AGRIC I25 BUSINESS
-f think our govemments will remain virtuous for many centwies; as long as they are chieOy agricultural:
- 1holDU Jeffenoo
BUSINESSDAY: www_businessdayonllne.com
Wednesday 04 July 2012
------------------~-----------------------------------~ ! ~Farmers urge FG to create nurseries in cocoa producing states PETER DADA
AKURE armers under the aegis of Cncoa Fanners Association
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urged the FedeT1l1 Ministry of Agricuhure 10 ensure the creation of nurseries in aD the oocoa producing Slates of the country. In a letler jointly signed by nalionaJ presideOJ of the asmciation. RaimiAdmiji and Adeola Adegoke, secretary, to Akfnwuml Adeslna, the minister of agriculture, they
said ilhad becomenecessaryin order to rejuvenate thevarious mcoa farms with IIo!W yiekls. According to the leiter, the farmers appealed to the minister to direcs the relevant agencies 10 commence action on me project, saying there had been agreement wim the minisleron the manerwben he met with them earlies: The group 5ald there was • need to expedhe action on the nursery project so as to
meet this year p1antlngseason, demanding the Inclusion of Ulllmu-plus In the list of agro·chemlcals the ministry wanted 10 procure fot the use offannmin thecoUDtry.
164,000 Benue farmers register for database BARNES AGIRIGt
MAKURDI Otal of 164,000 rumen In Benue
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Stale~regisn~red
or the valid farmer database introduced by the FedenLI Government In collaboration with all states of the federadon. This was disclosed by Eugene AUegba, the state commissioner for agriculture and narural reiOUfCe5, and revealed that only 68,000 of them were captured and validated to parrldpate In the p.r ogBRlIllH for the 20 12 copping season. Aliegba made theae known In an addr1!'ss on the occasion of the offidal flagoff ceremony of the 20 12 sales
of fertilizer and seeds under the Federal Government', Growth Enhancement SuppOrt (GES) Scheme fo~ the state. He said Ihe state was ready to support the uansfonnation agenda of the present administration, as It hosled ;$lUi 10.of the agrlc transformation teams wbo visited the state 10 ascenaJn Its capadty and preparedness for lhe implementation .of all the value chains In the agric translonnadon agenda pmgr.unmes. He, therefore, urged farmers 10 key Inlo all the faats of lhe transformation agenda, and appealed 10 Ibose nOI yet capl'ured In the last (annen;' registration exercise 10 be pan of the next registration, to harness the GES S(:heme..
F6 partners Indian firm to increase cotton yield NONIO NDUMANYA
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0' .....' . " . , . . . . , _ panner/chlef ezecutlve, Nanotechnology InduStries, the by nOte speaker at this event which held In Ik.oyl recently urged the adoption of proleiru from plant soun:es. He said. -In me orient. plant proteins are mucb more emphasised and that is why 6Oto 70 percent ofwregion', popuIacearevoegetarians. Plant proleins are more economical One hectare of soybeans will fulfil me prolein needs/raOOn
of a per50n for 18 months and If the same quantity is fed to a c:ow, II will last only IS days." He said 1J'm"60 to IIOpettenI offann produce perI5h elmet on the fann and In D1IniiL tie .1'0 sialed that Nigeria has Imported N9.8 trillion wonh of food in the last four yran and there Wll5 still a ,hortage. Oyewole also identified use of crude lechnology as one of the factors lIiII posing f.nod security challenges. lie therefore urged entn!preneul'S 10 see opponunities In aD these challenges. lie laid, "Produl:lI , processes, unit operations. plant re,earcb and development should be conducted via synergy rather man individual approaches."
and Nalural Resoun:es pnMde for Increase of seed cotton production to alleast 400,000 metric Ions ovel a period of fo ur years "'ith the use of good agricuhural practices, artlfied seeds. recommended dosage of fertilize rs, biofeniliu:rs and aop protection chemjcaJs, among others.
The client and Investor, according [0 the MoU, will produce adequate quantity of breeder, Foundation Siage I, Foundation Slage 11 and certlned COlton seeds 10 achie"e the seed cOllon production of alleasc 400,000 metric tOIll over a period of fouryean.
JUNE 22·28 2012 Nigeria Commodity Index
NACC x-rays untapped opportunities in food security he NigerianAmerican Chamber of Commerce bas :I-rayed the opponunilies that enttrp~neurs OUltap Into in the country's drive for food 5eClIrity
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h' Government has signed a memorandum of understanding, MOU wiman Indian company, WestAfrican Couon Company Umited. WACOT, 10 Inaease COllOn yield by 400,000 metric IOIll per year. The MoU, which provides for Increase In Ihe eqlOn of conon lint by 100,000 over a period of fouryears. mandates WACOT 10 supply certified couon seeds to conon fanners through the National Colton Association of Nigeria, NACOTAN. Details of the MoU signed belween WACOT and the Federal Ministtyof Agnrulrure
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As pan 0 1 in. obligation under Iht 1,0U, WACOT has unveile,f a new set of guldetinu to Nigerian cotton farm ,!fS lIat would "gnlnnn .,," advance the achievemem · dtheset targeIS. The gUll elines cover land preparn tion. pianllng. fertllizel tprllcation . weed ma"ager<lenl, pest manageme,t anc hal'\esIing. Hamma "waJaHa, chairmau, No\COT.o\N, confinnlng th.5 development, said COlton £a.meB under the umbrella of he assadallon were aJready henefitting from the inltiati '!!' disdosing thaI under the ~loU , thr agrlc ministry Ihlou gh WACOT would distril ute free conon seed KI funnel" ",hileWACOT would offerfr ~ teehnlcal and eJ:tension s er (ice