DA ILY TRUST
Tuesday, March 13,2012
AGRICULTURE
Oyo initiates N1 billion loan scheme for farmers OYO Stolle Go\'mImcnt tw InilUgunllrd I N 1billioo COI1lfllef'CiaI
agricultural Iotn ~ 10 ~ as inccnrn'CS 10 local f:lllJlft'$ across tht state.
lOt
~me
k aording to the
~k ~menl ~
n.ant to rom-
plmlmt mm1 ~mmts 1m WIIVr 10 rqxJ5ition Agriculture for incrased ~nllt' ~n in
........
Hoo. Abimbold Kobde. Oyo Conumssionrr for Apiculture sud • !.he Wft'ktnJ thai lite 5lalc has pot In plxt drcctive slr.Iltgy!hal would
~""""'8' """'" Someofll~ ino.mli\'CS to boost ramung In D).~ StJ~. xconbng 10 Kobdt indude Ir.k 101' hinntl5ft'V· k es. nnl fmana Institution build ing.1raining and t'TTIfowennml of
&..men on non<rop tntcfplixs. x:hooI agricuIlUnJ prognmme as Yd as )VJlh cm~1 pm-
""'""'"
l1w: Commksiono" saki at the 2012 r-annm: Productivity Av.-.ro CnmlOnf organisM by BAT Nigrria which a (ott! 0(218 de:snvIng fal'll'la'S ","ho haw acdkd m their chosen occupation ~ mo"Udcd W!th various pnzc:s indud+ tng motor qdes. wale!" pumrmg mach.irw:s, GP tanks as well as Mrbtckk spnrmg madlines. ~rommi5SlOf~",-howasrq)
ins agricuItule to its lost glory in the """"'I-Ie congralubtal the n:dpim1S
b""""""""", """""'"" u",
earned thon thdr desc:rwd rtrogMioo lOr the various awards and thtm to m::iproc:ale the good tpturc by making good use of the
wp
tquiJ'lncnt to furthrr boost that production.
Earlier in his address. the Donaod Chain General ~b.nagI!r o(BAT N'~ Mr Hugo NomwJ dcscribcd agricuh~ IS an honourable OIXUi~m Mlplwizillg tNl
R:SmIM by tlw: Du«lor 0( AgncuI-
ltv: Farmers ProductivIly Award
turaI Produce in the Mimstry. Mr. A. A. Ayanlowo. commended the
Schmw: was • dcmon§tr.ltion of the companyi bdid"tNit ill relationship
SchobrshipAwW~forchil
WIth
Jrm offmnm; wuguralcd recently by ""thai .......... "'" """""" "" hopt aD tl-.ew Incmll\'r~ages woukI go I long way in restor-
business partners 511OUk1 be mutudy productivt and ~w::W. I-k said ~Agriculturt b an han-
Olm!bkoccupadonandour lMrtntrship WIth farmm and lhe:ie schemes
art our modest contributions 10 complnnenting Ihe dbu 0( the I~ ~lTIf:rIt in a8t'vbting powmy by m:luci~ unemp&oyment Ihrough job crm.ion.~ -v..'c art $IIpporting the govtmmcnl inilUt~~ 10 rq:oositm Agriculture b i~ rn"enut grnention by ~ting up an Agricuhlll1ll SkiIIs Acquisition Cenlre at Ago-Are. wi1h the ob;tcth~ of Inlningand tqulpptng new f~l1ners with necasary Agricultural skills to be 5df nnplorcd and 10 be im'o/votd in brgr scale conunm:ia1 fanning.·
Nomun_
Ue~~lhat hiscompanys approach Iw been 10 IrUI. achiet and support tilt kx:aI ral"lm"n by
provIdtng wm inpu15 and o:lmsm 5erVicaon JIIllYCI'I best practices. Ue announad Ihat Iht putnO"sh~) had dtarlyl'!Sllll«l inthth~cmp
)idd in the subscqutnl the ~rs adding that thecuh waluc and YOIume
or kx:aI produce grew 10 oY'Cf
NSOO million in the ynr 2011 .
