43 Tuesday 30 October 2012
BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayonline.com
How Kano-Nlger Republic ...
mate a signIficaru reduction in supply from outside.
Conrn.oed (rom Pore 42 the peoples, daily trading activities across the Cron!)efli are being hampeed by conuption, intimklations and unduly delays.. "This Is In addition to smugglmg of goods at:ross the border. or siglliflCliince mentioning here Is the lackof pfOper a~eness among the businessmen along me frontien of modem bUJ>lness tec::hnlques, like cashless trallSaCliofllUld. e-payment device. We also undefSland Ihat buslllessllien from the two CUUlIU'b are in the nablt oltmdena1..ingcommercial InIll5adIOIlS Ihal invalvcd huge sum of money Illfonnally, and III !UOSI ca!oeS WllhOlit wrillen documenwuons. · We arl! lold dlal some o( dt.eSe busUl~ deals often end In losses arising fmlll breach of contIaCI by paClle~ IIIvolvCti In such lransaclion, which we bt!licvc neet..110 be wscourngt:d. You will agree with me Ibal these are soille of the fadors nuhtatull! agaUlst the smooth condud of cross border irdde, dtnOn8 the peoples of bolh COUlllrib.. It 15 ow hope and beueve thalth15 su.mmil will allempl 10 address these challenges and create conducive almosphere for 0"05S ooarder Inlding ant! investmtml; Kwankwaso pointed om. lending his view, Muhammad Usman, Niger Republic minlsu~r for I.lvesl1.ld. who rt!presented Pri!WdeUl Issouiotl Mohammed. discIo!.ed that the SUUllillt was l)aft of Ius grand "'".UII auned al promoting lI:gionai econuUlJc imemct.ion wilh Nigeria. According to hllll. silllila.! sununlt was oq;ilJU~ bclwt!en hiS cowllry and Drillsh govemrnenl. n .- crlltly, adding thaI the lilOVeS are geared at ~pandJllg people IU peopte bu.s.i~ retalionslup. Olher members of Ihe delegation Include ("ovemor of Niamey, Kane AichalOu lloulwlla. GoveUior 01 Zmdel; Ownarou Sakluu lssal.a. Gao.emor of MnnIdi, Sidi Mohaned, a.mJ the NIgcr Republic Amb:u&ador 11\ Nigcna, Maman Mansour D-.KIdo. At Ihc end of the swmnit, II fourpaull I..lIIIUUWuque, which focuses on (urmaliS3tion of cross ·border tradc and trdllslKIrtatioll of goods a.nd SCfVIces, CUlM-border U"llde in livesuxL and pastoral movemem, cross -boatder marLeling of lM:!troleum prot..luc1$, and cross ltoarder fiuand.d Iranlo.Ktiolls Wid l),lyment sell1eIllCIII processe!i was ~ued. HighHgl1I5 of the agn:ements reached durUig the SUIIIIIUI was the resolved by Ihe Kallo Stale govern· nlelll 10 CIiCUUnlgC the importation and trading of over 1000 heads of .::attle by Niger Republic mmlers in the stme on a daily basis. "Ihe Kana govemmem Indicated inlerest in !ongu-term ventures like escabtislunenl oIlPG planu in Kano and 1)()\~'Cfgeneration. tllI'OIJgb pipelilll: supply of gas Crom Niger
RqxtbUc's oewoil refinery. lndependem oil I~S from Kano IllIVe also Indicated interest in some of the whilc products, especially 1JlG, PSM, and AGO for domestic llnd
awomobUe uses. The oommunique also revealed that both parties ~ve agreed 10 hokI. theswfUniteveryIWO~ llteuen swnmit w-.u: scheduled 10 hold In 101" in Zindet; Niger Repubix:.
lhis~tlla5aboaffil.oaed
thegrowthol the inbmaI seaor-ol the staleeconomywith a resultant capital flIgIli toother pansol dll!cotllltrylJiat has also helped to under-develop exbting and present potentials in the
awiculrural seaoc
With Bayelsa Stale vinually Clil oil from tlte resc of the COWllry by the fIoodiltg 01 sections of die East-West Road al both Ihe fuvers Stale and Delta Stale, the state govemmtnt has realised thaI II crumOi continue to pay Up service 10 tile deveAopmetll ol its agricuItumi potential, bUllllUSl act 10 reposiooll the §edor In onlet10 address dte looming issue 01 food SI.'Ulrilyas~asdi\l1:nJrw.:a.tionofiu.
