BUSINESSDAY, 11 JULY, 2012

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Investment Opportunity

A GRIC

Fi.5hmeaJ lJ: to the Ush farmer wha t fertlllz.er is 10 the crop (armer, Jay' Tunde Saon1, a fis h (armer. No fis b fa rming enlerpriseansurvive wiihoulfishmeaL Bul currently,fishmeaJ is imported itliO Niger ia . Slales such as Lagos direly need investon to produce fishmeaJ locaUy lo meet this huge d e mand.

BUSINESS

Wednesday 11 July 2012

BUSINESSDAY ww\'\! buslnessdayonhne com

Nigeria reduces 'food imports BIODUN COIlR

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.sector aImed II culting the

country's del,endency 011 food lmporu. aealing Jobs and generating growth. according LO !be Minister of Agrlcuhule and Rural Development /\kinwuml Adesina. Adesina ((,I the global

imlUlWing conretitlveness,

would form 1I key part of Nigeria's plans 10 diversify the economy ,,"ny from oil. ~Ovet die rell five yean. we plan to ad I 20m tonoes of additiona food 10 the domestic fOlld supply to

IITA, UI explore areas of fresh collaboration he International Institute offropical AgricullUre (IITA) andtheUniversiryof Ibadan have outlined areas of possible coUaboration as both institutions srrive to improve Africa's fortunes. Areas under consideration include capacity building , establishment of a biotechnology platform, soli health, geogr-aphlcaJ information science. fund raising for research. food and nurrition. and capacity building. "H we collaborate on these areas. we will be able to help laclde the food and environmental challenges facing Africa: says Ntemnya Sanglnga, liT.... dlrectorgenera.1. durinS a courtesy visit to the university. Established in 1967, liT.... remains a leader in crop Improvement and the fight against biological threats and environmental sustainabillty in Africa.

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r'Jlling out an ambitious rerorm programme across Its .gricultural

publishing. fe!earch and consultaucy n rm Oxford Business GIOUp (DBG) thai the meslures, which Involve bOOHI1I8 1)r1vale sector partf( Ipallon and

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create 35m ;obs in the sector; and replace up to 40 percent of wheal Dour impons with hlgh-qualiLY cassava Dour;" he said.

He added that steps taken by the government 10 impf"O\le rice production should lead to the segment

of the sector becoming sell suIftdem by20 15, producing around 52bn in Income for farmen. Adeslna also highlighted the results that some of lhe key rdorms already introduced were bringlng. such as themm"elo privatise

Ih e procurement and illstribudon of fertiUser and seeds. "Asaresull,ourprivate sectorflfDlsaregrowingand foreigo direct mvesunent Is lncreasing." he said. lie voiced his confidence that Nigeria's banks were well placed to support the

expansion of tile country's agricultural sector. "The necessary key for successful reform Is to tum agriculture into a business that makes money, with a focus on InveSlments as opposed to aid and development,." he said.

Exploring India's expertise in agribusiness success OWYINKA AL\IIOOE ribuSlnen no doubt holds the key to wealth alion for many Individuals In Nlgerla's near fulure Therefore, any opponunlty (0 learn prtcdcally from the suttess stories of coLn: rles whose citizens have loed this same Une 10 cr.:ate wealth for lhemseh.es and their COuntries is 10 be selzed. To give N geria ns who have invesunen" btteresu in agricull11l"e the "pponunity ofgettingrtnthand. practical learn ing eXllerlences as well as bul d networks for fUiur e pal tnershlps, Hadur Travel and Toun ill organlsinS a s:..t-day lour of lndia. This rip will be coincidlng " i1 h ....gritech Asia, which" ill be holding In Gandhlnag.lr, Gujaral, lndia. Oil 'iepte"Ober 3 to 6, this year. Olufunke Tl iwo, chief executivl!', Hadur Travels and Tours, sa..-s "There wW also be prort-sd onai loun lO succes..~ful p ivale fanns to give our cl ellts l)fllCtlcaJ lcno,,'ledije o n running of successful fam.5 and agroallied busln ~sses . This Is similar 10 what we did when we took a ICllA to attend Israel Agrheel ! 2012. Ou.r

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clients have rerumed with c UIUng-edge knowledge on expanding their agrobusinesses. None of our ap plications for visas were rejected at the Israeli embassy.....ctually. Hadur Travels has always had Loo percent positive response In visa appUcations and we cxpeclsameatAgritechAsia In lndIa." Agrttech Asiiil 2012 is an International exhibition and conference (0 bring togetherthe very latest agricultural technologIes and

professionals to Imer-act, understand buyer-se ll er needs. and bring awareness to allsegmenll of end usen. .... bout 35 international speakers will be on hand to address these Issues and there would be one-on-one meetings for particlpant!l with similar Interests and potential pannershlps. India 15 Ihe world 's la rgest producer or many rresh fruits and vegetables, as well as mil.k. major spkes, seleet fibrous crops such as Jute and several staples

Participants at the Israel Agntech organised by Hadur Travels

such as millet and castor oil seed. according to world agriculture statistics. Indi a ranks second worldwide in fann Output. Agriculture and allied seCIOr5 like forestry and fisheriesaa:ouDl ror almost 50 percent or the total workforce. The country Is the second largest producer of wheat and ri ce. the world's major rood slaples,. and also the wortd's second largest producer of several dryfruits,agriculture-based textile raw mated. mots

2012 in May, lhis year chxing a profeuional farm visit

and tuber crops, pulses, coconut, sugarca ne and numerous vegetables. It ranked within the world's five largest producers of over 80 percent of agricultural produces, lncluding many cash crops sueb ascoffee and collon,ln 2010. Asor20 J 1, It was also one the world's five largest producers of livestock and poultry. The agric ultural equipment marketln India was estimaled to be valued about SG.7 bUllon In2010, and has been growing. Tr.tCtOrs and !noor driven products BCcount for the maximum share of usage as they represenl the most commonly used farm equipment. Taiwo notes !hat '"based on these, Hadur Travels decided to package a stress-free proressional tour to .... grltech .... sla In India In addition (0 our own rann visits. Thl.!i Is to avail our clients the opportunity of meeting with agricultural experts and businesspeople from allover the world and establishing partne rships or synergetic relationships that would enable them to compete In die international markets: According to her, the world has become a global vIllage and rarmers and businesspersons along the agricultural value chain

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that want to stay profitable In this dynamic world must be in touch with howthings aredoneglobally. lhiswill provide opportunities for business expansion for our clients in the agriculrure field . Some Nigerian agribUSiness Investors have taken their businesses to the next level by such Intemauonal networldng." she reflects. She a(firms that It is easier for buslnesspersons 10 enter lnto partnt!!l"5hlps with people they have met fa ce to face , saying "as a travel agency, we also include a few sightseeing toun in aJl our agro toul"$. So, the team that will attend through Hadur Travels will also get the opportunity of viSiting a few ezotic Sights in lndia as well as the professional farm visits." Soar Your Profits Through Hadur Agro Tours

Hadur Travel and loti,.. Ltd Suite 22 Block B AJausa Shooc*tg M.W~ Ni. gen."234-(0)80331341 08, (0)7092644532 MdurponsyltOyahP9

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