholders also agreed that research needs constant light. Lack of constant electricity has been attributed to the failures in the research system. The issue of effective electricity needs to be addressed.

Meet the Practitioner – Graduate Philosopher and Diplomat Turned Poultry Farmer

Agriculture is one sector that has no educational barrier and can provide a sense of fulfillment, while enriching the practitioner. This is the reality for Mrs. Ufuoma Dick-Iruenabere a Bachelors Degree holder in Religious Studies and Philosophy from the then Bendel University, as well as a Higher National Diploma in Public Administration and a Masters Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy.

Mrs. Ufuoma who described her childhood as the training ground for her current endeavor, said she grew up helping her grandmother to tend domestic animals such as goats and chickens.

A mother of four kids, she started her first poultry business alongside her vegetable garden behind her residence located in the Nigerian Army Depot Zaria, in the year 1993. By 2008, her husband retired from the Nigerian Army – this necessitated her relocating the business and also accorded her room for expansion.
She acquired land at Kamanzo village – a suburb outside Kaduna city, where she built her poultry farm that currently has 5000 layers and 400 broilers, including a fishpond.  The land where her poultry is sited is marshy and liable to flooding during the rainy season, hence to tackle this problem she built an upstairs poultry.



Currently serving as an Assistant Director with the National Youth Service Corps and living in the Abuja Metropolis, it is worthy to note that she manages her farm by commuting between Abuja and Kaduna every week , while maintaining a full staff.

Besides the challenge of commuting, she identified other issues to include the rising cost of poultry feed and over taxation by Local Government Officials in her business area. Nevertheless, she hopes to expand her business in the near future to include rearing of goats.

2015 Rockefeller AWARD Fellowship Opportunity for African Women Agriculturists

AWARD is a career-development program that equips top women agricultural scientists across sub-Saharan Africa to accelerate agricultural gains by strengthening their research and leadership skills, through tailored fellowships.

African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is a catalyst for innovations with high potential to contribute to the prosperity and well-being of African smallholder farmers, most of whom are women.

AWARD Fellows benefit from a two-year career-development program focused on fostering mentoring partnerships, building science skills, and developing leadership capacity. Following a highly competitive process, the fellowships are awarded on the basis of intellectual merit, leadership capacity, and the potential of the scientist’s research to improve the daily lives of smallholder farmers, especially women.

Since its inception, AWARD has received applications from more than 3,500 women for a total of 390 available fellowships. On average, only the top nine percent of applicants are selected each year.
AWARD Fellows remain in their place of employment or study, while benefiting from the following professional opportunities:

1. Fostering Mentoring Partnerships

• AWARD Mentoring Orientation Workshop (five days) for each fellow and her chosen mentor to set three achievable career-development goals. These goals are focused on building the fellows’ scientific and leadership skills, which are needed to deliver gender-responsive agricultural research, such as collecting gender-disaggregated data
• Monthly mentoring meetings for one year with a mentor (a senior scientist or professional) to work together on the above goals
• Support to mentor a junior woman scientist of the fellow’s choice in second year of fellowship

2. Building Science Skills

• Professional association membership support for two years
• Support to attend a science conference
• AWARD Science Skills Course (seven days), including one-day module on gender-responsive agricultural research for development
• Competition for advanced science training (post-master’s and post-doctoral fellows only), composed of either a three-  to-nine month research attachment or a one- to-six week short science course

3. Developing Leadership Capacity

• AWARD Leadership Skills Course (five days) for post-bachelor fellows
• AWARD Women’s Leadership and Management Course (seven days) for post-master’s and post-doctoral fellows
• Support to hold a role-modeling event in the fellow’s chosen community or institution

4. Tracking Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation

• Participation in sub-regional AWARD Progress Monitoring Meetings

What is not offered:

• Funding to support the fellow’s academic studies
• Research grants

AWARD Timeline:

1. Call for applications for the 2015 AWARD Fellowships: July 7, 2014
2. Application deadline: August 8, 2014
3. Winners informed: December 2014
4. Public announcement of winners: January 2015
5. Program begins: February/March 2015

Click Here to Apply  http://www.awardfellowships.org/the-award-fellowship/applicants

GEMS4 and The Tomato Clean-up

With a mission to improve income and employment opportunities within Nigeria’s wholesale and retail sector, particularly for the economically challenged and most vulnerable, Growth and Enhancement in States – GEMS 4 initiative is currently working to enhance the situation within the Nigerian Tomato industry.
In line with their mission, GEMS4 recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 10 tomato traders, for the distribution of 2, 240 returnable plastic crates to tomato sellers at the Mile 12 International Market, so as to reduce post-harvest loss, as well as imbibe the culture of Good Handling Practices (GHP) in order to boost tomato production, sales, and safe distribution across Nigeria.