rew:llue sources. Governor DU:Lson In a sjJC(:ial lxoadt.'aSl following Ute submerging of several ruuumtnilies by dIe flood and ill response to UM! sharp nse III
dlt'-I'rice:s 01 Wine foodstuffssaid ttl!. a.:l.lninl5truuon Wi!!> golIlg to addres:o die Issucofrood secunty bydm!cullg dte ~tale Ministry of Agriculture and Nalurdl Resoun:e:s 10 t!SlIwlish ami
Addressing false starts of 8ayelsa agric development plan Past administrations tried to harness arable land to develop Bayelsa Palm Estate, but have consistently failed to yield in its actual potential. While the government has continued to invest more, addressing impediments to Bayelsa agricultural development plan is essential, writes Samuel Ese. ne nl3jor bendit of the presenl Hood disaster that has affected Nige· ria Is the lesson it has left for the govt:mmefll and I~ of BayeI.sa State 10 take a second look ill its agricuilwallJroprunes. which II has paid lipservice 10 !Drovera decade now. Since the Hood disaster mallY
O
smkhoIders believe has been ~ ill tlte state, GovemorSerial.e Dickson has Inade tWO illljJOna11l pronounceIHCUt!>: ont:,. a directive 10 tltt! lotate Minwry of AgrIcuituIe WId Niilurul Resoun;es to eslablish and monitor Ihree food ooUection ceillre>. in Ycnagoa, wld IWo, underSOJf{:d the deleunlnatloll and commllment of hbadminiJ>UaliolllOboo!i:t [00I..I pru-ducuon by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with tWO ~JeatlrtnnSonacassavajl~
ingplanL And to give nl(X'e bue 10 dIe new rlKMS 10 boost agricuilur.&i produclion, the govemor has also inaugurated a IZ· member boani olille 8aye1sa Stale Agriculnual DevdoprnemCompanyUtnilt<danddtarged II todivenilydM! ilItemallygenem!ed revenue base of dle scue.. lhe rect:1II deveIopmem regard ing the 600ding of sections of the East-West Road in bolh Delta and Rivers RateS presented Bao;eisa with SOllte IUtId dw.IIenges in die area of food seauity, espedaUy as prkes of some essential foodstuffs shot up awooomica1/y at a time that entire farmlands were wiped IIWdY by the rampaging wateR. Traders seized the advanta~ ol.th~ ~klllmclll
'" dwged """"""'" hlg» p for Nigeria's mOSt important staple food, gari. The preselll food supply sillla ' don in the swe ever s:i.nce has been deicate: lIS the SUlIC mied heavily Ofl
neighbourillg 5lates like Rivw. DelUJ gellemied revenuc Illorileollhe stale. Wh:u has becn happening Is that and 11110 for ilS food supply, ~nce lIS CJl!3tlon in 1996. This is hardly gtM!fnment has continued 10 inws thai shading Ili even UI the old Rivers more and 1II0re in the Slaw. most 0It11e an~illiOW known Ili soml.'thingwouidrumeout 0 it while poor management has denied any Bayt..-.Jsa had relied on food supplies siglWlCalli revt!:lweyteld. from elsewhere_ In tile area of rn rullivadon, the It is believed Ihal over reliance on lixxl SiJliplies from neighhouring Peremabin atld Isampou nee ranns haW' remained mere tallJng points SUItes madc llIost of tile rurnI poptl lace indolent andrufltributed IOwanb for d~ govenunem and people but 1I0011111g concrete has been dOIlt: 10 sruming v.ui0u5l1gficultwal de\.doj>mem Illogranunes Ul the state, und . lum tltelil UlIO prodUCtIve ventures the situation has rem!lined largely that ..:011111 Iramionll Ihe agrk.·uhurul lite same despite variuw. agricuItllml [onunes of the Slate_ III n.'Cem past. poIides and progralTllIlCli by \rdOUUS the SlDte govenunenl had attempted administratiOns. Policies and pro- IO.it:hoe in loseYl!r.ll agricuIlIlrai~ . gnlillmes in the altliculturai sedor lures by creating whal was described have continued 10 f.iil. giving an Uldi - .is speclld purpose vehicles, Tills cation tllat they weru just ralse staru. IKM'-'YeI" 1umt....J 00110 lte moribwld alld no J>eriousness WOUi auached stale owned COlnpame5 10 d.rtvc crop 10 (helll, excepl maybe to ,.tretch productioll,rlSheOcs~lIltenlas Ihe unagllllltion of Ihe people that WCllob mari:elutg. 