30
BusineSSWEEK JUNE 25, 2012
AGROBIZ Rice production: Ogun to cultivate 25 .000 hectares of land Sta~g"''''mmmt hill IJocaled 25.000 h«bra Ihe pro-dudion ctfpaddy to ff'ed lhe rice
OJ:
of land fo..- II5e hi
",m 10 be InsOOkd by the Federal
GcnYmmenl in IlII' Jtale. The stale Govcmot, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. made Ilus knov.ll on Thwmay in Abeakulli at the 1lag-oIT of the ConuncrciDl Agnculture Cmfil Scheme (CACS).oo official roll-oo! of tile Growth Enhancement Suppon (GES) progmnme wxIcr the Agliculnnl TrmsfartNolion
....... ---...""
cotECnr:d elfons 'Wt'lIkf be made 10 increase the land .11oca11Of\ 10 40.000 ~ ITIiIintI.imng thaI ~ n:maincd a focal POint on Ius Idrninistration·s agenda and wwId be used 10 Iti~ the ~ my of the IlDII:. The governor described the GES programme of !be FukraI ~asan~lOmin" IlUD: InIcI'fi:fmce of I1UddIemc:n UI ensunng that 5IJbsady by
~ 00
.""-
""'CO fertilizer and other
Wm ~ rtIKh gcnmx: farmers
He lidded thai IDs ~ Mel dooonstratc.d Sllf!J01 for the
GES programme through the
,....... ,.."""" ., oow>,""'" funds. wIucb has made II possible for OYU 40,000 fanntzs in the SIa1t: 10 bc:ndit frum the [WOtPl1IlIe. He ~ fiInnt:r-l:te!leflciof the GES lAd CACS 10 mumuze the difTc:mJI bcnefill they t..ve received 10 ensure ~ poduI;rioa of IOod in the
IIlCS
&Me ..t the oououy Illarge. Earher,
the
Mmasler
Agric ci~: Kwara signs MoU witfl Cornell Varsity
. (or
Agnculrure. Dr. Akinv.'\.IfIITU Adc:sma, dJscIosaJ dm agrie;:uJ1lR aJUId be LISCd 10 rfiYa'Si1)' and grow the CIOOIUTI)' of the alUJWy II1d create.jobs. He listed the: Fc:derB1 Govemmcnt's IlII'IQt for Ogun Stmc in agriculture 10 uEI!Ide the
'I
!
for prod:ucmg KAMP, ex~ c:onfMknce U. Gov. AJuncd , haVlf1l ~ wxk:r the ImmediAte past administranon as Corrumssioncr for Fu.u and later Economic DeveJopmcnt, undersIandI the vision IOd benefits oftbe:
~
"Jora Shltr's bold illl-dam"C on rommercil,1
inlllctionora~agroi-puI,
center, theestablishmcntofan agro , inbInaI eslaIe, support for cas:sa..... ~ .00 proWccrs of high qu;tlity OISS!M fiour Irld upgnd. . oi"infiaslructurrs for pri pro- ! doom. i Thenwtlsla-lddedllwl200,OOO', burdIcs of~ high yidding,.
griculture got a booll ruently 'w ith th e prartltllUOII Ind signing of • Ml':m~ .... ndull1 of Undcntanrlm, bellnen stale gonmmmi and CorneD Uuh....-sily uf New ''Ork. 011 the Kv........ Siale Agriculture !\Iuterpbn (KAMP). GovmlOr Abdulfalllb ~ who led Ihe sate deIeption 10 the JR1C11IlInon ofd.e KAMP doc..uIJalI andlhesignmgofliJ:lMoU in New York. signed on behalf of the Sl8Ie, v.tulc Profe5!Ol" W. Ronnie Coffinan, Cc:mdI', director ofinlcmational programme. sip:d for the mivasity. The documml prams a clear road map f(X" Ute
l lhe "I lhe
cassa.....
