Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor

The state government entered into the agreement with Mirai Technology Limited and Norsworthy Investment Limited at the Government, Asaba.

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa said that the agricultural industrial park would harness the agriculture value chain in the state.

Okowa said that the establishment of the agricultural industrial part was in line with government’s determination to develop agriculture in the state.

He said that the state government had a plan to establish such parks in different parts of the state.

“The joint venture agreement has been signed by the three partners; the process that led to today’s event started three years ago.

‘‘I am glad that we have a local investor among the investors; we are confident that it is a success story.

“This is an agro-investment park that will be driven by the private sector.

“We will continue to provide the enabling environment for private sector to thrive and our youths should embrace agriculture.

“We will continue to support them through micro-credits to achieve desired results because we will harness the agriculture value chain,” Okowa said.

Mr Roy Tal, Managing Director, Mirai Technology, said his company was committed to the success of the project.

Also, Mr Gabriel Ugbechie, Managing Director, Norsworthy Investment Limited, commended the governor for driving the vision for the state.

He expressed hope that the venture would enable the state to take its pride of place in the international community as investors’ destination.

“Agriculture is the way to go and we are happy that the governor has identified such.

“We are seriously committed to the success of the agro-industrial park which will create job opportunities for Deltans and boost the socio-economic life of the people,” Ugbechie said.

Ogun State Government has advised prospective land buyers in the state to verify from the Ministry of Agriculture or Bureau of Lands & Survey the authenticity of any land, before making payment to anyone.

In a statement the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, said this verification is important to prevent prospective land buyers from being swindled by land grabbers, who deceitfully sell government’s land at a cheaper rate.

“This means they will have no genuine rights of ownership and may end up paying multiple times or paying punitive charges.”

The statement also warned land grabbers to desist from selling government land, warning that anybody caught will face the Anti-Land Grabbing Law, 2016 of Ogun State.

The commissioner added that all investors on Government Acquired Land for agriculture that have defaulted in the payment of Annual Ground Rent should update their payment at the Ministry of Agriculture before the end of March or have their allocations revoked.

An international non-governmental organisation, Oxfam has highlighted the critical role of Right to Food campaign and access of land in solving inequality in Nigeria.

The organisation, which launched and implemented its strategic partnership programme in 25 countries in 2015, has three basic theories for change: Right to food, conflict and fragility and financing for development.

Coordinator, Private and Public sector Transparency and Accountability for Oxfam, Celestine Odo, who expressed worries over the widening gap between the poor and the rich, stressed that poverty and inequality in Nigeria can be connected to the pressure on limited resources.

He spoke in Lagos shortly after a two-day workshop, held in collaboration with BudgIT Information Technology Network Lagos,

According to him, misallocation and misappropriation of limited resources has made the problem bigger, hence the need for such strategic campaigns like Right to Food and Financing for Development, which is aimed at bridging the inequality gap.

Odo therefore called for concerted efforts to tackle the clashes between farmers and herders and review of the land use act to allow for easier access to land in order to guarantee food security, since majority of the Nigeria population are farmers. He noted that the programme has led to a change to budget process in Nigeria.

Speaking on the Right To Food (R2F) Bill, Mrs. Abiola Bayode from Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF) said: “It is a human right bill, which protects people from hunger.”

She further said: “The challenge is that the government sees food as a need and not a human right. We want to see that the right to food is explicitly stated in chapter four of the Nigerian constitution; this will make the government more accountable on food security in Nigeria.
“It is therefore not about distributing food free of charge to all Nigerians, but a necessity to protect the vulnerable people by creating an enabling environment.”

Oxfam local partners in the programme, include; ActionAid Abuja, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDBUMOG), BudgIT Information Technology Network Lagos, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), KEBETKACHE Women Development and Resources Centre, HEDA Lagos, Farm and Infrastructure Foundation (FIF) and Nigeria Association of Nigeria Traders (NANTS).

Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Maidville Consulting Limited, Ms. 'Detoun Abbi-Olaniyan (right) and representative of Co-founder, Profitville Limited, Mr. Peter Essien, during the Memorandum of Understanding signing between, Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers And Exporters Association Of Nigeria (AFGEAN) and Profitville, for the opening of Farmers’ Market, at GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

The Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers And Exporters Association Of Nigeria (AFGEAN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) with Profitville Limited (trading as Buy-More Supermarket), Ikeja G.R.A, Lagos, for the opening of Farmers’ Market, where fresh farm produce would be sold directly by farmers to consumers.

