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E-mail: ag@businessdayonline.com
BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayoniine.com
Wed nesday 21 November 2012
Women turning agro products to export commodities StonesbyOLUY1NKAALAWODE
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o expand the non-oil export sector, the African Women
Enuepreneurship Programme (AWEP) Nigeria chapter in Lagos. has trained women from Nigeria's six geopolhicaJ
zones on accessing International marlets. AWEP, initialed bv the UnitcdStates Depanmem of Sia ies under Hilary Climon,
was set up to empower Afr ican women to take npponunily of the African Growth and Opporrunity Act (AGOA), which allows
cenain goods produced in
L-R Jerry Uwheralta ~ pl'esldent. AWEP and Folake Marcus-Bello. AWEP patron inspectmg vegetables packaged for eKpOn by one of the AWE? members PIeS by OlUYiNKAAlAWOOE
some developing countries dury-free access to the US market. Folale Marcus Bello. member. board of trusu~es, J\WEP. slates thaI in a few years from now. the non· oil export sector in Nigeria is expecled [0 expand remarkably, judging by the A\YEP Initia[ive. saying ·we have the products but we are being turned down in several developed countries due to poor quality and packaging. but in conjunction with Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIlRO) and National ,\geney for Food DrugsAdministrallon ilnd Control (NAFDAC) ilnd other agencies, women under AWEP are learning to do things properly:
Sbe funhe r suys thll l Hilary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has encouraged access to the US market of more than 300 million people, bUI want rules on standardisation of goods be adhered 10. ·1 trust that Nigerian women would get the slandardisalion and quality right. This workshop by AWEP is a very good opening forthat,· ad d s Bello. Gloria Elemo, directo rgeneral, FII RO, explains the technologies available at FIIRO (or privale owned firms to adopt and commercialise. Sylvia Ajoku, from NAFDAC, states tha t the agency docs nO I collect fees for lests carried OUi on commodilies fo r export, saying afler t hese lests a health certificale Is given. ·You need to carry OUI these tests as failure to do so may cause rejection of the goods and spoils the country's name in the international markets; she warns, adding that any commodi!)' that passes the NAFDAC tests would pass tlle tests in any country the products are exported to. Vernlsi Iranloye, president. AWEP, notes thai the vision o f AWEP is first to assist the middle· class women to grow their businesses for the local market and export. and subsequently these women who get the bulk of their supplies from the grassroots women will
t rain the women do w n the ladder. She says AWEP, which is in its first year in Nigeria, has presence in the six geopolit ical zones of the COUntry with six \tjce p residents to coordinate Ihe activities of all the states in their zones. In Nigeria, the Federal Minisuy of Commerce and Trade is the supervisory ministry of A\\fEP under its AGOA depanment. The exhibited prod ucts Include m oringa oil extracled from moringa nour, crayfish, dried pepper, gani, yam, and vegetables. All these a re targeled for export, as the AWEP is opened to all Nigerian wome n in farming and in one form of food production or the other. The women who are able to access the expon market areexpeclerl [0 train women in primary production that supply them. Toru Ofill, the national public relations officer of A\VEP, urges women that no maner the level they are on the agricultural value chain to go 10 the nearest office in their geopolilicaJ zone or state where there is also a coordinator to register them. The process of registration has been made so simple for the women. I\o matter how financially low they are can register. grow their businesses and export through another company up the ladder by making regular supplies. AWEP also eltportssentjces and related products.
American NGO spotlights smallholder farmers for African agric growth fTicare, .a lea.din g Amencan non· governmental oq::anlsallon. spotlights small·scale farmmg for It result-dnven future for Africa's agri-food seclor. Gwen Young, Senegal countrydireclOl fOI "frieare. say!; across Africa it is Ihe smull cnlreprenl"UU and businesses that dlivl' community livelihoods and nalional economic development. Yet, withoul adequate financing Ot
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access 10 buyers, producers associations are not able 10 sell tbeir prodllclS to increase their inC'omes and bolster their liveliboods He adds further Ihat without knowledge of the markets, Ihey are unable 10 secure the inpulS and technology needed to increase production_ Africare will be presenting ils \tjsioll at this year's agribusiness forum taking place in Dakar. Senegal from November 25·28.