'Ihcre was IIIUdl talk about fish guvemlllelu was being respunsive 10 dlClf ncOOs. Whue il has IlOl been w fallning. shrtmlJ farming and rice apres.s/y Slated, It can be deduced produaion. II was abo ~lhered that !hat tile gross aude 011 eamlngs from foretgn inveslOrs hat! aISo sought 10 the Fedcrulion Aa;:owu cuu.Id be re - 1'111 funds UlIO rice production Utit all sponsible for the inabililY 01 dM: Slale tllOSe who came e:spedaIIy the VIClnamese [arlllen; were frusuo.ued ow goyemmentlO challge dle scenario. Since the er.I oldie colonial nlaS- of the SIllte and what used to be the ters, the agricultural I)()IClltial of Bay- detlKIIlSIJation farms ~ just relics of dsaState llad been blOWn, as a \\UOd wh;n should have been. WIJetlter by wnissioo Of" COOWUsBank rt!pOrI had identified the land as one. of the mosa IeniIe ill N"~ and sinn, BaydsaStau! has made liO many suitable fortherulliwlionofpallllln.'e mise statU in its agria.t.itural cI.eYeIop. mem plans which have consumed from \'A0Ch paIn.oIl wid kcmcIswuld beaponedtoeamilreignochangc. many billions of naira without any appreciable gains recorded so far Another aop that Ideruified as ~ iW!ed for the marshy ternlin is rice, within the past 16~ofllSexistencz which 0lUId be grown as paddy lice through over reliance Ofl supplies of due 10 tile preseoce of water aU tile foodstuffs &om o~ states.. For 1IiSUUlCe, garl. fish, egp and Some past adminlsuations had many other loca1lngredlenUi are lalched 01110 this 10 uy to develop supplied £rom Della State; thai is the Bayelsa Palm £Stllte, which has not saying thai there is zero agricuJamsiswntly failed to yield its actual wralproducUonin dW!stale.llteseisa potential as It bas ~ to add any . - lnea.wre oClocai agriculruraI pnxIucnlfic.lInt amount to the intemalfy lion but the ourpu! is IlOI enotVt to
hOI,e:
-"'"""-
control three food slorage sites in Yen:tg03. dlC Rate capital. '111c poser nght nuw Is whether die gO\lU1I01'5 reaction is wily "Iem IJOt"dry measure aimed at addn~sing th~ Issue of post flood food crisb dial is Itkdy 10 a1Ied tile Wile or would it grow into Wlnetlling tltat woukJ have profoolld impact on dIe agricuItur.ti stallbofthe$l1lle ill d..e nearlUture. A local poultry famJe:l, O'jibo ft.bant loki Buslnes:iDay that Dickson (~COIrnllendatiollrordtetllWl ·
III!!" he had been going abwl taekhill . Iho: Vdrl0U5 challenges conCrontinj : dM! ~L1l1e Ul wnwllyew:rysecux since his assumpllOll UIIO office on I'ehnt :try 1-1, 2012. q;i)3l1t ~taled thai die agnculiuraJ sector, mo~t especially dlC prodUCOOfi 01 food oops. market g;uJerun8 and otIlt.'f aspecu of foot1 prlM.iucOoo. fish f,mningalld truwling ale ililport<Uu areas dlat tlte govt::lllnr IIllllot tool: into in ordt:r 10 IM!f1 fulure ISSUes reIanng 10 food :.ecunty. 'Ihe pOliltry farmer SiUd Ihe govemor disclosed dUll II t<:re ~re some tllIlJ~ dlat die pasl ... lminiStrdtion dill Ulat were cOlllmendable lind h~ wuuld tooL OIl th elll allti ma~e 1I1I/"urtUlCfl ..... and -II b my candki h.., kf tllat onc of dIe -.Ileas that he loh'->.IIJ begin to Iool I,j lO now is die (uIIII.,r adnunisualiuu~ agricuIlur.ti Vt'IIIU16 whidll bclt~\l! IIeUis SOIllC il L'\'" in puts 10 1M!g.i1l ttl dUJrt a 1l00W \\ Oly forward.lie said the govern"r should look ar dlt~ Ihree CUIiIIoafIIb set up by Ute lot;UL' J(UVellunem nOi for the JlWTlOse uf \\l(lh hWllittg anybody but Ul a bid tululJdwaybwanl'lhentiJerewere til e (wu u-av.ien: acqum:d by the Sl3le govcnunent lyutg waste at Covelllment ICilY, 0Kb1a lind Itte milliO/b of nrnra 11lvested as Ioaru. 10 Fadama III fanllel'i in die SUIte and of ruurse dlO: tt!Ct!nl mier.&l Govenunettl agncuIlumiloan. "I wam hlnllO remain I'ocused on his agenda to.- the growth atld develOpment of the agricultural seoor. lie slioukl be ab&e 10 foUaw du-ougtl widl allY of his poIkiI!s and progmllJlle5 Ul order 10 lnake die desired Impact. lite gtl\ftlIOI" dtould beac the burden of supervtSion If he truly wanlS his agrIa.tilural progratTUllC$ 10 endure
!Drtltebenefit ol thepeople; helWed. Quote: Wilh BayeisaState affected byUIe flood. the illite govc:nunenl has realised that: II WinO( COIlMue to pay lip set'\'ire 10 the dl.ovelopment of its agricultural pocential. but must act 10 reposiooo the sector UI onJer to ad dress the is9.Je of rood security.