Monday, June 4, 20 12 DAILY SUI.
31
Business Agric research institutes partner to fight hunger TI -O lII.jar ttnlra In Arri~ dUll 11ft
p.n of the CoDl'ultad~ C roup 011 )nlemlllion.1 Agricultural Researcb (CGlAR), the Inlern.lional Institute uf Tropic.1 Agriculture (IITA) .nd Ihe
Inlernational U'-HIOl;:k Ruun:h IMtiIUlc(ILRI), wiD step up collabonnion In '--ctiling Ihe chalImgc of bUligu. The 1""0 elMira intend to build s}'Ol':rgies tbal """ould unleasb Ihc power of crop and linI locli: lmpro,oemmu 10 .ddrcu pD' "my .nd malnulritioo in Africa. DacussKHlS Ul IhIs duecuon are ongoutg
wnh !he Drrcaor Genenl of ILRI. Dr. Jimmy Smith, Wlth Ills COWlICTpart, UTA Ducctor- Gcnttal. Dr. Ntm:n)'J. Sangmp, m tbadan. ra:endy. AI I dinOCf" held In honour of Smull,
Sanganga sald he foresaw II closer partner. slup of the twO msuruu::s. He ~ted thai UTA akxlc could noc solve .11 of AIiica',
prnbk:ms. hence the need for partnaSlup W11h 1nsallllleS willi SlIrular vwon 115 UTA. Both instllUics JOUlCd fOfCC!l In lhc pas! Ul bnngmg bmeliu 10 Afncan fllrmCfS In proJeeLS, such as 'Promoting Sustainable Agnculture In Barno' or PROSAB Tlw proJeCt. wtuc:h was Imp\emenll:d In Northern Nigeria. helped nuse ioc:omes by 81 per cent among partJCIp3tmg housddds and also unproved the nulribOn ofbe:nef.aanes. 5anguIga 5ald: "We need 10 wori: -moJe doscly 10 help fiumtn lei benefits.... In his rcs:ponsc. Smuh said he enVlSMlllal IJTA and lLRI harnessl", their 5Ualgths for the beuamcnt of fannen.. lie sui the JlfC$CnCC of. 'crop and a liveSIOd::' RSea1Ch partnershiP in Africa proVIded an opponunlly for the COfIuncnllO mmc.. ILRI is headquanered In Kenya wlib !he: trulDdate 10 improve !he productivity of bve. siock while !ITA has its headquarters m
Ni8Cf1ll wllh the mandalc 10 Improve SlIbSaharan's major staples such IS CIlSSIIVI., yam. mauc, soybean, '-'O'4-pca, cocoa. banana and plantain Both InsutulCS opcnlte AfnCl wkk. and have over the yean: signed an agrccmentlO rnamtam offlCCS on each odler',
""'I""-
lUI 's Counuy Representallye In Nigena. Dr Ihc:anacho Okike, sud the col1abcDtloo oowtcllllTA and ILRI was a step m the nglll dlm:uoa IhaJ would ~e a maJOr ImpllCt m
sub-SahanIn Afnca.. . Ultll I pcrlb:t abgnmall," he: added. Olike DOled that !he: discussion for gmalcr panncntup between !he: NiO Inslltutes was al III oppoouoe tune when the CGIAR through its reform agenda IS fostering gn::atcr collaborallon lImOIla cenlers.
Smith was nccompamed by hiS wIfe, Cbanname, IlI'Id Dr Shu-ky Tatawah who is lLRI ·. DU'CCtor of Insmuuona1 Planrung.
'Comprehensive nutrition plan, crucial for Nigeria'S health reform programme'
F
or the lUIlion to Ichieve ilS
,oal of a s uccess ful hull.h rrJllnn programme uudtr Ihe I'resident Goodluc" Jonathan admiolilrlllion. there Is nfed for • b roa d - based blueprint on nUlrition.
A food ~ty and aafety consultanl. Ms Nncoa Nwoke Kalu, Sialcd this dunn&. chal WIth newsmen recently Ac::corrllftg 10 her, !he: basts for !hIS d the blo-duec:bonal rt:1at1Ollship between agriculture and health, Ievel1lglll8 mamly 00 nutn·
..... 1:: From
uon for prcvcobve and curative must
purposes. She SBld: Tba IS 1m extenSIve phenomenon that will be all-round.