The NGO's message
will underline the role of Investmenu•. technologies and services and the Imponanct' for these to be designed, considenng the needs of small-scale fanners, particularly women, and delivered to small-scale farmers, not simply 10 Jarge agribusinesscs ..... Cricare. in addition 10 other civil soocry representatives, will oITeT a detaill.'!i approach as to what the future holds fo r Africa's agricuhuralseclor. The agribusiness forum, .opened to all individuals and
orgamsallons, wil1 prOVIde II pladorm for choil societies to present theirYiews alongside prime ministers, polillcians iJnd local and internationlll business leaders as well as chambers of commerce from across Africa, Europe. Asia lind America. Spedfic Issues linLed to 1111 parts of the value chain as weil as the barriers constraining farming communities will also be highhghted. l'oungaddsthat. The organisation will c:onunu.d an ~ !3
"Agriculture is our V.1sest purSUIt because it wit In !he end contribuTe most to real wealth. good
BUSINESS
• Letlet from ThomasJettason
to George WashingtOn 117871
Wednesday 21 November 2012
BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayonline.com
Food import is hurting local farmers - Adesina
"""" N GODFREY OFURUM. Aba
dependence on food Impons IS hurling local farmers, dlsplacmg local production ilnd creallng rising unemployment. This wu staled by Alanwuml AdeSlna,. mlniller of agriruIture.ln hU address al me opening cen:mony of the ongoing fif$lAba lnlftnational Trade Fau. holding al the Aba Recreation Club, saling "no natton can achieve nalional securlly and economic de,·elopmenl Wlthoul being food secure, as peace lind secWlly can only be assured when IheSlomach 1Ssecured.." Represenled by OIiri Ebere. a dlreclor In Ihe miniSD)', the minister scued,
":'IIlgeria, a nalion wllh aboul 165 million people wilh abundanr human and nalUral resources. several hundreds of thousands of arable land cannOI feed her populallon. saying Ihe nallon depended mostly on food !mpons 10 susQin her populalion wnh only four food !mpons gulpmg over:'lll oiillon annuaily. With the US nand-red and while winter wheal alone ac.couoting for N6lS bUlion. Rice, according to him, accounts for N356 billion. while sugar and fish :'1:217 billion and N97 billion. respectively. He reilerated Ihat Nlgerla·s fonner glory In global trade of groundnut ("'2"1.), palm oil (27"\1, cocca (1ft), conon O ...,)waslosl because while the country's
Osun partners German agric experts to improve food security REMI f!Y1~PO sun Sute Is parlnerlng German SUlle of Suony Anh~11 on Impro'ring agricultural activities and food securlry. The collabonllon, aimed al improving agric practices. wiU focus on how to modernise, mechanlse and Improve on the ex:istina agrlcuhural acdvltles of Ihe Sill Ie, wilh a view to guaranteeing Inaeased food securiry for the people of me
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lhis followed a seven·man delepdon of aperts drawn from German agrlc lector meellng with farmers' cooperauves In the state. soli scientists. animal husbandry experts and others.. Some of the aperts were drawn &om me Manin Luther Urnverslry In Magdebug. Ihe mlnlstry of agrlcuJture and the chamben of commerce and industry In the Siale of
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morals. and haPPIness'
compemon maimained their dominance due to Slrong marketing organisalion dun IlnUd the Carmen 10 mar\m and provided suppon in the form of improved planllng matenals. fertililer. credits and rural Infrastruclure, the country stagmued lhis meant thai we h;;lVe been unable 10 benefit from Ihe rapidly .. Ising global prices: he Stated. To averse this trend, he Slaled Ihal Ihe minlSlry had decided In Its Vision to move Nigeria to become an agriculluraUy Industrialised economy by reduclns the level of imporl of wheal from the currenl level of N635 billion per year. by subslhutlng .. 0 percent of wheat Dour used In bread and other confecdoner)' With high qualiry cassavII Dour.
Nigeria, others to benefit from $7.8m agric grant ilIandMelindaGatill!S Foundation hu gJven 51.8 milhon to Ihe Michigan State Umversit)' researchers 10 help "'Jigeria and 5e\o~n olher Afncan countries Improlle susWnable tuming methods. The grant. from Ihe Gales Foundalion Global Development Programme. will be used to help gUide pollcymaklng efforu to Intensify farming methods thai meel agricullural need I while Improving envlronmenral quality In Kenya, Malawi. \iall. Nigeria, Burkina Fuo. Zambia. Elhiopia an d Tanzania Programmes like Ibis are paramounl 10 Afnca, as demonstrated by more Ihan 52.5 billion In annual spending by African governments on agricultural inlensificalion. said Thomas layne. protect co·direclor and MSU agricultural, food
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November 09 - 15 2012 NI ena Cemmod!
and resource economln faculry member "All of rhe partners h~ve made a long · term commitment to help thiS reglon 's programmes reach thelt full potential: he laid "M5U has longslandlng experllse in thn field . and our commllment to Instilullon bUilding wu a major reason as to ",·hy the Gales Foundation put III IrUStln ..tSU for thiS grant.' Durins Ihe ne:1I four yean, Uie learn will work wnh 10 Afncan unh'enllies, insUlules and govemmenl ministries 10 promote effeclive govern men I strategies Ihal help Afrian farmers become more producti~ and food secure. The learn also will budd the capacII:y of natlonal policy Institutes to guide and suppon their own countries' agricuhure minlSlries and eventually accept and manage Intemauon.a! punts..
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Samny AnhaiL Germany The experts. who wen: on a week vislL toured the Catde Ranch at Oloblll Farm, Iwo Farm SetdemenL Toro Farm In fwu and Fq.Agro Farm in 1I0ko·ljma. The visil. which Is being handled by theQuick Impaa Intervenllon Programme (QIIP), featured a technical review session InVOlving the mlnlmies of apicultUR! and food security, mlnislry of commette, co-openllives and empowennenL and the Osun Stale Universiry. nele Ogundipe. a senior special assistant to the Own State governor; leads QllP. GoYemorRaufArqbesola said bill visil to the German lIale earlier In May Ihls yea .. had brought about the a~landlhevisilofthe
German experu. Aa:ordlng 10 the pl'YftllOr. the 5Q~ is wriI endowed and needed 10 be tapped. asking me e.pens Ir assisl In Impl"O\ing on the 11" ~e of agricultural prllCtice fl.. the sate.
American NGO spotlights smallholder 'lfme~ ... C-Wgm~12
also use Ihe pan.Afrlcan agribusiness forum as II mean to showcase panners, supporting the pliinicipalions of six small enterprises to demonstrate bOlh the innovative work being done at thecommunlry level as well as Ihe finandal, technological and service nuds of small enterprises
in Senegal. The forun organised by Beillum.base 'orpnisalloo called E.\IRC wi.' take place in collaboration w, h Food and Agricultural Organisation, the Rabobank Fo·mdalion, Kwara Slate. the lorum for Agtlcultural Research in Africa. UnlBRAlN, Africare, Syngenta Foundation. USAID, and Amir.tn iCen)..
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