In this arrangement, Maidville Consulting Ltd, a trade support firm and a Globalgap (Licensed) Farm Assurer Company is the AFGEAN Farmers’ Market Manager and Administrator.

At the MoU signing, held at GRA, Ikeja, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Maidville Consulting Limited, Ms. ‘Detoun Abbi-Olaniyan, who represented AFGEAN said the purpose of the market is to bring safe, healthy, fresh farm produce to the table of consumers, thereby creating a direct relationship between smallholder farmers and consumers.

“This is the first one in the series of our collaborations and it won’t be the last. We are already looking for similar collaborations on the Island and with a conducive environment, bigger than the present facility to attract more farmers. Some of the reasons farmers’ markets fail is because of location, accessibility and unstructured management. A location can go wrong if consumers were given consideration when taking decisions.

“We are bringing fresh farm produce to the table, by collaborating with Buy-More supermarket to deliver this value. The Farmers’ market is for everybody desirous of fresh produce. We have fashioned it in such a way that the relationship between AFGEAN Farmers’ Market and Buy-More Supermarket is complimentary. If someone is buying grocery, you can as well pick lettuce and other items instead of going to the open market. The market is for all categories of people, irrespective of their income or strata in the society. It is aimed towards providing safe, healthy and affordable fresh produce for everyone, as well as providing market access for growers,” she said.

Abbi-Olaniyan added that through the initiative, all-year-round cultivation of farm produce would be encouraged due to the fact that if farmers are assured of ready-made market at the farmers’ market, they would be willing to cultivate all-year-round, with the mindset of getting them sold.

“If you look at vegetable, its not all-year-round produce, but if the farmers are assured that there will be values and market demand for them, then they would go all out to cultivate. Another thing we have done is to make the initiative a subscription package. Our market days are fixed throughout the year, this enables a farmer to plan for the year. Subscription is one of the key factors for success. “In addition, she reiterated that: “ We intend to open 100 similar outlets in Lagos alone over the next 36 months.”

On his part, the Co-founder of Profitville Limited, Mr. Peter Essien, who was optimistic that the collaboration would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved. He noted that having being in Ikeja for over six years the initiative would add more values to its customers.

“We have hoped to have such thing, and when the proposal for it came up, we were excited and we hope that all partners under our scheme would see value and benefit immensely from this partnership.

“The farmers have a lot to gain from this because they would have direct access to their customers, eliminate the middlemen, and feedback from customers would be direct. They would know that whatever they produce, there is ready-made market, there would be a lot of value-added to the farmers.

Cyril Ramaphosa, newly sworn-in South African president, addresses the South African Parliament on February 20, 2018, in Cape Town.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said today he wanted "healing and atonement" following the 2012 massacre of 34 striking workers at a mine run by Lonmin where he was a director. "I would like to use this opportunity to address what role I played in my capacity as a Lonmin director in the events of that tragic week," said Ramaphosa in an address to parliament in Cape Town./ AFP PHOTO / RODGER BOSCH

A rethink on president-centred politics and the threats it poses to the democracy are crucial for the post-Zuma period. South Africa needs to re-imagine democratic practice, leadership and how power works.

Some sections of South African society have reduced the Zuma problem to a corruption problem. Dismantle Zuma’s kleptocratic network, the argument goes, and all is solved. Zuma’s demise and a few high profile prosecutions will suffice.

But another view on the Zuma problem – and one with which I concur – suggests it is a problem of contending class projects inside the ANC. The neoliberal class project under Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki saw South Africa integrated into global markets. It maintained stability through modest redistributive reforms. This project laid the basis for a new black middle class to emerge while systematically weakening labour and the left.

But it surrendered the state (including the presidency) to transnational capital and the power of finance.The Zuma project, on the other hand, advanced looting as the basis of accumulation and class formation. The extra-constitutional state that emerged deepened the macroeconomic, institutional and legitimacy crisis of the ANC-led state. The left and labour, aligned with the ANC in the tripartite alliance, were co-opted and divided. Both these projects are entrenched in the ANC.

Now what? Messiah-centred presidential politics is extremely dangerous. This is particularly true in a country of extreme inequality and with a formal concentration of power in the office of the president. If politics is not represented, thought and acted beyond this, South Africa is going to repeat historical mistakes.