Spokesnun
I(w tht
kx:aI farm -
ers. Otid IWheN 8akart pitdgtd
or
thallhcy would nWe the btst ust lilt farm imr4erntrl1.5 and as50flM INlcrials 10 furthO" irnprtlYt'on tlltIr production tfus )~. Dlgnilanes at tiM!' ~'mt which attracttd hundreds rannrn
or
across eke Ogun artlI of Oyo Start' indudtd thc AMt of Ago-Are. Qb., limoh O)~ the Oniro o(Q!u. Dba Sunday AMpoju; the Onilua O(!lua. Oba Samod Durodola. lilt Prtskkt,t 0( I~n Ownber CommcKe. Mmes and Industry. Otkr Wole Akinwaooe as well as thc OWIlTWl. NatJOnal Tobaccu
or
FarITlt:l""S AMoc:i;Itro. aid" Ibsh
.... ""'=
Scientiststo develop more nutritious foodcrops TWENTY stitnlbfs 'u~ bten InUnat 10 use X-ny Auore:scent (XRf) uW~ a tcdlrdog)' ustd m mllllng todetennir)t minm.I a>nICtll or 5Cd .Amples.to de\'dop ~ nutnllOl.l5 IOod crops by addUlg rmcro nutrM!'nU thou an beI~ to be responsible ror 'hKlJtn hungu: Ibddm hungtr islhebd.orvit:ammsand minenls,such as zincand iron, in the did. It afDiru mof"Cthan 2billion people workfwidt and Ila..~ Ilfpll\~ health COIlSftIumces. 1bt study 0fI tht lecimology,.-as publishtd in tht edition or tht Journal Planl and Sol Iron <knOctlC}'. b enmple, C1n inhihtt rhysical and mm· 1111 deYdoprncnl in diiJdrm and ItlCfeilSe the ..uk ror women d};ng in duJ.:lbin h The rtKafch belns funded by I brvntPlld hascmbled 11M!' .scictUist to dtvdOJl 1T(n nutritious SI;ar!t foods such as rict and milld W111lout de:>troyIng the ~ The srudy IOund If-wdifftftfICU In tIM!' Iron alld lJncvaiues In pearl miJk( and r~ when the IWO ttchnok>ttits ,.·trerompam! and the ledllloi.Jg)' according to tilt stuJ"y ~ bd~'td to be «MIt t:ff«ll~ anoJ time dlkknl Qoeo( tht partne\'so(l-bnatPlus, J,Jmes Stangoulis. saki ·We rally s« this oil the begmning lOr tiM!' role XRF I«h noIogy QIl pby in lmprtMng nulnoon through tht dr\'t'Iopmcnt crops I"icher In nutricnts.~
or
,.m
or
IFAD releases 1~1 .9 m to 3communities in Jigawa T ilE Intemadon.1 Fund ror Agrkultural ~Iopmelll (IFAD) has:re:Eu~d NL9 million to three eOtnmunilln In Buji 1oc:a1 go"\'C'rmreularea o r Jig~1Q 10 boost agrICultural activities In the .,tal. Ml.!am byaku Kukuma,the I.FAD Programme Officcr In theara told newsmm )"C5lerdayln DuI.K. Kukum;a identified Ihe coinmunitinllS Yalwa.J-jukoli an d Chakwama.. fie cnJoinetilhe bmtliciarlts 10 makt judklous ~ of t h('1r shan' o r the InOfley for the PUrpo$CS they Wfie mnnl In :l ~nte lnttrvkw, Alh~Ji I ~ Ikllo, the dulrman ohhe local govern; n" nl, promised that his administration would eoU.bontt ~Ih IFAD 10 hn~ theo quality orHft oflhe rural dwdlt.n. Healso pledgt'C. LM!' commitlJlent o(thtcouncilto promOlmgagncultural u :1.Jvitic-s, which he noted, Ii the main Ilaro( tht.stalt's ~o nomy. (NAN)
Water Aid threatensto withdraw from Tafawa Balewa T HE iotenutional donof· agency on waler and AnltaUoo Waler Aid has threatens to withdraw its actJvllits from TafllW<l Balewa Local Go\"ftnmenl Am or Bauchi over the l«\lrily pfObkm and the in abilltyufthecouncil lO pay 115 counterpart funding. The coordilulOf or Network rOf" Wat« and SanitatkJn (NEWSAN). Bauchl State chapter. Mrs Lydi;a T.sammimi staIN thiJi at ti,e forum, on dcvdopmenlal plan for 51m holders on water, organb.ed by a non-goyernmental organiution (NGO), Women Otvdopmcnt A.uod:itioo ro.- Self SusteonaJ1Ce (WOI"lASS) with R1pport rrorn waler aid in S.uchi ,She Aid the netwwk was a walilioo 0(civil50dety orpniul!oru; in IQ.ler alld sanitation, which carne inlo bang In 2000 and thrnl('1lfti to withdraw lilt actlvlties of W;alrr~id In Tafawa Rakwa local Govt:ntrnenl area due to the Inabililyof the
eouocil lo pay its coun terpart fund,"g and the s«urityprubkm. Mrs·Tsamm;ani cprtsStd the hope Ihat 001 govnnmenl areas yet to parIJdpate in tilt' activities of tilt network would "SC'I.' the need 10 I\,;I\~. own and U$t a JocaJ dt\'doprncnt plan documenl ror planning ~oo :ilio to raise fund to enable Baudil State mttt the MDGltarg~
1bc itate Conunwktner fo r Local Govertunml Affairs, Alhajl Abubakar Ahmtd Faggo,said the slale gcmmment will prn:aiI. on InttrnaLional donor agc:ncy, Waitt Aid not lo,.ithdraw rrom Taf;awa Ibltwa Local GovtmlTlf:rlt Area o(the mte. Faggo expressed dbpleaswe over Taf~w.I Balewa Local Govnrunent's IruibUity to pay iu counterpart funds fOf \\~t«AkI to site w.JIter;and anita ltan proj«U In tilt area, which necessi . tattd the donor ;agmcy 10 thralm thaI II would withdraw from tneun _ Commission« stattd tNl the p -
emmenl would do t'VCf)thing possible to ensure thai \VaterAki did not withdraw from the area, adding that thit was lu e:ll;Ibie people at the grass roots kvd ha\'C' acaa to potablt Iftlt't and KQOd sanitation. which he nottd, would make them 1M a meaningful life. He said that the Yuguda-Ied gove rnme:nl was a paccseUcr In human dcvdopme:nt, adding that the stale 8O''emment was re.dy 10 ddivff dividends of democntey to Iht peopIt o r tht state. According to the commis.sioner, ~the outcome ollhe gDV\':rnment bud able programmes to fast track de-vd . opment will be S«Il by all n'5ldcnts 0( Bauchi Statt In no distant fulure~ nsgo nOltd thaI the Slate was poistd 10 e:ruure proper planning and impkmmtation, which heo saki would ~ u a major road map ror the KhicYt.mtnl 0( the MUknruum Dtvd opmenl Goals(MOGs) In lilt Sl~te.