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CADP trains commercial farmers on quality grains production
FG distributes grains to flood victims in Benue Fnm ROSE EJEMBI, MokunIL
from DESMOND MGBOH, Kono
SIote office of 1M Worid Bonk Auisted Commercial Aqricultunl -, elopoilelof P!oject lCADPI'hos comoIeted the fnlining of OYer 600 ~ k.men in !he state on !he impO'ttillE'iil cJ the quoIity of "",;m they "'" pn>ducing.
KE
1lJC Communications OffICer, CADP, Kana State, Alha]; Dan'Asabc: Yahaya, In I Press Slalemeflt, said the traming was amled al cre8ttng awtvenCSS among farmers 00 how 10 ensure production of grains Wid! low and acceptable mycolOltU1S levels for local con5UmpllOll. and raw malenab needs of indus-
""'. lie described mycotoxms as a dangerous
chemical substance that IS produced by moulds to contammale agricuhW'l1 commodities III pre- and poIIl harvest levels. The ,Tlunmg built the capacitIeS of the partle'patmg f"anneq on the use of Aflasafe chemICal as an effiCient method o(controlhng AflatOXin In crops., and described Af1asafc as an mchgcnous .nalOltlD bio-control prodUCI developed by the InlCI'TIIIl.onal Instllulc for Tropical Agnculture (UTA). Ibadan, to offer. kJng-tom solution to IheAilato)(,n problem In
BE;-
for them to praclice agncullure In
""'..a...d.1aOof ',500 01 maize and of ~ the s.ut.g< Gn;n ...... """ located m:rnss !he a:x.ontry fram Ihe 40,000 - " ....... .""..,.. by the Fedo.oI Ga-nmont. . !annes
""-""""'" _'O""'!,tr;.;'I)~ of ways. therdry opening-up
employment
Minister of Agriculture. Dr. Aktnwtlml Adtsina, stated this in MaIrurdJ dunng the nag. off of the distributton of n:licf itan5 10 flood Iffected fllll1ilies. While empathismg with the YlCtIl11S over the :wi Cl!:pc:ncnce. !he mQ1lSb:r ISSUnXi thai the govc:mment .. Wung all ITlCISUfC!i 10 mlllgate tile impact of the recent flood, whICh ravaged some par1! the country. "Fannlands have been washed away FIU1TlC!"S have been dISplaced lind !heIr food sccunty ~ But let me assure you !hat govcmmc:nt 15 takmg all measures 10 mill· gate tile ml(lllCt of the Ilood We will not have food cnsas: ~ Will not have fmm~ we will I8;:OYCI" from d.e flood," he asswed. R~ed by dle RtgIOMI DII~or oflhe Fedc:ml MtnlStry of Agricullure, Mr_ Swxlay &Jibo, Adesma stn:ssc:d that the Items whICh were distributed fra: of charge must not be sold and warned !hilt anyone caught sciling the relief food items wookI be prosecuted. While nx:alling that Presldenl Goodluck .Jonathan had VlSi\c:d SCYcnI pruts of the affect· ed stales, tile MinlSler commended the approval ofN!.7 billion 10 IIffccted states to address the vrmediate challenges of dtspIlIOCd famlhes on food, sanitaoon, health and housing by the fed-
mlucmg poverty the country. He advised partiCipants to pracuce what they had leamt from the work-
In
.... " """"'"
or
IJricuJturaI tech-
niques af1: key \0 enhanced productiyity, Increased Yields and Improved standards of liv-
'"~ Hc Implored them to adopI: the oc:w toc:hnology as dcmonstrated al the Ir.lJmng 5eaS00$' "Adopllng the new technoIogJcs bemg demonstrated at the workshop will ensure prodUCIiOO of high Nigena. quality granlS, whilc farmen; bave a ~ The Kano Stale ProJcct Coordmator, marice! awaiting thclr produce Ihereby Commercial Agriculture Development cnhancutg the.r Income and standard ofliYlng Project. AIMJI Salisu Kmia, who was rqmIll! wcll as the health oflhe genernl public." sented by the Agriculturnl PnxiuctJvity and Commenung on the training. Assistant Advisory Servtees Officer of the project, ManagC", Oxporale Communications and Alha~l Danladi Mohammed, diSClosed !balthe Ir.lInmg would help participants reduce food PubliC Alfall3, Nestle Nigerta Pic, Mr. Dola Iossc:s due to mycotoxuu. Improye their Audu said hiS company's partnershiP wilt! Incomes and ensuR: food sccunty in the \and. Commercial Agncuiture Deyelopmcnt Danlads POlnled out thai With the comple- Project Was hmged on the need 10 support ItVge scale flUllling of high quality crops. lIOn of tile YI'OI'kshop. ma17.e and nce fllllTlCl! He added that his company is assisting tllC In tile state were expected to ~ their productiVity and Income at the end of ewsy Federal Governmenl in Its detennlMtlOn \0 allain food suffICiency as envisaged In the He urged them to take advantage of VISion 202Q policy docwnenl Mr. Bola Audu also diSClosed that. as a Commercial Agriculture Deyeiopinent Project, whkh provJdes the ~ulSlte support company thallS engaged m vaJ~ pro-
.....,.