Since the ANC’s December 2017 conference the media, the banks and international institutions have been talking up a narrative of the “Cyril effect”. Zuma’s removal is attributed to this. In fact the Cyril effect is a narrative of capture of South Africa’s new president by transnational and financial capital.

South Africa’s democracy cannot afford another captured president beholden to credit rating agencies, currency fluctuations, investment flows and business perceptions. South Africa’s democracy has to be grounded in the needs of its citizens and the mandates given by its Constitution.

The Minister of State for Pretroleum Resources Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu PHOTO: TWITTER/NNPC

This was borne out of the OTC in Houston and if you’d watched over the last 10-15 years, Nigerians have been the major market for OTC. On the average you would have between 400-5000 Nigerians attending OTC every year. When you look at the foreign exchange dynamics and the fact that over a period of time in my own view it turned into a pleasurable jamboree. Most people were not even going for the conference, they were going to have fun. I thought for the image of the country it wasn’t good and we could we could tap into much more benefits in an OTC style conference. The time has come to begin to look at local technology. What have we achieved.

It is not just going to be seen in Houston every year and then come back. So last year in Houston I declared that it would be the last time I would attend as a minister and it’s certainly the last time that we’ll sponsor people to attend from the Federal Government purse. Anyone who wants to attend Houston on his own is entitled to do so but not with the public sector purse. Instead I thought that we should organise, OTC type conferences in Nigeria and bring the rest of Africa and bring the world, because what are we looking for? We are looking for investments. They are not going to give you those investments sitting there. They are going to give you those investments when they are comfortable here. Education. We want to trap the technological education here. Savings in terms of foreign exchange. Development of our own conference type capabilities. Those were the things that inspired this conference. We are excited that we are doing this. It is the first one and it’s going to struggle but over time, I think it’s going to develop it’s own panacea for success.

We’re looking at leading Africa’s response to global oil challenges can you talk us through some of the issues that you hope to highlight in this.
Leadership in Africa has always been a Nigerian birth gift. We have led in a number of initiatives, oil especially . We’re the highest producer and in terms of cost we are the best today. In terms of diversification of the oil sector we are the best so it makes sense that a lot of African countries who are beginning to come into the foray of production like Ghana, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea where oil has been found that they lear from our own experiences.

Those experiences have been both negative and positive but if we can learn from the examples that we’ve had it will help them in the development of their own policies. Again intra-African collaboration. We look at the fuel crisis that we have today, but why are there no refineries in Africa that can supply and cover the gaps. Why do we have to go to Europe for most of these importations? The time has come to go to Africa to look at some of these importations. This is what the gulf has done successfully.

All the Gulf countries have bunched together. They invest together, they build facilities together and they are able to meet their needs. The European countries are doing the same and so are the Americas. Africa is one place where you have so much economic disparaging. Everybody is standing on their own and looking to their colonial masters for how to get things done. I am trying to change that in the oil industry. This is what we mean when we say we need to take leadership. A lot has been given to Nigeria. We have earned billions and billions out of the oil sector. We need to begin to look at how we’re going to develop and diversify.

Can you talk us through where you are at now in terms of the implementation of the 7 big wins?
First one of the 7 big wins is basically the host community relationship and the Niger Delta militancy. Over the last two years we’ve been able to get a cap on that. It’s been quite a lot of work. Our production was down to as low as below 1 million barrels a day. Now we’re back to full production and militancy has certainly ebbed. So in that area we’ve had a huge amount of success. The other is the business model itself. Funding for the oil sector has improved. We’ve created an alternative to joint venture cash calls and that has bolstered investment in the sector.

The third of course is attracting investment into the sector. Huge, huge investments have come in. A week ago I was in Lagos to commission the Egina FPSO. That is a $15 billion project. Bonga is a $10 billion project. Zaba Zaba is a $10billion project almost as FID. Investments we’ve had into our refinery for the first time are in excess of $2 billion. So in terms of investments over the last 2 years it has quite frankly been unprecedented.

Food

The report, released late last year, projected that about 4.8 million Nigerians may face critical food insecurity in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The states are: Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the FCT.

The report was put together by FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS) and other donor agencies.

FAO’s Country Representative, Sufyyan Koroma, who disclosed this said it became necessary to provide reliable data on food security status in the affected states to assist government to take necessary steps to address an emergency situation in the country.

Instead of abating, the recent herdsmen/farmers crisis appears to have aggravated the matter with the high level of destruction of farms and killing of farmers, especially in the North, middle belt and other crisis prone areas.

