22
DAILY TRUST ·
Business/Agric ~--~
Tuesday. October 18. 2011
. .
.
Stakeholders endorse ECOWAP as
panacea to vo atile food prices II, Romnkc W. " hmtd SfAKEHO LD[.RS in the agricultural sector ofWesl M ric 't h1veendorsed th e ECQ WAS Agriculll.ral Pr ogramme (ECOWAP ) as a " erilabl ~ respollse 10 th e volatile and soaring fooil prices in the region. Acwrdifl{; t·, EC OWAS CQn.lmi ssion, at the c nd uf l!. tw .... -clay consultative meeting held ill Dak~ r recently on the fooo price crisis and its af termath in the region. participants stre s~ ed the nem for ECOWAS Member Stale!' to embrace th e ECQWAP beca use ofils!C' ng- tenn pOlenli al s ln mili-
gate against the price hikes and increased yolatility in the regional markell. 'l1le participants highlighted three d ements of the ECOWAP n:o.meiy, increased production fur food and nutritional security and sov~reisnty. cr~tion offa\'ourabl~ trade environment as well as the promotion of social protectio n as indIspensable tools for combating th e causes and effects of volatile pric~. 11ley agreed to support the ECOWAS COlnntission in its efforts to coordinate the proc~ for the implementation of ECOWAP while avoiding ad hoc JXllicies
at national and regi onal levels. Speaking at the opening, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture. Environment and Water Resources. Mr. Salifou Ousseinl, said the war against volatile and soaring food pricts in West Africa requires an integrated Inter-sectornl approach and the immediate im plement ation of agricultural. fi scal and trade policlts. He reite rated that ECOWAp' whI ch emphaSizes strategies for fo od production and the fight against hunger, is a veritable regional measure for SUSlainable war against hunger and blamed thl!' over·
d ependence of Member Slates on food importation for Ihe serious pressur~ being experienced ''lith food prices which contra· venes the ECOWAS vision for food security within the region and th ~refore called for necessary border controls 10 neutralis~ th e fluctuations wilh food priCfi. The Food and Agr icultural Organisation (FAO) sub-regional Coordinato r for West Africa., Mr. Musa Mbenga, blamed the increased demand for imported food products. political conflicts as well as lack of goOd govemance, among oth ers, for th e soaring uffood prices.
FADAMA III: Sokoto, Ondo disburse N128m to farmers fn:m 1I111 "' l~lm II.lJdnifatal, So~.oto I'I M EMleCi1m, II/{IJI1!
Mr. Ademola OlofUnfemi said. Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi was speaking while pr~ting cheques THE Sckoto Slf te government !;1id totaiing N 15.1 million to FADAMA it hasw5hu1"!'ed \ totalof N I1 3 milcommunityassociatiollSin 14local lion 10 br:MPcial1' farmers in the gove mment areas of Ule slate. He thin! Na ti onal Fadam a De'o'elopsaid 199 FadamaUsersGroupshad meflt Project (I" FDP nl), benefitted from Ule project's inputs TherrollrOlTli~cuITentl)' be:ing . supports while 37 others had beffI implem r ntcd h 20 local gOVWlimlTolcted with advisor se rvices in mentat e:"'.sof tJ-- "!stale.. the area of impro\'ed managemenl Spe<>.l:ing "t 1he Tl!'C ent disburseof crops, livestock and fishery. Accordingtohim. 41 small scale mCfl t whr:fI!' 3 31 ~darna commun ity <lssoci<lli un< rt::eived grauL<, the community owned infraslructu fl!' slate commiss ot"!er for agriculsuch as market stalls. borehole'S ture Dr. Muham mad Jabbi Kilgmi, 'atld culverts an: ~ither ongoing in urged UIe bend tiling communitirs lhc state just as I. 192assets includto make judici c u~ u5eofthe fund. ing battery clmrgc:rs, water pumpTo di'le, a I·,tal number of 84 ing machines. canoes, goat pens Fadam:t Cc rr mu nity Associaand fish ponds have cither b!'t!Jl tions were fu nr ~ in Sakoto Slate. procured or constructed. comprising 81'0 Fadama users TIle Ulird National Fadama grol1psJ t:collon ic interest grou ps. Develop ment Project (NFDP 111) TIlle tolal pncklge th~ benefited is a World Bank assisled project amo unted to "· 305 million, Daily WiUlllie main developmenlobjec. 1h/StleamL Ih'l!' of rcducing poverty suslaillAlso ill C ndo State, about ably, increasing the income of pour NI S.I mil1ion lias bcen disbu rsed resource users of Fadama land to farm ers !in{ e the commemce· and w... ter resources. Presently. the ment of the project in 2009. the project is beillg implemented in the slate mlllmi...si, Iner for agriculture wh ole36s tates and FC [
