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Business
Farmers anticipate higher yieldls from crops FARMERS panictpating In field wah of 5tapl,c food crops with i researcl1cn from the Nigerian national proghuns and the Internationallnsli~ 1 tl!ofTropic:alAgriculture (l1TA in K~S[alc arc hopeful of in :asing tlieir )<idd thisseason,.~the growth of plants showpro~orabumper harvC$t
in the ~ys ahbJ.
The trials :Which commenced
Development Bank (AIDS)funded Conununity-Based AgricWl:U.n and Rur.U Devdopment Project which is wgeting four key crops in that region: maize. cassaw.. soybcm and yam. Farmer Joseph Aye"l says the maize planu unda the lrials have better cars and the wybean h as more pods.. ·We apect mOR yidd from this partidpatory trials because the crops are performing betkr;" he a plains..
local planting materials, a situalion that prtdisposes them to low yields. They also lack farming C%pcrtiseandin$OmecasesinpulS arc scarce and Dol available. 1111= AiDB-CBARDP project is mitigating these constraints to production by assisting farmen with Improved sccdJ backrd with training. Farmer Kehinde Adt)'eml said the lr.linlngs ~R very hdpful because they introduced farmen 10 new ways of fanning and get-
"For instance, we were lralncd on the usc of m:ommcnded p\;ml spacing which isoftm ntgIected.... and because weadopled the rigbt spacing. we an: 5C'Cing bdter results,-hesays. Scientists Introduced high yldding and extn-early maturing maizevarieUes and othervarietic:s that are tolerant of pest and diseasasuchasSt.ri~ andstembortt. Thesamcapproach was used for the other crops- soybean, cassava and yams.
i5 part orthe bigga project which abo coven Adamawa, Gombc, Bauchi, and Kaduna.. Rcseuchen who ace lmplemc:ntlJ'lg the project rome from the lnl.emal.ional Institute of Tropical Agricultua. the IJUtilul.e of Agricullw'al Rc:scardl (tAR) and tM Natiooal Agricultural Extension and Resean:h l.ia1son· Services (NAEJUS) both of the AhmaduBdJoU~ty(ABU),
the National Cereal Research lnslirute (NCRI) and the U~ltyof
l~u~~6P~~:~~at~i;~;Od f;~~~lab~I~~~-~ Oyo farme~o;;;~ur~~u;;~;:r~;~:e leagues MEMBERS of the All Farm·
'throug h Iin ksto mar kets I
THE United States A eney for Inlerna· lioDa l Dndol'me nt's offic:::e in Nigeria (U5AlD) says availability and afford · ability of food Is largdy de~ndent on encouraging links from point of production to polot of demand. Senior .Agrlcultural Eco nom ist of USA.ID Offlce lof E~nomic Growth and Envl~nment , A.~du1kadLr Gudugl said th~ Agency Is working In 23 slates ac:::ross N iguia to link local famlen with markeu fo r their good s aDd cnsurc food anilability. Speakin g at _ brlcfmg on Agriculture
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·NERe declares meters maintenance fee i,lIegal on the metersas the namesug-
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arriving Ii the dcdsioo, lthein Commission observed
that meter maintmancc fee was lntroduad (0 shan up the utilitlts' ~ue base fol· )owing stilT opposition to tar· ifTincrease e\~ In thcbc:e c:L daunting 6nandal challenges to meet their obI.Iga1Ions. The Commission rc:soMs, lbal as had been agrttd a1 a prmous meeting betwtm the Commission and c:hief aecu· tive officm of distribution companies, the essmc:e of the mctc:r nWnt.enancE fee which w:u Justifiable as a mCUIS of raising tariffs when same was frozen can no longer be justified as this has beco aptw'ed by the tariff in the MYTO of 2008 and the subsidy. *The: nJCtcr" maintenantt £cc shalL in view of the abo\.-e. be mnom:I in the: nm billing cyde. ThatIsOctober"ZOII but ducln Novanbcr-ZOII.· The ihortfan in the utilllies ~ucbaseisngwbdngtU·
ingareol!hrough the RJbs.kty d.::ment of lhc MuID Year Tar·
Icague.