Though the actual data of casualties and farmlands destroyed is still sketchy, a report from the Benue State government revealed that over 1,500 farmers, including policemen and soldiers have been killed.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Lawrence Onoja (Jnr) who stated this in Makurdi, said the victims were killed within four years particularly between 2013 and 2017 in Agatu, Guma, Kwande, Katsina-Ala, Logo, Ogbadibo, Gwer West, Makurdi, Buruku, Gwer East and Ohimini local council areas of the state.

During the week, the President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Babatunde Ruwase disclosed during the Chamber’s “Security meets Business” Dialogue session, that food security is at risk as agricultural production is threatened by security concerns, coupled with food inflation hovering at 20 per cent against 12 per cent for core inflation.

He said an estimated N200b planned investment in agro-allied industry has been put on hold in the country due to insecurity across several sections of the country.
  
Ruwase noted that there was no better time to consider the business dimension of the security challenge than now, adding that no meaningful business can be done in an environment that is insecure.

“Security of life and property is a very critical factor in the investment environment, and a major consideration in investment decisions. The impact of these security challenges on business and investors confidence is phenomenal. Not much investment activities are taking place in the Northeastern part of the country.
 
“Attacks by herdsmen on farming communities across the country is not abating, resulting in increasing loss of lives. Many rural farmers are holding back from the current planting season because of the fear of attacks by herdsmen. Agricultural activities are being negatively impacted. Already food inflation is at 20 per cent as against 12 per cent for core inflation,” he said.

In his submission, the President, Association of Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers, Prof. Simon Irtwange, who rued the development, identified the country’s rising population, unavailability of farmlands and other factors as responsible for the looming food insecurity.

He is however, optimistic that with series of efforts put in place by the Federal Government, coupled with various military interventions in crisis prone areas, the impending food crisis would be put under control.

“By next April the planting season would commence, I am sure that all efforts would be geared towards ensuring that farmers put in their best to make food available for Nigerians.”

But the National Secretary, Tomato Growers Association of Nigeria, Sani Danladi, who disagreed with earlier submissions, described the prediction as mere exaggeration. He said if the country did not witness food crisis between 2014 and 2015 when there was drought, food scarcity should not be expected this year.

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan. (IITA)

This has been found to greatly reduce rejection of the nation’s agricultural produce intended for export, especially groundnut and maize. As a result, Harvestfield Industries, a private sector partner has been selected for its commercialisation in Nigeria.

The company has commenced a programme to show farmers how to apply the product for effective control of Aflatoxin in maize and groundnut.

A total of seven technical teams were constituted comprising of scientists from IITA, Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA), National Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Partnership For Aflatoxin Control In Africa (PACA) and also involving Agricultural Extension Officers from states and council areas in the six geo-political regions of the country.

Agricultural produce are mostly contaminated with Aflatoxins, which are poisonous chemicals produced by certain mold fungi (Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus). These fungi resides in the soil and prevalent in the environment. Aflatoxins’ cause diseases such as cancer, hepatitis, stuntness, and suppression of human immunity, low productivity and high mortality rates in livestock and poultry.

Maize and groundnuts are infected on the field before and/or after harvest. Any produce or product that contains above 14PPb of Aflatoxins are considered dangerous for human and livestock consumption and therefore, rejected.

AFLASAFE is available for purchase at all the 18 field offices of Harvestfield and at Greenhouses (Super Warehouse) of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, located in all the states.

This farmers’ sensitisation exercise on how to apply AFLASAFE is being organised in maize and or groundnut growing selected 100 communities with a target of training minimum of 100 farmers per location.

Cassava

“When compared to Asia, cassava productivity in that continent is more than 21 tons per ha—a situation that gives Asia competitive advantage in global cassava trade. Addressing the yield gap demands more funding for cassava research and development (R&D) from all stakeholders, if truly the world wants to help farmers towards ending hunger and poverty in Africa.”
 
Fauquet said the conference scheduled for June 11-15, 2018 in Cotonou, Benin Republic with the theme: “Cassava Transformation in Africa,” is one of the ways the GCP21 is contributing towards the transformation of the root crop.
 
He called for participation of all stakeholders, emphasising that the conference would provide a unique opportunity for donors, investors, and policy makers to see and access the latest innovations and discoveries in the cassava sector.
 
The French Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Veronique Brumeaux, who hosted the press conference, said it was timely and would go a long way to address the constraints of cassava production, while at the same time proffering opportunities for investors and farmers alike to harness new innovations from the research community.

