28 Wednesday 09 May 2012
AY www bu sme'isdayonltne(om
OlUYINKA AlAWlJDE
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Nisert. bit bun warehoused for 10 10 15 yun before shlpmenl 10 AfrIC1l ThIJ fact wu dlsc~ IpUIdwmclhe . . . . on ~.Ibe ~dyconctuded
...,0' Ehlnlbetl Summit. where consuhanu lMi~ their minds on the ~ tMI ~rttd rQ was 0Yft.
Akwa Ibom to establish 10 community fish farms
Local rice prices to fall as demand rises ~w d~mand
f?r h~cal ri~e makes co mmercialisation difficult and keeps pnce high as Nlgenans raJl 10 appreciate health benefits associmed with ii, accordmg to co nsultants, but fanners disagree on reasons for high prices.
p~ ~"'1thchenicals
""',lbl.....c .. me In re'poRn 10
and perfunMd 10 It can lIlA Ion& and
One of sudI It O1a1tan ..... nlOIU Ahmed whodoes rice lannincin Ibqu Ll:kkJ Local Coundl Development
complainu from panidlNlnlt thai the Iocalty produced rIce.-at more e:xpt'l1$ift wn ' he Imported ones. Curren!!),. the 0<'.1 rice hit nOI
AfH,
(UDA). lfeuys, "Asa resull of thelUppon I ~ from the Lap
StaleCornmen:ialAfp1c~t
PrtIj«t (CADP). the money I rnIiHd when I harw5led and JOId the rice In lhe 1uc RMOn II much rncJft than I haYeeYl!f earned IC anyUme In Ihe last
been rully comn.erdalRd beause danand d &aDl1hon of ....ppIy Rotiml FMhGla, .. consuhanl on
2Syeanl hm!bem~ "I oblalned a IIt'*nl throup the ~ CADP. so I Will 1b6e 10 empkJy men 1abow and Increasoe the number of hea.rI!IIlDkr a.dtiYIIIon. We alto pClUlbolnt mpnesthnqb!he I..argPI CADP 10 powft 0ltI0ft 10 tnmIpOtt le1Db:rn andomerlnpuls aero..-r. We do !be rb Iannir« tn n.nhy land and there Is • hup: body 0( wale 10 au. &om tht riIIIF 10 1he piece.: Ahmed. a retired cMI Sft'tVII who mumed 10 comrnedaI fumlnBlow yeus..,. StlIK that thiI.uppon has
rice ~Iue chain for LaiD' Sllle, pya. A baS of 'ocal rice Ion fOI IS hlBh .II NIS, 000 1,1, .. niche DUlIRI I' the moment. we Clnno! fully c:ommerdeJM orad. riot. ontt dmvond aceeds supply, It can be fuDy~I..oncp.u.
tqualty. nutritious when tt .. pown and procawd brn· Mecikalty, loo:aDy produced rice has bem found ID be ~ brrndIdaI health-wile, ___ medIr;aI; IOd food D'pft1l hIore conflrmed thb. Wbm ~Ioadrlcell~.oo
sets 10 the COflSI.LIMn In Jew Wftb.. MoJIIo'I anu-dt. • food tec:hnokIpt
and dUd errcut~. Pramont Foods. reltenls lhU, "IMina the betl In nuuttion bmdh can be cot from Ioa.I riot. whk:b II .00 much safer horahh-wtte than Ihe Imported ria!.. BUI .he .110 nOlet Ih., fumen flee ImmeRR (halieRI" In !DaIS productn" proensln" pacbpJJS and ~ ofthk rice wtuch II
bemlhup~Jor
th.,
!he reuonk II mJJCh
1TIOft~
and notwiddyo~..,u.lbilit ICUl ~ many farmm and pou~ndallmesCorL
Abdullhanh,), Allbl ·Ojolowo, a rice f..-mft, amrms that "m If thf' df'nNlnd fo. local rice II high enouah. land ~Iopment b "III very Important n determlnlnll
him.