Stakeholders in the agric sector, including the representatives of the DFID, World Bank, Lagos State government, GEMS 4, Skye Bank, Coffey International Development, amongst others, had converged at the head office of the Tomatoes Sellers Association (TSA) unit of The Fresh Fruit Vegetable Community Dealers Association of Nigeria (FFVCDAN), Mile 12 Market Lagos, to reposition the tomatoes section of the market in tandem with international best practices, in a bid to attract the High Value Market.

Considering the consumption pattern, vis-a-vis the commodity production volume of the Nigerian consumer market, tomato is by far, the highest consumed agricultural commodity. Nevertheless, between 40 and 50 percent of the farm produce is lost from farm gate to table. This is as a result of poor handling practice through the use of traditional baskets as against quality packaging method like the Returnable Plastic Crates (RPC).



According to the Senior Intervention Manager of GEMS4, Arafat Hossain, the application of good handling practices and the use of improved packaging materials, will aid in reducing post-harvest loss of tomato produce to as low as five percent (5%). He hinted that quality produce basically provides good reward for the farmers and by inference, consumers get good nutritional products.

Corroborating Hossain, the Intervention Manager, GEMS 4, Richard Ogundele stated that the transportation of tomatoes in woven baskets records an average of 51 percent produce-loss due to damage.
Ogundele commented on the progress of the intervention programme, disclosing produce request from the High Value Market such as the chain-store giant Shoprite, with an already signed agreement by 10 tomato dealers to deliver 50 crates of tomatoes each. He also disclosed that banks are expected to cash in on the development.


Speaking on the current situation of the Mile 12 Market as an eye sore, he added that a lot of sensitisation needs to be done, to sanitise and upscale the environment for serious business. “To attract High Value Market (HVM), there is a need to change the handling behaviour; we need to change the product packaging materials, they need to change the way they present their goods. One of the areas you can create employment opportunities to teeming Nigerians is the agriculture sector,” he said.
Representing the DFID, South West Coordinator, Dr. Adesina Fagbenro, described the intervention by GEMS 4, as an opportunity to know the extent of damage and waste incurred by the traders and farmers alike as well as to reduce same.

 “For example, a trader who bought 10 tonnes, can only get value for 5 tonnes, you can imagine what is lost or what’s wasted, simply because of the way we manage this produce.  So we discover that we cannot only increase the earning power of the producers but the people who are marketing too. That’s why you will go and buy 100 tonnes from Kano to get to Lagos and only be able to sell 50 tonnes.”

“This intervention is not only to increase income, it is to give us more and better products, because there is a Yoruba adage that says: Once hunger is got rid of, poverty is reduced. The question is what can the farmers do to bring all their produce safely to the market without being wasted or damaged. If this can be effectively tackled then the farmers, and by extensions the traders, will get more money in their bank accounts,” he stated.

Representing the Chairman of the association, the General Secretary of the group, Alhaji Shehu Usman expressed his gratitude to DFID-GEMS 4, the Lagos State Government, and other stakeholders present at the event. He praised the intervention, disclosing that several other groups had come around and promised to help shape the market as well as assist them in various ways, but they never made good on their promises. He pledged the commitment of his group to make the best use of the materials given to them.

Leading other players in the tomato intervention campaign bid to modernise the tomato section is the Department for International Development (DFID); a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid with the goal of promoting sustainable development and eliminating world poverty.

The GEMS4 project funded by the DFID is working with business associations, service providers, producers, retailers, wholesalers and other actors involved in the market, by linking them up, so as to work together and serve each other better. Additionally, the project is building local capacity and changing market incentives so that the sector better meets the long-term needs of the economically challenged.

145,000 Kogi State Farmers To Benefit From NAPI Loan

A significant step to ensure the development of agriculture in Kogi State has been put in place by the Governor of the state, Idris Wada, as no fewer than 145,000 rural farmers have been selected as beneficiaries for agricultural grants and loans.

The farmer who have been validated by the state government in partnership with the Kogi Farmers Cluster Development Union will benefit from agricultural loans and grants under the Nigerian Agricultural Payment Initiative (NAPI).

Wada noted that the N160,000 loans and grants being disbursed to rural farmers would enhance wealth creation and alleviate poverty among the teeming population of rural farmers in the state.
Describing the disbursement of funds as a testimony to the commitment of the present administration to state-wide development, he urged the farmers to take advantage of several initiatives aimed at improving their welfare and the advancement of agriculture in the state.

According to him, the disbursement through the NAPI e-wallet platform was adopted by his administration in October, 2013. He stated that it would eliminate corruption and facilitate greater inclusion by ensuring that the funds got to the farmers directly.

On the modalities of the loan, the President of the Kogi Cluster Farmers Development Union, Mr. Alfred Okeme, stated that N104,000 would serve as a grant while N56,000 is a repayable loan to each farmer to be paid back with five per cent interest from accrued proceeds on produce-buy-back from the farmers by the state government.