vide a IOnnidable platfonn that would be recognised by the fedcral and slale govmt-
gramme fo£ assistance. "Governments provision of assistance to individual hnnersseemsnottobework· ing but it I.s more inclined toward dealing with groups offarmcn when it coma; 10 loan bcilities. (NAN)
w=o';~!': _~~!~"= ..:::.~~..:;.!; ing such bodies would probe the pro-
and Food Security in Nigeria, Gudugl said they are workin g with local farmers to overcome challenges of fe rtili ze r and post harves t 10KS through a fertilizer voucher I')'Jlcm and enco uraging fann· ers to g row crops that may be in ld emand. USAID Chief o f Party for MARKETS said the project aims at encouraging farme rs to produce quali ty crops th ai a n compete in the m arket, promoting access to food to ensure fo od aVailabili ty and security. He said through the programme, small producers are linked to fmal markcts for their producc, provided improved seeds and tools as well as impro,'ed techno logy.
as no~is ~
Nigaia(NAN).
ltITariffOrdcr (MYTO) Introduced by the Commission in 2008. The tariff order makes provision for progressive adj\lStmt'nl in dectridty tariff whileshidding the oonswners from me shocIr. The Commission has also dcdded 10 constirute a public lnquIry intl) meter ~ menlo metering and billing In the electricity industry. The decision followed a barnge of protests and (omplaints rec.ci..-cd from mem· bers c:L lhc public on mder related iIsues. the lta1cmcnl
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Tho """"""'" announc.cd the 0Wrman of the l().man Committee as Lagos ba5ed hwnan rights activist and ~, Barrister Bamidde Aruru The Com· mlttee Is apcckd to submit Its reportwi1hin three mcmtlu. Other mc:mbc:n the CDnmitttt an: Alhaj lro Saddn FuIoti, Eng:i ' Solomon Ny>..... M.riIyn Amobi.I""""'"~· tivesofdcaridryMxkm,civiI 50dcty grtRIp and I.hmo: rqnsmtalh-es c:L the Commisskin.
rf
""~~1k
fornl cooperative leagues to enable them aediJ.
in
.CttSS
facilities (0 be provided by the Federal Go\'eI'nment
!be MAN Ou.Innan state. Mr Emmanud EJegbede, annouocN thi.s in
mOlts.
in the
IbiJdanonSundaylnaninter. viev.· withthc~'5Agmcyc:L
"For every commodity. we ",-ant to IlaVe a coopua. tMwUon. Wewillnowget aU the unions togethc:rto form.
gao.~t
~A1basar International Foundation Trus~ Nigeria~ ~ (Makknh Specialist E)~ Hospilal, Kana) ~
~~
~ hmeI100 male CIIIIiIIIes are Imby ~ 10 WY fIr~m:!I it!his. foc tre Adl'ert For Employment
~ofIlFADOFACCOutm
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8lcJlL\'D Acmning, mininm2111 cla$ kJWI'! A.!!f. N~ 11m thm «J ym E.1pl:itm: Minillllnn of 5ym • e!plieocc ~ uiffit): LlmI.J ill"lli1W~D)' ~ is IlljIIimI MbIArl1~ MmMpof~IIDf_Al't'iOOIgIxxIii'nxllm1\~
ofil"mIIIing g)ful11re 1n:IIIitX!J mIIr OCoI~ ~ tilaw/m sinJlI JOOf\I MI nmI~,
MIIi'Ii ffiIlljmllli ~ m:lIilily,initiatiI, aJiI til abili~ 10 \1m l,iJh linle oc 00 ~1SIIlI.
~ ~ithin IhIl! 1)1 lll~kl of the dl~ of Ibis ii!I"!I1. aHANDWRITTEN iocI~ rnmtiili aJiI Ci \liIb l11ii1!1m
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na ~ 10: .~
, Tb~ Dimlor (;farm , ; AIbuar laltl1lltioll1l fOllDdJtio~ (MillI~ Sp<d>i E!. I1",i~l) :
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