explalnlnllh.l "I usuaRy planl 60 klIopammeI of rice. per hecwe .nd I aboul 3.5 10M In two hecwn. Thaot is lbout 70 bap. WhflI birds e.t1he rice while fruitq; in the fidd, we can _ _ much as half a IOn or
sec
much men. CUm·rllt,., dI M
pnc.. tddinc ht without Mlequale support kn farmers In the ana of lind developmenl, price of locil rtce will nn'V fill lower than the Imporled onel Therefore, the lovernment may need to lake the COA of land prroparatlon comple1ety otf Ihe farmers 10 encour-p mHS pmcIuctioo 0(1oaaI rice: 10 _to lowe !he prIa _the Imported rice.. Various ~ haYe noted u.lfthit:doesnothappm.~t.ton
knportedrbwouldnotllOp~
from eadnalow qUllity bul che.p Imponed rice. as .muglfts woukt ~ondle~orlbtpeope
Im.IIIP lin, die murmy The Importlnce of suppon for lrormrrs canJ'IOI be O\'\"mJ\pbashed At I lime when MIme Wmen _ a1mOJt lhrowinlln Ihe 101ft1 due 10 tbe lmmt:nH challmses In rice 10
~""'--"'"
rKeived made Ihem forpd ahmd
CIfI
do 10
"10 emp60y peojHe and.,.,. them Kan the birdI away.
lie furthft "'lIes the chaIJmseI. "Our rke miUlns planl In Isbosun hal broken down beyond repair We tab the rice to 'Inother vIIlalle IIIl viUap 10 mill Ifte parboiUnlTnInIpOftIdon lI.bouI N200 per 60 klIopammeI of rice carried. We have abundant and 10 do the fann.ins b.... we would need more rHOUfCft to Inmasecapadty. ~ dear one hectare of land and make II ready for planti", .. about N6OO. 000. We need mo~ oucboud e~ about two per coopemtYe 10 pcM'I!f thecanoeL EIea:ridry Is.., no! -o.bIe In the viJlaKt'- We ~ m.nu.lly and do Ihre.thlnl with Iep. We do no t h~ threshen; 10, much money .. expended In ~
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In Iplle of the hl,h COil of produ<:tlon. mllkednl the rice I. howeftr nOI a challenle for Ihe quantity' he produca. Ahmed aayI. "One lood thins I. th.l we now haYe cood IICUII JtNIds. Thb: mUca It eull!:r for markelen 10 come to us. M.. keters come to the vill.~ 10 buy the rice and we also tale the rice 10 -bJ IOWN. A 50 q . . of local rice COlli Ir least NIl. 000 In lhe vWace and lor rMft In the
roes
ANIEfIOII UDONOUA~ 1.\0 e Akwa Ibom IUle pnnmenl II to establish 10 community nih farms In each of the 10 federal COI'IIUtumdes of the "If' thiI year. ~ God5wtIAkptbiolQled tbiI tn. mellllFlO tht irtaupIndon of
Ti
...
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(NDEVM'....."" """""""'" """" Sk.llb AcqulJlllon Tr.lnlnl Centre and the c:ommenccmmI of • b1linln& provamme II Alah. Iltol Ebak In EI*n UdIm local ~ uea. Represenled by hll depulY, NAma Ekere. the sc-n- AKl the cummunity fbh firms wiI pmdUOl! • total 01 5,1'00 metric: IDnI per annum vaJued II N2.4b .nd wtllienerate
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~lopponunldeIfor34O,445
He said hit .dminlt"alJon had 3,000 J'IIUlhI and empowf'red them with NSOO.OOO loans 10 esclbUsh farms through lhe intepated Parmm' Scheme Akpebio SISd 4,500 runJ women were empowered lUi year with N2SO,OOO ttu-ough the Women AeroEntlepreneutlhip Developmenl Propamme (WAfDEP). lie • • Id Nilerll could lolve unemployment problem through qncullUflil ~kJpment. potnti", OUI hi ttlstorlcally apkulture has ~ • mafor role .. an 1mIInf' lor economk pvwth and de.doplloenl
atn.ty turned _
""-"'-
"The Industrlll Revolullon In
19th Cmrury EnPnd WIll ~ by
mIna productivity .nd incomes In ~thM~lhedemand
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ror mlnu(acturi!d aoods: he IIld ~ the poll-war JapM. South KOR':8, and mo~ recently, "ThaJ1and, rbins apkuInuaJ proctuctfvlty and I ahlfi to commerclll ctOpI ~ as the job aadon and higher IncomK: He I.uded the esl.bllJhmenl or Ihe Skill. AcqulsJrlon Cenlte .nd lauded lhe NnE lor itt conunhment lO~em!*Jymmt IONtfenanL The Mlnlsler of Labour Ind ProdlJCllvity, Emd.a Wop In bit tenNlru Akt the ntabUthmenl of the SkU! AcqulJldon (Anlre WlS • demon.It.tlon of the Federll GcM-rnmen"'concem forme pIiJht of
IsboBun rice .. fMI'I .-eter "",_,...,mood_ 1han0f0d0.' ood biB- effortl In cheeki,. the pfoblem of I(IWJJL
"lone"""'"
When we coot II. people can e¥m eM h WJahouI; toUp."
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