ccssmg of pm, Nestles Nigena Pic. will want to ace fartTlCl'S grow grains of mternattonal 5Iandards, whkh IS fll:C from mycolOxms In order to safeguard the health of Its teem· ing custorncn. I-Ie Cllpressed appretultlOn oyer the level of farmers' partICipation It the trammg and IlSSUI'td that, his company will likely exp.'Uld the pro"tect to cover more farmers m the Slate:. partJcip.rlts at tile workshop wen: drawn from 111 the 44 Local GoYC\l\fTlCfl! AI'CII5 of ~'''Respcioding. the stale Governor. Dr Gaboel Kano Stale. Commercial Agnculture Deyelopment Suswam, who was ~ted by the CommlSSlOCI" of Agncuhure, Dr Eugene Project 15 a five year World . Bank JW:lsted Project being implemenled in Kana, K.aduna. Aliegba, thanked the rcderal govmunoll for Lagos. Cross River and Enugu. and is sup- the gtSIure and prom~'iCd to dlStribule the lIems porting thn:e value chams per state as follows: JUdISCKlUSly 10 the affected fanullCS. Kana (rice, dallY and maize); Klduna (fmit trees. darry and lI1Iize): La~ (poultry. aquaculture and nee): Cross river (oil palm. cocoa and nee) and &tugo (fnut trees, poultry and mat7Je).
Hoodlums destroy oil palm plantation in Enugu From KASSlOY UCHENDU Nsukka ,
Governmenl to order an unmcdiate tnquuy Ulto the 'disasler' to expose the cuJpnlll and nidentified hooa\mu lave set ablcu:e bring Ihem 10 face the fun welgllt of the law. an oil palm ~ worth minions TradiltOnal ruler ofrJc:em community. HRH of naira, ~ing 10 on Enugu Igwc.Franc150. 0kw0r. aecusedpeoplefrom former. lsu of wreaking the ha~=:r tlmt the The plantatIOn. covering four hectares of land IS not In dispute and why that land al Umucfigo Umuamm Ikern In Isi.Uzo action wa.~ meted on Ius commWllty. local government area. Enugu Statc, was '" am worried because many people would allegedly set ablllZlC by Wlknown persons from a neighbounng lsu Eh3·Amufu c0mmunity in the same lsu·Uzo council ~ Do.ily SUfi gathered thai arsonists had invaded the plantation stealthily and uprooted all the 2000 young ~ms raised as nW'SCf)' from a farm It Ikom In Cross RlYer State, and gathered them mlO heaps before seiling them on fire. The fann consullilnl, Odu Okim Menlol. while conducnn, jOt1m3.Iists round the plantauon, expressed shock at the action of tile arsoniSts. describing il as a grave cconorruc sabotage and set--back 10 the country', desIre 10 rehabilitate palm pllllltauon, which played • big role In the: economy of the defunct
U
Eastern Nigena.. OIelm regretted that the destruction
0CCWTed at a nme when government was encouragmg mYC5tlTlenIS In the sector. adding thai the incident was not only demomlizlng but would obvtOl.lSly affect the employment oftbe fann 's juruor staffers.
"'us is • sc:nous economiC sabotage thai should be taken senously," Mr. Oklm observed and explained that in the nexl five years the farm would bave been worth bi!hans of naira with IJ1Creased WQf\;fon:e. The consultant called on the Isi-Uzo Local Goyernment, the State and the Federal
Ogun pledges N1lin for farmers
By AMOSU OlUWASEYl
n
boost agricultural ~uction , !he ()gun State ~I hot Jet <»ide be aIrc:cted. Even before the diSCOYO)' of NT biIion 110 supporl formers in !he slate.. crude oil, palm oil sustamed the economy of The state ComnussIQnel" or Agnculture, Ayo eastern Nlgena. "I have almIdy made a report to the police. Olubon, who made thiS known rea:ntly, said I don', want my community 10 shed any that NIOO millJOn t..d been dIsburxd. He blood agam and that was why I reported to prormsed tlla! the remammg would be dlstribthe government through llle police. I've utal a5 $OOIl lIS po5Sibie. but pleaded With the already told my peoplc not 10 fight 00110 wait farmers to make JudiclOlH II$e of funds made available 10 them. for govemmcnl'S mterventton." he saKi. He said. '"The ministry has m=ordc:d land· mark achicvemc:n15 from the vanous projeculactiYities or 115 depnrtmmts slOce :he Incel'tlQn or thl~ adrmntSlTIll('In In May 2Q11 .~ adding thlt thc: goYCntlTlerlI _ not resting on its oars, IU II was embarkmg on other prDJc:ct5 to further agncullurnJ development In the state. Speaking 00 behalf offlrTnel1ln the: state, the Chainnan ofAll FarmcrsAS5()CIIIIIOO ofNigena (AFAN). Mr. Oturcml 0asa0Iu. tMnked the: SUIte govcrrmcnt for lIS SUJ1POl110 the rllmteB. He, however. pleaded with the government to en~ prompt ~Iease of the remammg funds, as t/IQSIe which have liready been di'!buncd IIave been put to good usc. Speaking on rising food prices, Mr o.s.oIu. said the high cost of rood stuff in !he state was 115 a n:sult of the high cost of produchOO. lie pral$Cd the StIle ~'5 IntcrYenlKln m subsldtDng tilt cost of productJOn. which Will ultimately n:sult In ~Ion In pnce of food ""I[ Qlubori also ISSI.U1!d clliuns of the Stllte that then: would not be food scamty in the Sale dcsJ:llte the flood ravagmg J"IIU15 orthe country lie said thIS WIllI gomg 10 be dane through the IdIabihlallon of dill!pldated.!lm In the: !SIale to foster Stl.lnIgt and preserv&uon of harvesled foods products. and by 50 doing. the forecasted food cris., SCI to hll the Muon ~ a n:sult of would not affect the: state.