parttctdarly buttreSSing support 10 the area orsafe IDOlherhood. infanl and child 5UlVlval polICY III the: oounuy. Ms Kalu, wbo II the COOrdlllAlOr, VulnlCBbJe Empowenno:d iruuallve NetworiL: (VEIN) sawJ there could be 00 bel· Itt l1me !han. DOW 10 gel the J\lIlI1. IlOO plan off the ground. " II Will be a oomprehc:os!ve prognmunc Ihai
adopt
I
wlde-rangmg
approach to reduce mothers· and thllclR:n's tugb nsk. and wlncrnbll· ity. NUlriuooaJ empowmnmt IS cheaper, fJ)IR wulcspread and WIth wun:d ~ts.. '1bougb nUlntion educabon,
bclla health as wellu aa:c:lenung the anauuncnl of the Millenfllum Development Goals (MOOs). The food sccuntj Consuhanl lamerued Nigena's cha.llenges U\ areas where she ought 10 be cdc-
Inung maJOr M3kthrnughs and
management and mlervmuon ~ might be expensIVe In thc: Ihort-fllll She noted thai thc: Agnaillural bw will absorb the cost of anllve Trusformatloo AgcndII offm a care m thc: 1oIlg-fCfm," she said. plalform for Ihd change. addrng She nwntamc:d tIw • faithful thai the partnerShiP wllh the nutntioo tnIpOWeI'mC:Dt policy IS Economic Cro..,.1!! and good and ..:hJevable and ooids the EnYlJOUlncllt Office of the Uniled key 10 maJnuullIon er.IdlClUOO and Stales Agency for International
Developmenl (USAID) . .nd other good oppor1 lOll y.
agenctc:S 15 I
~A uansformalion In the thInkIng and wo.t.mg of huilh pr0-
grams
1ft
Nlpa WIth I! ncu.ltuntI
sector reahgrung lIS posu on d !he: foundatlOO of hcallh WI I greatly release the tudeo of IJ Ie health sector and free a lot o f resoun:es othcPA"l$e lied up." Ms K.llu saKI. She called fOI II tmetlial!" UllCJVeI1uon. 10 Withe n 11100 wall dnIsoc:aIly ~ JnOIb dill and monaIlty, espC:tully alllong the wlncrable groups.
10010 maize substitution with cassava gilts FtORENa
ONtJOHA.,
milkn. and !he: pwltry l1li.. cau;ava value dwn teams m Maid ""'I$!he Wllb the Sot Ib West VICe Pre$lden1 of the Pouluy Assoaauon of Nigerv. 0 IAao: order fOJ" ~ I r 1,000 meuic IDni of cassava g;rtt • agreunmt
Federal Gcwernmenl Iw mbsIilUlion of
llpfN'Oytd thr:
to ptrttnlOfmaiu~itb cu-
D'" crits lO brin& do",,,, lbe bicb COM or animal (fotd. ~-bkh Is •
major chlil'enge iD the pooItry
IndlUtry.
The MInister of Agncuhure and Rural Developflloll, DL Aklnwwru Adesllu. who ddclosed Ibis 10 Ahuja lasl Thursday al the 1lOIIOWlCI::IJlI of the: Local PIKbasmg Order (lPO) for CI&'Iava gnIS fitm AMOBNG Nigma 1.undcd, sUd Iht LJlO was for 1,120 ~ !ODS, N34 minion.
arnounung to
have dDut unpac:t on rcducng !he ~ glUIS we have 1bq will
U1 CtiSlYa
and O1:Ite ~P!lI1ded
dorno:stic m:uket for our caSSiWlI f'anncrs, " he suued. Adcsln.a stated tlw tlK! fedoal goyemtt'iCllIlS dcu:muood to devel-
op m:ul:eIs for cassava and all oIher oops so th3t the fanner will get dcasl c:w::nmgs. stressmg tbat, 00
He said Ihc: ~. ha$ a,I]lC {go rt:!iPQnsibleoounuycandcrend~ Nigman fanners 10 rise~ and alDlC markets for !be pmducts of defend Iho:r eause &gaIn5I1be: cabaI:s
cxho- couotnc:s" .."hi!c avula Its b!told!hem in poverty. who an: 0Y0"ll fannen III langwstt, 'P.J!RMIIY._~~~ m ImpOJtDlJ!, ~
According mlum. tbe" aobryof CIISl53va grilS reqwrcd 801 tua11y 15 about 480,000 mC:InI:: 1Ons, assurmg !he ~Ideni !hat 10 p:r em! IS SIOo1: it bas bcaI proved that so pc2" a nl inclu. . . is pmsibIe.. He tqOd 6Inncrs 10 un;wo\eon thc:ir producuoo ttduullIfC:!i by usmg improved pWilula IliIlena1s, adoprmg ............if:Ilded pIIllI populabJn and wncly appI.: UIOO of qam;. The IIW1ISlI:r DOU:II! IhII !be cassava got iJ cIapcs" th: n nwze feed, c:xplaining thal mss I\'a gnts al5I NlO,ooo pa- IOn, III IIglllOSl N55,OOO fIX mai7.e, gillln' II savings of 45 per omL Speakmg Woog the I ttIISKill. Chief James A ....·onl)'l . rom AMOBNG said ClSSlva IS very ~t m fead. miller , a.:w;lJa.. _moneY', he ~ ._ lIlCIlI!d 1ha1I:ar:mm; \ack iidcI:jI.aIe Adrsioa ~ thai the 0UI00mC knowllxJge of IL He ad kid thai. or the meetings hi: bdd wuh!he AMOBNG introWeed casu.va Poultry Asliociallon of Nigena,!he am. and organIIed 1rlIlr~ IiJr .~~,~.~~..[~ l'armeBonhowlOpn:xb:e!he:Dlb.
JUSI the starting paine