Towards ensuring that all operations in Lagos State abattoir meet international standard, the state ministry of agriculture held a one-day stakeholders’ workshop for butchers at the Oko-Oba abattoir, to put a permanent end to illegal slaughtering activities at the abattoir.
 
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatoyin Suarau, who addressed the participants, reiterated the resolve of the state not to condone any act of unhygienic meat slaughtering in abattoirs and slaughter slabs, warning butchers at the Oko-Oba abattoir to desist from unwholesome way of meat slaughtering and transporting.

While noting that the present administration of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is committed to ensuring that all operations in the state abattoir meet international standard, he added that the workshop is targeted at improving skills of butchers, especially at the Oko Oba abattoir, stressing that the state government will not relent in making and implementing policies targeted towards giving the abattoirs the mega city status it deserves.
 
He stressed that rehabilitation works, as well as removal of shanties, ban on Okada as means of transportation, use of the refrigerated meat van in meat transportation, deployment of experienced veterinary officers to abattoirs and slaughter slabs, amongst others, have been carried out at the Oko-Oba abattoir and others must the adhered with.

The commissioner added that the state would not relent in its policy implementation just as he assured that the Oko Oba abattoir and Lairage Complex will soon take a new shape.  
   
Suarau said the state organised the training so as to put a permanent end to illegal slaughtering activities in abattoirs. “This is a time to correct all ills at the animal market and abattoir in general, so that no butcher will have any excuse for any form of illegal practices.”
 
The commissioner stated further that the training has been designed in such a way that it will go a long way in developing the skills of butchers and keep them abreast of modern day best practices in abattoir services. 

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, spoke on the significance of ensuring hygienic slaughtering activities of the market, stressing that government will not relent in its efforts in upgrading and regulating the activities of all slaughter houses in the state.

Coconuts. Photo: Run Moore

Special Adviser to the Governor on Food Security, Mr. Okanlawon Sanni who distributed the processing equipment to beneficiaries disclosed that the state government has shown commitment to boosting food security, stressing that government included coconut processors in its agricultural development programme with a view to developing the value chain.

Sanni noted that the 12 units of processing equipment donated include-stainless two ton per hour coconut greater; 7.5 H.P Electric motor; Industrial burners; Aluminium bowls; and spoon, amongst others.

While admonishing beneficiaries to ensure optimal utilisation of the equipment for the purpose they were meant for, the Special Adviser warned that diverting the use of the equipment in any form is prohibited.

“The goal of distributing the equipment is to expand the scope of coconut processing operations in the state and further collaborate with the private sector in promoting the coconut value chain,” he said.

Sanni disclosed further that coconut growers in the state have also been empowered with more than 30,000 coconut seedlings, adding that over 600 youths and women have also been trained on the production of coconut oil and arts craft.

Dizengoff Nigeria

This development, seen by industry watchers as efforts aimed at achieving food sufficiency in the country, would not only boost vegetables production in the state, it also stands as a clear endorsement for the technology by players, both in terms of production and investment.

Managing Director of Best Foods Fresh Farms Mr. Emmanuel Ijewere said the 20 units acquired by the company was done to strengthen its production capacity and put it in a strong position to make significant impact on the huge demand for fresh vegetables in Lagos and across the country.

“Clearly, our capacity to produce more high quality vegetables will be greatly enhanced. And if you do the calculations it means we will be able to do more for our customers and in the market.“

Best Foods Fresh Farms, which has a technical partnership with Dizengoff, is one of the best-known greenhouse farms in Lagos with current production capacity estimated at 30 metric tonnes per-season.

The additional units of greenhouses to its operations is generally seen by stakeholders as “an indication of the success of the technology in the production of fresh, high quality vegetables and potentially may be a stimulus for investors to participate in the country’s huge agric sector.”

Ijewere who also spoke on the significance of the acquisition said: “as a company we have done well. When fully deployed, we are confident that what we have done will significantly propel us and enable us to play a bigger role in the nation’s food production market. So if you ask me, I think we are moving in the right direction.”

Experts have noted that whereas the country’s demand for vegetables is put at over 2.3 million metric tonnes per year, it is only able to produce just about 1.8 million metric tonnes. The greenhouse technology they say is “a potentially very viable option capable of narrowing the gap.”

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has revealed plans to merge Colleges of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi and Agenebodo into a single institution, with different schools offering courses in specialised fields, to train high quality youth agriprenuers to drive the state’s agricultural programmes and policies.