Kufuor, da Silva get 2011 World Food Prize Frl.'m Tina /\, IIas,an, lo\,.a, US/\ FORMER Pre!idents John Ag )'ekum Ku fuor o f Ghana and Luil. Inacto Lula dOl :alva of Brazil have been awarded Ihe 201 I World Food Plize fo~ improving food security am ong th e rural poor in thcir cou ntri~ during th e p~ riod Lhey served. KlIfQur w a~ awarded th e laureall!' for revi ving agriculture in Ghana alllong ' mallholder fann ~ rs thereb y Inl reas ing food produ cl ion of crer s like co coa, growing the rl!'ven u ~ base and inco me of farm ers M well as reducin g poverl y level in th e countt")' i!.nd thc possibllily o f meeting Ihl!' r-,·Jil1en n h 'm D evelop m~nt GQals (MDGs of cutting by hair ex treme po vel ty and hunger by 201 5. Da 5ih'a also received the
Farmer, 80, still dreams of owning an orchard ALHAJI lIiyasu Kubau is He spoke good English language He narrnted how he had worked an 80-yea r-old farmer and went ab out attendin g to p eo· in severa.! places including th e famo us Dail}' Times News paper pie with a marketing mien of a based in Zaria, I<aduna man who knows his onions. HI" of old in ils human resources State, with parti cu lar told Dllil)' Trust he dropped out department and at the Ahmadu schooltn 1945: middle school '"Bello University'leaching Hospi · expertise in agro con- of tal as security penonnd. He even · two, precisely. sultancy in fruits, At the He said. '"I dropped out of tually became the chief security Just conclud ed National ScllOOI in Middle School two. ThaI o ffi cer of the institut ion before was in 1945. It wa.~ n'l because 1 he left forfutl -tlme farming. Agricultura l Show held in wasn't clever enough but I was too The government has se\'er. Tudun Wada, I<effi /Abu)a playfu1. I hardly paid aUl!'ntion to ally invited us to fonn groups to be ass isted but that promise of the teacher. Later on when I real· Expressway, the passion ized my mistake, it was 100 lale 10 assistance is yet to be fullilled. HI" has been in th e business of crop of th is octogena rian in go back." His 10 children; five males and husbandry. especially in fruit, for farming caught the atIhe past 15 years. live females are all grnduates. he tention of Daily Trust. 80-y~ r· old Alhaj i Iliyasu said wi lh a sense of pride and ful·
laureate for drastically redu cing rural pove rty and growing the o \'erall econu my through an active women empowerment pro· gramme that saw Ihousands of poor Brazilians moving from low to middll!' inCOnl Cearners. flrYI~us o\btllllh ~mld Speaking during thl!' award ceremo ny which held In Des DAIL!' 1j-' ust obse rved that even though Alhaji Uiyasu Kubau has Mo ines. ca(lital of Iowa In thc Uniled States o f America, Mr. a couple of young men who work Kufo ur said due to tile suppo rt und er him. he hops out ofMs seat frequcntly to attend to inquiries give n 10 fanners in Ghana. they an: now able to produce and from potl!'nlial customcTS. When I!'X porl cocoa in large quanlity, Daily Trust approached his exhi· thereby improving their living bitlo n stand at the show ground, status, and made Inquiries as to who W OlS KA~ p resident, I find myself in charge, he promptly responded lighting against hunger and pov· by asking, KHave you co me with ert}'. I thank you for linding me mOlleyr It's money we need here. wo rth y o f this honour. it is nol Which one do you want to buy?" onl y fo r me but forthe small rarm· Considering his frail look, ers of Ghana who elected m e," he this fl!'porler asked for his age. ~ I said. . am 80 years old; he annou.nced.
fillment. Som e of the crops he had o n display were guava fruit plant. mango, pass ion fruit, plantain, banana sucke~ all grown 10 nurs· e ry level as well as palm fruits. All the crops are of the impro\'ed va ri elies. II takes just Sill months aftl!'r planting for the guava to start flowering, he said whereas. it takes an average of three yea ~ to produce fruils. Thl!' ~ m e goes for Olhers, relative to th~ ir typcs, he said. Alhaji 1I1ya.m is an interesting chara cter, He offe red scmI!' of th e fruits o n display for free even though th ey we re m eant 10 be ~old, Doil)' Trust observed.
said his life dream is to havl!' an orchud of his own. He says. -I ha\'e no orchard at the mO~lI.mt but 1 have got trees where 1 get the seedlings and grow to nursery level before seilIng them oul. But I wallt to have an o rcha rd.· People who buy it from us are the ones really makin g mo ney, ours is seasonal, As soon as Ihe r;tins stop. our business han gs titl the ncxlseason; he lamcnted. In wh at ways does he want gove rnment's interventi on ? He said Ihey want land ;tnd capital an d e\'ery other thin g witl fol low towards food sufficiency and securi ty for Nigerians.