'Mdd be distrib- i utcd 10 assava r.mm 10 inmage ! \'1II'ldy
Federil
i
Government was SCI 10 diSlnbule
I'
yield
and
236.000
lhat
the
of .mprtMrl C(ICOII \'WICly seeds !hat WI;IUId ~ • proWcIion of gmdcd c:ocoa from 10.000 mr:tnc Ion 10 18,000 metnc IOnS
I i
1onS~.
In his ~ 1m stalC ec.mussimerfor~A)V 0IliI0ri III ~ eqJbined tJ.I the Ihrus$ of the GES scheme was 10 traI:lSfonn 20 miJbon r.mcn n.tionwide from subsisIencc 10 oommaciaJ fllfTlDll8 by prvvidmg ~ ~ fannm with two fc:nilizer types and fi~ IC:Cd types al half price.. He lidded that ~ the impIomenIIItion of the prognIIT1ItX: roveml36JlaleSlI'ICIudInatheFcdmtI QlpiI3l Tcm.ory, Ogun was one of the 14 SlaICS bcndit!ng from the fVSl phase of the .scheme in Southem belt oftherowuy
,
i
I
Igriculnnl revolut.on in Nigmabon&~
byK.........
- of KAMP by "" ideas Ind ~fIy the of _ MoO 10 lki~ ils implemmtation, the Director of USAID m
stgJUng
Nigeria. M, Sh.1ron Paulmg. IIIterded _who pcnonaIly """""'Y. _ the unmcdiarc
ing a pIrtnm:hip WIth D""3r2
on nee .00 fish prnductim. We are c:xpec:t1I18 to ICe
'apansion. fimdin& and
I
IJI
for the
"""""'""
! RT1*l of corm.:rtiaI agrii cWtIR
RJppOft
.. we a'C iooImg liiio hav·
K .....11il IS •
~ 10
the state for the
Je.dcr in
IU"
awM food po-
ductioo ID Nigcna, ~ the USAID dud sa:L The si$"l"l cemnony was moo witnessed by ITIeITI-ben of !he dipIonwx: c:om-
next five )'121 II is the , product of a thn:e-month
collabonlli~ research br ! Cornell profcnon and \heir
i
1Nigerian
oounterparts. led 1 by the Vn: CbanceIIor of Kwwa SInte Urnva-sity, Profes.9Of Abduimhccd iNa' Allah. I ElI:pt.inmg the Slgnifi. I c:a1F%oftheMoU F'n:Jks."or 1 Coffimn s.1id K~... made
rmni!y in t-kw York .00 leading mcmben of the kwan 5WC II!II!OC1atKlI1 of Nigeria. North Amcric:an
I
I
_(KSANG)""''''' kadmg rnr::niJcn of Comdl
"""""'Y
IITA and WACCI partner to increase plant breeders in Africa
T!
t' Imemational Institute for Tropical Agriculture (UTA), Ibld.n, and (he " 'esl
alltanee 1$' panacea that .....iIl hall the dwindling number of plMt brnrden in Africa. "Afneall breeders will
• L-R: Prof. Sam Kwame Offti, t1ucxiale director of
the We5t Africa Center for
Africi Center for Crop train on the problems facins hnpronmt'nt (W4. CCT), Arncan crops With the hope (hey will remain in Ghana., nne ligon! • 1lH'tn- lhat Africa, Pro( Eric Danquah,
":o!> Impn>"""",t (WA~OJ,
Ghana; Dr Kenton OashieI, deputy d;""", ""","", Pai"1ninh;P' Caf>aciIy e..1dmg, In"""",""", Ins~ for Tropical • Agri<ultu", (IITAj; Prof. En< Ilonqooh, d--.. <i WACO, cmd br. Robert Asiedu, direc"" for West AIrico OflA), ofter the signing of the MoU in lboda~ recenlfy.