The governor disclosed this while receiving Executive Members of the Usagbe Club of Nigeria, at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State.

“Given the role of agriculture in advancing economy in the country, and considering Edo State as an agrarian state, there is need to establish quality institutions to train youths on agriculture to leverage on the huge potential in the sector.

“We decided to close down the Colleges of Agriculture in Iguoriakhi and Agenebode; as we intend to have one College of Agriculture with several schools, which offer specialised courses on different aspects of agriculture.

“A team is currently working on a curriculum to ensure graduates of the new College of Agriculture will be prepared to become successful agriprenuers and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the agricultural space. The process for the restructuring of the College of Agriculture would be concluded in less than six months from now.”

He explained that as part of his administration’s plans to drive economic growth through agriculture, “the state is already in talk with Leventis Farm to access 2,000 hectares of land, which would be leased to out-growers this planting season.”

Obaseki also assure members of the club that the construction of the Okpella-Agenebode road will be completed, noting: “The people of the Weppa-Wanno Clan would begin to enjoy benefits of the ongoing reforms in the health and education sectors.

President of the club, Mr. Tony Akiotu, commended the leadership style of the governor, adding: “The decision to restructure the colleges for efficiency is highly commendable.

Emmanuel Ijewere

Research and innovations developed at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) hold promise, and could transform Nigeria’s agricultural narrative, says Nigeria’s agricultural think-tank, the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG).

The think tank, made up of eminent persons drawn from Nigeria’s private sector players in the agricultural value chain, led by its Vice president, Emmanuel Ijewere, paid a visit to IITA to explore areas of possible collaboration with IITA.

The team was excited over the many innovations that have been developed by researchers in IITA, ranging from improved seeds that could more than double farmers’ productivity, to technologies that control weeds and double the yield of cassava, to simple processing machines that add value to crops such as cowpea, cassava, and yam.

Other technologies are:; inoculum production, which raises the productivity of legumes such as soybean by about 20 per cent, and aflasafe—a biological control product for managing aflatoxins. The semi-autotrophic hydroponics, which is being used to produce thousands of clean seeds of clonal crops such as cassava and yam, and the yam aeroponics—a system of growing clean seed yam in the air—were also well received by the group.

After a series of presentations by IITA researchers and a tour of the 1,000-hectare research facility, Ijewere remarked that the visit to IITA was an eye opener.

“Yes, we knew that IITA was doing some things, but little did we realise the extent and depth of what they have done… how far they have gone, and how relevant they have become to Nigeria’s agriculture future,” he added.

Ijewere said the NABG would work with IITA to see how the research outputs of the Institute in the last 50 years could be ‘translated to money in the bank for resource-poor farmers.’

The President of NABG, Mr Sani Dangote, who was represented by Mr. Baba Girma said: “What we saw here (in IITA) is amazing.”

Dangote, who was represented by Mr. Baba Girma said: “I never thought we have this in Nigeria. Before, we thought IITA was only about research but what we saw today shows opportunities that can bring synergy between what they (IITA) are doing and the private sector.”

Earlier, the Deputy Director General, Partnerships for Delivery, Dr Kenton Dashiell, reiterated IITA’s commitment to work with the private sector with the goal of improving the livelihoods of millions of farmers in Africa.

The convener of the meeting, Dr Alfred Dixon, Director for Development and Delivery at IITA, said the institute was glad for the exploratory visit by NABG, and was willing to join forces with the group towards eliminating poverty and hunger in Nigeria.

Dixon said the decision to collaborate with NABG and other partners was aimed at paving the way for the rapid delivery of IITA-developed technologies.

The Edo State Government has called for off-takers of maize, cassava and rice harvest from farmers under its Agripreneur project in the coming planting season.

A statement by Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Prince Joe Okojie, said the state is committed to linking off-takers to farmers to reduce post-harvest losses and guarantee investments in agriculture in the state.

The state government initiated the agripreneur programme to engage youths in agribusiness, provided them with land, assisted in farm management and facilitated access to high-yielding crop varieties and other inputs. The programme was piloted in 2017 with some of the farmers located at the Sobe Farm settlement.

According to Okojie, “The off-takers would mop up the harvest from the farms, and we can assure that the produce would be of the best quality because we are working with experts to train the farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and also supply the best of inputs to ensure that the produce meet standards.

