AGRIC
The fitS I farmer was the first man, and an histonc nob,lity rests on possession and use of land.
BUSINESS
-Ralph WaAdo Emerson
Wednesday 30 May 2012
BUSINESSDAY: www.businessdayonline.com
10,000 tobacco growers' livelihood threatened REMI fEYlllPO Nigeria joins the rest of the world 10 ulebralc World
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Nlgeria Independent l~ A.5:5oaaoon(NITA) has saidlhal livelihood ollo,OIIO growt:n an: um:au:ned if the proposals by the World Ilcalth Organisation" (WtIO)Prumewo.kCoovemion on Tobacco Colllrol (FCI'C)
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Also, 30 milliun tobac:c:o growers and fal1l1 wOlken worldwide would be Ihrcillened In two weeks' tllne when Ihe proposals ale favoured al the WIIO's meeting III Seou1. South iWfu.. Rasheed BaIwe. dwrman. NITA. ..00 in lsoeyul that If the drac:unian measu.reli bec:ume law, ttle)'woukI hawillreillipiK1
on the livelihood of growers in the country, lAnd 0\I'I!f NSOO nillborl beingc:onlribwed 10 the local eronomy IUUlUilIty, According to !lirn, as Wit. C'e4ebr.lle the benefil our £anru bring 10 our communities, we are alilo asking our leaders 10 slalld wilh us 10 hear our voices and live us the Opportllllll) 10 work logeU\ef to pmll!'CI uw w-'y of life. NITA, which is mar~ing the fhsl·e\·u World Growe:n [);oy, fIO(ed that the Ib>.OdaIioo SUllpolled Ihe iluenl of the
FCfC's ArUde 17 !realy, whidt _ 10 IlfDVide -t.cdutkal and financial assistana! 10 aid Ihe ecol)ol"k: tratWtion ofwbaa:o groweu and workers· as I decline in tobao:o producuon consumption J$.llted in lower demand (or our crop. "The proposa ls onder consldenlion currenlly represent a depillJlure from Ihe original loal .. they ICdc. 10 artifkinlly reduce the supply of tobacc9 Wilhoul providing growers "IY VIable alternalives 10 SUIlIK>11 their filmUlcs,· Bakare nuted. While liIIylng thaI NITA llall sent II lener 1.0 AkinwumJ Adeslna, min&5U!f 01 agrIcuIturt: and lIIlIurai resources, he asUd government 10 OllpolOe Ihe demenl$ ol the proposals that would be voted OIllhe WlIO's Fcrc. and therefore called for Ihe 1..lniiwf's uliWilvering supporl for lobacco growers ilndoppmilioolOany lMUsdllll: 'IIU1Id tlueaun their IiIIelihood. AIso.liJledficalIyttM:~
called on leaden 10 oppose
banning minimum support prlCi!S and leaf aucllons, reslriclinK producllon by reguhl.llng the $easons when tobDa:oan be grown. reducint!: the area allocated for lobacco farming, billllnlllg technical suppon fur lohacco fanners and dismantling ,II bodie$ connecling glowers wllh govcnullcuG..
