AfDB harps on agric processing to end $35bn yearly import

AfDB

Beside low food production that hallmarked the continent’s agrarian economy, post-harvest losses have become the major challenge besetting the quest for food security.

Ndokwa Women In Delta State Seek Land For Mechanised Farming

Women in Ndokwa

Women in Ndokwa area of Delta State in southern Nigeria have approached the State government with a request for hectares of land that would be used for mechanized farming.

MD Dediro wants more intervention for agro chemical against pest and diseases ravaging crops

Managing Director of Debiro Farms Limited, Alhaji Yakubu Mishelia Debiro

In the face of disease attacks on maize, tomato, cocoa and recently rice, the Managing Director of Debiro Farms Limited, Alhaji Yakubu Mishelia Debiro has called on government to invest more on agro chemical inputs for the sake of protecting food crops across the country.

Nigerians head back to the farm to beat recession

farmers

Too broke to pay for costly imports of rice and palm oil, Nigeria is looking to agriculture to help lift itself out of a recession.

Cocoa: Nigeria faces sanction

cocoa

*Agric, Trade ministers promise rescue

*FACAN, CAN enumerate benefits

The membership of Nigeria in the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) may soon be withdrawn for low production performance even as the Government has been struggling to diversify the economy through Agriculture.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director, International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), Dr. Jean-Mar Anga during his visit to the minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh in Abuja, recently.

Anga who came in company of director, African Export-Import, Bank, Mr. Kofi Adomakoh, and members of Federation of Commodity Association (FACAN) and Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) said that the present annual output of Nigeria is 190,000 metric tons which is a far cry from the potential capacity if production along the value chains are encouraged.

Although the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Chief Audu Ogbeh has promised that the needful would be done to avert the removal by seeing Mr. President on the matter.

He then asked both FACAN and CAN to come up with action plan towards positive drive of the produce along nine others.

A Director,Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, MrsOpe Ewe in her review of the situation put the annual cocoa production in Nigeria at 350,000 ton,and fourth in the world as this figure seems not in tandem with ICCO rating of the sixth position of the nation with Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon and Ecuador leading .

MrsOpe Ewe who was among the ICCO team that visited the minister said that a letter of agreement on the better repositioning of cocoa crop is already on the table of the President Mohammudu Buhari for ascent, and solicited a support for his Trade and Investment minister towards encouraging the President to sign so as to avert our membership removal from the comity of the world cocoa producing nations.

This position was corroborated by both the FACAN and CAN presidents as they posited that the past neglect to agriculture in the country had hindered the development of the nation’s economy with many infrastructure dilapidated saying Nigeria can do much better if more rigorous effort is deployed to the crop value chains for wealth and job creation for the youths.

FACAN President, Dr. Victor Iyama lamented  the state of the agricultural production that has gone so low due to government’s neglect of the sector saying proactive policy drive on ten agricultural crops can bail out Nigeria from her present economic predicament with provision of efficient infrastructure like they have in Ecuador.

Dr. Iyama added that majority of the cocoa pods given out by government in the past never got to nursery as there was no monitoring like the ones given to CAN which was well monitored for multiplication stressed that the new improved cocoa varieties can grow in Kaduna and many other parts of the country, adding Nigeria can grow one million tons in just two years as the crop can be grown in about twenty nine states as majority crops can now grow in different ecologies of the country. 

Speaking also, the CAN president, Mr. SayinaRiman who appreciated the present level of government interaction with private sector pointed that more government support to cocoa productivity at all the value chains would attract foreign grants and interventions added that youths need to be encouraged into farming to replace the older people.

Mr. Riman equally lamented on the dying condition of many processing companies, low level of cocoa consumption and fertilizer utilization that enable cocoa tree plants to retain water in the bodies for better fruits production saying that “there are lot of grants other countries are enjoying on cocoa but Nigeria cannot because we have not provided an enabling environment”

The Agriculture Minister who attentively listened to the plight of private stakeholders in the cocoa sub-sector however promised a very proactive action with directive that FACAN, CAN and Cocoa Processors of Nigeria should partner with the desk officer of the ministry with an aim of finding solution with presentation of an action paper as soon as possible.

Chief Ogbeh promised to ensure that Nigeria is not removed from ICCO by doing everything possible to see President Buhari on the matter saying farmers in Nigeria could only make small amount of money from the large chunk of dollar opportunity in both coffee and cocoa world market.

 The Minister however ordered that FMARD cocoa desk and CAN should partner on monitoring and enlightenment as he promised that the ministry would look for money to carry out the exercise towards ensuring development of the crop for productivity saying “We will work to ensure that Nigeria is not removed from ICCO. The 70 billion dollar of world trade opportunity in coffee and cocoa, it is only 6 billion that get to small holder farmers“

I did not say ‘Nigerians eat too much rice, that’s why it is expensive’ – Ogbeh

Chief Audu Ogbeh

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has dismissed news report quoting him as saying ‘Nigerians eat too much rice, that’s why it is expensive’.

Horticulture can enrich you within short period - Chairman ADP, Oyo state

Horticulture

The chairman, Oyo state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Alhaji S. A Imam spoke with food farm news on the 3^rd Africa Horticultural Conference held at Ibadan on the benefits and gain of the conference on his members. Read the excerpt of his short interview below

Let us free cocoa policy from self says MD, Ile Oluji Cocoa Company

cocoa

The Managing Director of the only surviving cocoa processing company, Ile Oluji and interim chairman of Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (COPAN), Mr. Akin Olusuyi has described most of our agricultural policy especially the one on processing as very subjective rather than being rational. In his chat with Food Farm News, Mr. Olusuyi said the policy of government has not sufficiently supported processing of cocoa produce into products lamenting on the high cost of producing in Nigeria with low consumption of the produce. He spoke on so many other issues. Read his excerpt below.

Editorial- Our concern over FG MOU with dairy companies

FG MOU with dairy companies

We want to commend the effort of the Federal Government towards tackling the conflict between the pastoralists and farmers through the use of global best practice of animal production with efficient process of off takers by the private sector as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) graciously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with one of the processing companies in the country recently thereby increasing the numbers of the MOUs in this regards. 

Controversy on Orange Fleshed potato as FG terminates MOU

Dr. Peju Phorbee.

Despite the global award given to Orange fleshed Sweet Potato( OFSP) for its ability to mitigate hunger especially in Africa at the recent 2016 World Price Laureate, the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria has issued a letter of dis-engagement from her initial recognition given to this crop cultivation through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Potato Centre (IPC) by official termination through a letter convey to the office under the coordination of Dr. Peju Phorbee.