“This is also another avenue for the state governor to ensure that youths going into agriculture are assured of buyers and aggregators for their produce, so that they are motivated to stay on the farms and are assured of returns from their investment.”

Nigerians have been enjoined to key into commercial agriculture, in order to utilise the vast arable land that are currently under-used across the country.

Executive Director, Commercial of Agro Park Development Company Limited, Seun Edun, stated this while reacting to a report released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), which reveals that about 38 million hectares of farmland are wasting away in the country.

He said Nigerians are largely practicing subsistence farming that it cannot maximally benefit from, despite the vast arable land the nation is blessed with.

Agro Park Development Company Limited is an agricultural asset management Company assisting Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora to invest in the agriculture sector.

He said his company is poised to salvage the situation providing infrastructure and management to assist Nigerian investors embrace proper agriculture.

“In a bid to correct this anomaly, we set-up our Farm Estate model to cultivate farm produce, specifically as inputs for food producing companies starting with the cultivation of local spices and herbs as import substituted inputs to food producing companies manufacturing food condiments and seasonings,” he added.

Explaining its business model, Edun said as part of efforts to revolutionise agricultural practices, the company’s mission is to lead a new era of agriculture investments, adding, “our key philosophy in driving this is precedent on our belief to optimise the performances of farmland investments that are best identified and managed through the integration of agricultural and financial expertise.

Akinwumi A. Adesina

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has made a strong case for increased American and global investments to help unlock Africa’s agriculture potential.

He made the case as the Distinguished Guest Speaker at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 94th Agriculture Outlook Forum in Virginia.

Speaking on the theme: The Roots of Prosperity, Adesina noted that for too long, agriculture has been associated with what he called the three Ps - pain, penury, and poverty. He appealed to the US private sector to fundamentally change the way it views African agriculture.

“The fact though is that agriculture is a huge wealth-creating sector that is primed to unleash new economic opportunities that will lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. Think about it, the size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will rise to $1tr by 2030. This is the time for US agri-businesses to invest in Africa.

“And for good reason: Think of a continent where McKinsey projects household consumption is expected to reach nearly $2.1tr and business-to-business expenditure will reach $3.5tr by 2025. Think of a continent brimming with 840 million youth, the youngest population in the world, by 2050,” he added.

Adesina told more than 2,000 delegates that thee AfDB is spearheading a number of transformative business and agriculture initiatives.

A woman using mechanical weeder

Despite contributing about 70 per cent in food production, processing and marketing, women farmers claim they are still highly disadvantaged, as they are yet to have special support and assistance to realise their potentials in agriculture.

Some of their concerns include, the area of budgetary provision for agric infrastructure and farm settlement scheme; the need for inputs and machineries; threat of herdsmen attacks; access to farmlands; and dearth of female extension workers, among others.

Aside the challenges, a handful of the smallholder farmers, who spoke with The Guardian, raise serious concern relating to farm produce.

A representative of the smallholder women farmers in Osun State, Mrs. Janet Olaleye, with 15 years farming experience, said women are more involved in livestock and crop farming, accounting for a larger percentage of farmers in that area of agriculture. “But some of our challenges are access to land, finance to run the farms, and access to farm inputs. We need appropriate access to technological tools like harvesters and driers so that women can operate them to ease farming.

“We also get exploited by marketers; after planting and harvesting, sales become a problem especially when the produce is in season and in excess, the market women under price them and we can’t take it back to our farms, but if we have driers we can dry them and store so that when the produce is out of season, it will be available all year round.”

Olaleye, who disclosed that there are nine farm settlements in Osun State, appealed for the dedication of one of the settlements to women farmers, to assist them in producing more food. “We also demand female extension workers and access to loans that are flexible. If we can’t get grants we should be given loans at the right time to help farmers plan with the season. You cannot give a N50, 000 loan and ask farmers to pay weekly, what kind of loan is that? Loans should be given appropriately so that after harvest the farmer returns the money. Only men have access to these loans in most cases.”

To Mrs. Fasakin Adesola Oluwayemisi, representing Kwara State, herdsmen attacks have being serious encumbrance to her orange-fleshed sweet potatoes; tomato and green pepper farm. “I had to start all over again and changed location too. This time, I got my farm close to a male farmer who can protect my farm and raise alarm when the need arises.

“We experienced water dryness last year, a river that has never dried up in the last 18 years did and we had to run around for another source of water. We also have issues of women who don’t have access to farmlands; when some women have issues with their husbands, they are stopped from farming and this truncates their effort. Women cannot always be depending on their husbands before they can take on farming.”