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budgelary allocation 10 agriculture, the Nigerian Economic Summll GrOUII', Agricu ltu re and Food Securily Commission has c:aJled COl a mlllimum of 5 pe rcenl allocation 10 the commission, at a meeting in LagM last week, agreed 10 puRUe adllOc:k)' on Increased budg~ary provision for Ihe lector, bUI Inlisled thaI finance for agriculture will automalica.lty come from both local and foreign funding window., when the agric· privall:: sec:lor acton wolle up 10 opponwlitie5 presented.. Budgetary allocallon to agriculture in 20 13 is 1.7 pe rcent of 10lal budgelary allocalion as againlt 1.5 pe rcenlln the 2012 budget, giving a mere 2 l)erCenl blcreasestilihulden; ronsid~ poor for an i.mponam sedor m..e agriculture. On building upac:lty fo r farlller~, t h e meellng recounted that since the £annulI! communllywas boIh orthe peasanl and l.arie·scale OIlt:.r.lIOrs, Ihe Nucieu) F~tllte lulliallve w;u the aOSI,':1 fOi
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Cocoa, according 10 Adeslna, "IIIUS1beattnu::tiveIO the yumhl in oolh operallon and weahh creation.- In panneT5hip with the prlvale seClur, he added. -Ihe governmenl II ,upponlng the 1II0st vulnerable cocoa farmers' acceu to (:riti(:al yidd enh.ancinJ il'lpulS. -The targeled 5UppOU provided lhrough Ihe Cocoa - CES programme indudes a discount of 50 pe.n:cnt off Ihe <oS! of the fo ll owi n g crlticu.llnpulS: 200 5IIdleIS of approved fungicides; rIVe soq bagsofNI'KZD: IO: IOfertil.il:er wllh Skg acroly.er, and SO sadleu of insecticides. 11tb tnn$la tes uuo NO, 000.00 In 5U~lo the ~ vl..dnerabic
cocoa farmers.lie u nders co red Ihe response of the government mU5: "Olle maIn goal for (he Nigerian cocoa indusuy il Simple, Double produclion 10 500,000 metric: (On5 by 2015. To aa:orupllsh this.. dlt Cocoa Translonnatlon Team has developed a Ihree-prong Mulmlse, Rehiiibilhate and Er;palld StralegyOndoStatc'sCOlnlnlssklner (or agTlcuhure, Ademola Olorunfeml, commended the Federal Covcmmellt for the Inlef"llenlion, encouraging farmers "10 male Ihe be:sl u§c of Ihe cocoa pods: adding Ihal the ·pernor has asked all c:ommodily anociationl 10 pUI forward requesu on Ihe kind 01 intervention and suppon they require from Ihe gollemmenLAmoog ~ beneHda.ries ol the freec:ocoa pod distribution are Seglln Adewuml, an oftil%
malla,,1!1 at me hell.dquilllers office w lhe c.om. t\saociation of Nigeria (CAN), In Ature who said he was c:oUeaing Ihe cocoa pod. in Ifll il fo r fann ers who would come 10 the RCretarial for Inq uiries. Dayo O monl yl, o wne r 0 1 TEMADE Famu;, 0000 Slate, and MuitilRll ~LaItYe, among othcn..
bridgingapadly gap lor llIIali farmeB under the menton.hlp of comrnen:W farmers. The ISlue of the r:ooper.lllivcs was revisited. II was observed Ihal Ihe ooopenuiver; could bell1l1uuble as a vehide for agribusiness capacity building. if mone)' w;u nOI thrown 10 polltidse them. as II provided inctlllivt:5
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al tbe meeting said thaI lhe challenges 10 Ihe policy had been noted, explaining Ihal Ihe reuoo rOI Ihe ineffectivenell was be!:aule under the trial phase, only one service pro\;derwas UKd. but thll this had now been lucreased 10 three. The meeting wondeled why Ihe value chain of the fast moving COflliUlner goocb was running smoothly, while that for agric-inpUl~ was not. It WillS agreed IhlIIllhe pnllille seaor crealed the IOIP, and 10 mus:t be ready to till up the c:hallenge prescnh:d by Ihe opponunJties, bmld c:apaclly to tale up the iocenli~bein8 pfOVlded in the value chain 1he commlssiun therefore recOillmended th ai federal and mle govemmcn15 should step up IIIlerve1ltiOo In flooded and wllhed away fanns all over the COUlllty, and called for more effec:ll1e measures 10 Insure farmlnl ,md other agricultural endeavours. II further recomm ended Iii 11 rllmen 5houl d abo bl made 10 cr05~ lIara nle,.
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Stakeholden In the cashew Indusuyc.aUed rIM" ~·digit InlerHI rale for the sector. The fertllh:er e · wallel I)rogt"lunme was al50 reviewl-d and was considered 10 be failing The Federal Ministry of "l lure and Rural Uo::LI lIelll represenlative
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Replacing aging cocoa trees in Sout hwest eon.n... ...... !'-vall
NESG calls for 5 percent agriculture budget provision
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direClor m lhe ministry, said: "We have engaged spedalised seed plOducllOn unih al Cocoa Hesearch Institule of Nlgella, Tree Crops Units (If Olldu, OSUIl and Ekiti SllI.te5 10 produce 3 6 mUllon hybnd pods ilial Wilt be glVen 10 cucua fanuers . This ha5 Ihe jlotenthlls of raising the CUrri!1I1 production on fanns from J50 kglha 10 1,000 kg! ha and also reducing time 10 malUrity from live years 10 24 30 monlhs uf field
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