ana
M
Ontndum of undentanding (l\lo U) aimed II Intlining director of WACCl. Slid pllnt brftden in Africa - I recently in Ibadan. "We need an African Jlnlrglc mon 10 I:Ioo!t Ihe approach ID addn::ss AJnc. 's nllmber" of planl br«den food productivity thaI· on Ihe ronlinl.'nL knges. he IIM:d. Under the agreement, Ovet" the years. a dearth of WACCI, ~ center III Ihe UmvmllY of Ghana. Will capacIty in plant breeding has hil Africa with the best IJrecd.. seM postgraduate .studct!lS 10 IITA for I~ ycan. 10 cuny en tnl.inmg abroad bu1 never commg bid 10 tile contmc:rtL out resean:!! In plant ~ tog. Students will have ICCCSJ Bretdcrs OfIlhe continent an: 10 IITA facilities and .....ill be equally Jetltng old aod most M
supervISed by scruor [ITA SCJ. m ..... WACCI and IITA $IeC thi$
• l-.U.... Ango SoIonye, N<monol
Public Rdotion5
Clffar. Tole
foseru, Notional PmXlont;
Chiol
=GCFR.
and .............. during !he pi e5eittotiOh of
of them
are entenng
menl IF
~
Africa. .....h,ch
denteS 10 have its 0Y01l Green Re"\-"OIu11OO. 15 plagued by •
P'''''''"'
.,,,,,,kIm
mclOO- Africa rJeeds Ite'ds thai .....ill
IIlg biotic and abtotlC SU"C5SCS lhat limit productivity. To address Illest problems,
help in ensuring rood secun·
O\'O'tOI1lC these 5lR:S5CS. ty III Africa. '"This means breedmg He wdcomed the alliance seeds Ihat ....i ll perform \\'ell with WACO, noting thai IITA alone CIIIlnot do II all, and gi\"C fanners better .n:lums In the face of these hence, the need fOf partner"C~IIengc:s." Danquah said. ship,. WACCJ was established 'To get the manpov.~ that will be able to do lhe IaSIr. ID 2007 as a center for crop reqUira: ~ thinking and impromnent similar to the new Ilralegle5,.. he added. Africa Center for Crop 1lre alliance with WACCl Impro\'mJenI. (ACCJ) III tire will boost 11TA's role in Uni",m.ty of Kw...zulll-OOlkl1l18 capacity in Africa. Nillal III il! 45 years of existence Both c:erum fCCCIYe fund-
Anibouodoo-
as Africa's leading ~ partner, rnt:R 1h..1n 74.000 people m Afnca and e~ \\~1O"t have recct~ IfaIIIlIlg 111 UTA SomeoftltCSe ben:-
~Co'h.w
glc poIltKXl5 III Africa. Dr Kenton Dash.cll, Deputy Dtrector G~l
African crops with
(Pllrtnmhtps and Capacity
Ihe hope Ihot Ihey
oor...,
Nigerian Co5t-
oword to Chief Obo.an' by ...
........... 01 i'igorio
ficiln~
today ottUpy
slrate--
Dulldmg). sallilhal btllldmg e:tpaCilies of breeders .....ould
'Afriam
breeders will train on the
problems lacing
will remain in Africa'
mg surpon from RockcfeUc:r Foundation and the Alliance for Green Revuluuon In Africa (AGRA). The taIlCS n:autt studcnlS from natioDal agncull11llll ,ystems of 15 countries IICf05II East. West. and Southern Aft1c:a. To dille, 42 MID sludenls from II COWIlI1C:S M...e gBd-
uated from ACCI. [28 stutirnl5 Mvt: ~ enrolled In both ccntcn,llrJd. further JO "'ill be enrolled in the nexl 2 to three years. GrudUAto lave almkIy n:Ie:Med 2J new cup varietIes tn Uganda.
Kenya. Mala ....·•• Zambia.. M"""",,qu<. """ """" Fuo, and M\'e pul>[1Shed 85 ~papeBmtt't1llllton
ally. l'rof.
Oanqunh
"'tSlted
IITA wilh Prof Stun Kwame OfTei, AssIxiale DilttlQr of WAC('I and l'mvos[ of Ihe College of AgncuJIun: Iud Consumer SctenCd.