While speaking on behalf of women farmers in Benue State, Mrs. Joyce Tarka said: “Women have challenges with fertilizer distribution and participating in loans, it is really difficult having women engage in long term farming, because they don’t even own the farm themselves.”

Cecilia Ndu, who represented women farmers in Enugu State, identified access to farmlands as their major challenge. “We rent a plot of land from the men for about N2, 000 whenever we want to plant. Fertilizer is quite expensive and we don’t have money. I am grateful to the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) for taking us through advocacy programmes that has opened our eyes to making our demands from the government and for the first time we are recognised. However, more women are still not reached, we cannot boast of taking on agriculture in a larger scale.

“Most of our seasonal produce only boom in the first month of harvest because it’s in excess and then we only dry and store the produce for the next planting season. Our women are not making it in agriculture, they just sell the little they can produce, which is not good enough.”

In the same vein, women groups are urging the Federal Government to implement policies that would support climate-resilient agriculture to boost rural women smallholder farming, and address hunger and poverty in the country.

Founding director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), Dr. Akiode-Afolabi regretted that “despite their roles, women lack access to agricultural inputs and finance and have less than 14 per cent land holding rights, while culture, traditions and discriminatory laws continue to deny them equal access to government programmes at national and state levels.”

Agriculture

A fellow of the Institute of Directors and Chairman, Best Food Group, Emmanuel Ijewere, insisted that 75 per cent of Nigerians can earn their means of livelihood in the agriculture sector if properly explored.

He explained that most Nigeria erroneously believe that agric sector is about farming only, adding that farming constitute only 5% of entire agriculture chain. 

Ijewere, who was the guest speaker at the institutes’ February 2018 new members’ induction, spoke on the theme, ‘A Director in an Uncommon Industry’, submitted that agriculture which created major source of employment was left as soon as Nigeria discovered oil.

The fellow who was a former president of the institute said: “Directors are champions and captains of industry. The assumption then was that agriculture was just farming, but today farming is just 5 per cent of agriculture. In the past 20 years, agriculture has become 90 per cent science and 10 per cent strength and energy.

To be able to achieve that you must have educated people. Some of the most educated we have in our country today are serving in boards of companies, they are shareholders in companies, they are decision makers, risk takers, therefore they should move towards agriculture value chain but not necessarily just farming, in so doing they’ll be creating a better country for Nigeria.”

Expressing optimism that the bill before the National Assembly for the chartership of the institute would soon be realised, the President and Chairman of governing council, IoD Nigeria, Ahmed Rufai Mohammed, disclosed some of the institute’s plans for the year which include the beginning of a robust and well-grounded advocacy programmes that will be based on good research and analysis in 2018.

To achieve this, Mohammed said IoD would engage government so as to influence policy contents and directions towards creating a more business-friendly environment.

He added that the institute and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have an on-going collaboration to train directors of companies listed on the exchange and to bestow annual corporate governance award on best compliant company.

Towards attainment of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no poverty, zero hunger, and partnerships, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Africa, has donated palm oil and cassava-processing mills to Ife Oluwa Farmers’ Cooperatives Society of Adetoyebi-Ajibode community, Akinyele Local Council Area, Oyo State.

The humanitarian project was funded with a grant from the Japanese Government (through the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Projects (GGP) of the Japanese Embassy in Abuja), as a means of enhancing the Federal Government’s drive to boost local agricultural food processing.

The project is expected to benefit at least 150 local farmers, as well as other farmers within the council area, by making the processing of garri from cassava and palm oil/palm kernel oil from palm fruit plantations easy in the community.

Speaking at the commissioning, the Japanese Ambassador in Nigeria, represented by his Special Adviser, Mr. Tatsuya Imamura, disclosed that the Japanese government haS being on ground in grassroots, supporting development for years now, and has a long partnership and trust relationships with Nigeria. He noted that the project would not only be of great benefit to the people of the state, but equally boost the agricultural productivity agenda of President Muhammed Buhari.

The Regional Director of CBN Africa, Dr. Felix Oisamoje said the machinery is meant for the processing of the vital commodities that will contribute in meeting the SDGs, and also helping to transform the community from a purely farming community to an agricultural processing community.He commended the Japanese through their Embassy for the partnership, saying they are confident that the project will go a long way in alleviating poverty and helping to boost agricultural production in Nigeria.