Okeme commended the state government for its support to the organization through the provision of agricultural inputs, mobilization of farmers and validation of farmers’ clusters.
The disbursement of loans and grants through the Nigerian Agricultural Payment Initiative e-wallet platform is jointly being executed by the Federal Government, the Kogi State Government and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain in Nigeria.

Stakeholders advocate Policies for water, food security

Stakeholders amongst experts in the Global Water Partnership recently held a meeting on the National Consultation on Food security and water in sub Saharan Africa, where they advocated and urged for the fast development of policies on food and water security.

The meeting organized by Global Water Partnership (GWP), urged Nigerian government and African leaders to take seriously the urgent development national policy that would guarantee food and water security in the country just as the stakeholders also wanted an elaborate agriculture development plan geared toward ending food insecurity and poverty. 

During the meeting the permanent secretary federal ministry of water resources, Musa Istifanus said the international communities have encouraged African countries to develop National policies that could guarantee food and water security in the continent.

 He added that In an attempt to set up a sustainable development goals that would be put in place at the expiration of millennium development goals on water, the high level panel of experts in the water sector on the platform GWP had met in Abuja to exchange views on the nexus between food and water security being part of the provided SDG.

Mr Istifanus said the final draft version of the report by these experts on food security and water has provided opportunity for concerned countries and government to discuss pertinent issues bordering on water and food security for dynamic innovation for optimizing linkages among the countries.

Dr Hassan Bdliya the chairman, GWP, Nigeria, in his remark said that global water partnership is an international network created in 1996 to foster the implementation of integrated water resources management and sustainable development agricultural development through deplorable irrigation waters for farmers producing crops food.

The goal of GWP is to increase water security at all levels by balancing the needs of the society with available water resources. The network includes government institution (national, regional and local) inter governmental organization, research institutions, private sectors, and service providers at the public sector.

Fertilizer Distribution – Kano Govt. Inaugurates Monitoring Committee

In a bid to ensure the access of farming input to deserving farmers, the Kano State Government has set up a committee to facilitate effective fertilizer distribution for the year’s cropping season.
The inauguration of the committee was announced by the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna, during a meeting with members of the press.

The establishment of the committee according to Gawuna, was necessary to tackle diversion of the commodity following the decision of the State Government to suspend fertilizer distribution via mobile phone alert.

He, however, stressed that the government had taken adequate measures to ensure that only genuine farmers received the commodity. “Government has taken necessary measures to ensure that farmers get the commodity at designated centers in their various Local Government wards,” Gawuna said.

“This year, farmers are expected to buy fertilizers at the cost of ₦3,500 per bag, while the State Government covers the outstanding cost.” the Commissioner commented.
A key responsibility of the committee will be to checkmate the illegal activities of middlemen who purchase the commodity and later sell it to farmers at exorbitant prices.

Tomato ‘Ebola’ Outbreak: Agronigeria Holds Town Hall Meeting

Following the outbreak of Tuta absoluta-the scourge currently consuming Nigeria’s tomato crop, AgroNigeria – the mouthpiece of Nigeria’s Agriculture – convened a stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting to address the issue in order to find a lasting solution to it.

The meeting which took place at the conference hall of Chimande Agricultural Seeds Nigeria Limited, Kano, yesterday, was attended by major players in the Nigerian tomato value chain as well as journalists from major media house in the country.



Stakeholders at the meeting were unanimous in expressing concerns that the tomato plague had come to the country unnoticed, and had subsequently caught both the farmers and the government unawares.
More troubling to the Meeting is the fact that the Federal Government is, at the present time,  oblivious of the presence and spread of the highly-chemical resistant pest christened ‘Tomato Ebola’ by the farmers.

Speaking at the meeting, the convener and Editor-in-Chief of AgroNigeria Magazine, Barrister Richard-Mark Mbaram noted that Nigerian tomato is under siege and that steps need to be taken to prevent a re-enactment of what happened in Sudan, where it took that country about three years to recover from the crop disease. According to him, an aggressive and well-coordinated attack needs to be launched on the scourge before it wipes out Nigeria’s tomato crop. “AgroNigeria, knowing what this portends for the health and livelihoods of Nigerians, has committed a large part of its resources to this issue and will continue to engage till this scourge is arrested” Mbaram stated.



In his intervention, the Chief Executive Officer of Chimade Seed Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya, noted that the level of destruction caused by the plague was unquantifiable. “The largest percentage of tomato is produced here in Kano and Jigawa. We produce about 75 per cent of tomato consumed in Nigeria. As we speak farmers are counting their losses due to this scourge.



When asked to state the worth of the damage, Kibiya simply said, We cannot quantify the amount of loss recorded.”
Stakeholders from the Kano State Government, agro-chemical companies also attended the forum, stating their commitments to tackle the scourge.