DAILY T RUST
122
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
~~---------------------------------Agriculture
The North can survive on agriClulture Emir
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In iIlis inteM'W, ~ Emir of Rka and Chanman Yobe Stale Council of Chief>, Ik Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu. a large-scale ~rmer spoke 10 Daily Trust on why he ""lured into ~nnrng; how iIle Nont GIn maximise its a<Jrirultural poler1~rls, and adviser! Governmen~ al alll",~slO assist in arresting !he devastating ecJogiGlI problems iIlll!dIenrng ~nnlant in Yobe State. Ex("Jl~: YOU R roya l hl:J hneu, wh en did you stan
farming., an I>ccupation! FiTS! of .11. I will like to thank the Dolly Trw. N-spaP ~f for the inlacsl you have ~hown in £arm "g and also the time you have sparni to 'la~ this chat with us. In iii nut shell, 1 'tateJ (;uming when IlIsccnded the throne from my tau rather who was. big time I'wmel . So, I can $If thali inhftlIed It from him 8uI three fCM5 ago. J «!lIgiously \",ent into the serious farming b«au~ II assl~t us in g"Uing produa for local consumpC' on aud to encourotge achef"
local Carmen in my aIn.. Man Endr, why the intc-ral in farming?
As I said ca-lier. I
inherit~
the farm
fmm my Iatc f.ther and (MIning i5 put of our dulin. $0 as to continue lhe lRnd which my bthtr and grandf.ther had set. I had 10 ann l'1d don't !Orget agricu1lurt' is the main ocj upation of our people.. In fact 0\"e1" 10 per emt or my people are into peasant annill~ and I think my inheresl and my input \viIl ~ (anning In my tc:rritory As you an SI'e now, a lot of young men h;we abanduncl fanning because- it Is no Innger proIitmk' but tM way we arc PllIctiCill •it and our In,oolV\"mCnt will help restore th ·ir confidence bccausewe an!; now geltl -8 new methods. better seedlings and 8tttingsome tajmicai hdp from !he goy· ernmenL Wh al aop.do yon cwli Yllte! Wdl, during tile rainy season ....'C do the nonnal culliva Ion or rice. millet, com. groundnut. ano.l sa.ame al our varimu farms indudlnJ those al Ngalda, Gada. langa and SabOIl Gillin Ngalda. At Ngalda we produce paddy rice, millet and 5eSIIme al Gada, and ;tI Sabon Garin Ngalda we
I " rutn'ale ricc and maize.. During the dry sc<uon we cullivale vqet;ablcs. tomatoes. onions. and pepper, we Oln say ~ .ctive !hroughout the B ow do 10U think hrminS can boost the ecooomy of NortherD N1Ser1a! Of cour5Cthat is the malo OCtllpalion of ourpcoplc. We lv~verygoodland (orcul· tivalian: our people only nttd cncoUlllgrmenl. and our involvemenl is encouraging people 10 go into large--saIe farming and evenluallywit'" the help or government. Wt were advl ,. ~t since not all rarmen an go inlD Jar..e· teak farming, ~ is need to form themsdva inlO IWOdations and 80 inlo collective farming. the input from gov. ernmen t will hdp while our Invoh-cmenl Is also aUl1IIcting assislancc..lo the lasl IWO )"earS we began coUaboratJon with the Agrl. culture R.esearch Instilute.t Ahmadu Sdlo Unn'mtry to lum our £arms to seed cenlres.thty do have Dne agricstore were they distribute Im~ seeds, We are thinkinS !hat this colIlbollItion will also go I long way in bringing modem techniques 10 fanning and also Ulcourage lhe sille governmenl to asslst us. I am happy to Jay !hat the presenl ~or. lhrough hiscommisSloner for agrk has been very active. going round. giving pumP-' and building wash boreholes and this will go I long way in helping. So in a long run Ifthett is needed
r:ar,
CDCOUllIgemOlt. people will go bad to the farm, W1 lh agriculture. the North an
stand. we. don't need another mincnl bul agriculture alone an help us stand on our OWJ) and also improY1! our economy. Do you have time to visil your flfm r I usual ly visit the farm any other day but considering Ihe distance. likt Ngalda is ahDQSt 70km away. 50f0Ctimes we go twice a wedt or more. depending on the time of the yrar. During !he fliny season II is ~ to go to Ngalda. so we go regululy but with recenl security challenges we havc 10 Umit our visits. But the (act is that, I spend a lot oflimeon Ihefarm.1 haveanotherbigfann which I cultivaled lnsklt Poliskum where I alsospcndtime.. Wh at kind of s upporl do you need from government! We neN a lot 0( eocoun.gement from the ~rnmcnl. we need input. agricultural assistance, agricultullli exleMion worke~ that wUl be supervising our fanns. .dvising us on better ways 10 fann. apply fetliliu:r and Improved seedlings. GoV('rnment has a lot to do to encoUfage (... mef"!l.. Like Ngllda now, due 10 the dtangjngpatlern of rainfall, then: is need to dndge the river so that il will into the farms to enable KUOn fanning so that _don'l depend only on niny season farm · ins- So thai ifolle seasons ends another ont
an
now
season's cultivation starts. So government has a 101 to do esprdally giving us tTaClon and cvm fuB mechanisation because to do rarming on a luge Kale. you nttd madtines and theyaTt very expensive.. Government can abo assist by pruvidinS the policy cnvi ronment tbat will erlStlfe farmen set soft loans or buy farming equipment al .ubsldised rate$. So. ~ent has a 101 to do 10 motiVllepeople.. Weonourpartan: alsoencouraglnlour people to 80 to the limn and Insho A1Jah with enouSh effort agricullu~ wUJ 5er US through and improve our economy. What m c:snge do you have fo r o th er fannen in the slate! My advice is that Ihey should link to tbe iI£ric worUn and apcrI.5 who wHl advise thml on bener ways of modern rannins and techniques which will lead to betler yidd and aiM) people running lway from rarm would also 80 back.. AlthouSh !here Is problem o( gelling farmland and tht' conflict between attle rearcr5lnd fanners should be resolved. I think we should be paUent and awai l hdp from sovemment. we should not gI~ up. we should nol run lway. farmlng wtll soon become _ profitable ~ture.. And aftlr the rainy season farmins !heysbould also go \0 dry season farmin8The slate hll5 tOil hectares of fertile fa rmlands 10 land dunG. How is this K ou.rge affecting fannin g in the stale? This Is _ VCfylmportant point )'OtI are makln8- The desert encroachment 15 rea!. There 15 global warming on onemhuha.lld and Idvancement of desert on the olhe-f. Ten years or IS yt:af$ ago ~ did not aperkncc !h15 type of weather httt., we- have 10 put all efforts. all hands musl be on deck 10 stop this encroachmenl, bul governmenl has 10 be at the forefronl. the tree plantlns campaign sbouId be takm m<n lCl'ious/y. at least DOt pm planting. ifroo do the planting you haV'C to provide other inputs like bortholes 10 enable the people maintain the trees. this way we can at leaslstop !he encroadunenL The Federal Govwunent. through the ecological fund, should also help. So. if coIlecth'(' effort is made by all governments in the North I think we will overcome- the problem or desert encroKhment and also ge-! better yield rmm our farms. Oun is 10 arpa.l to goV('mment to take the issue of desert encroachment ~"ery 5Criously. It Is !>Koming almosl lao lak bUI nOI impossible.. And the media abo has a role to play In Idling !he world the level of damage done by dc:scrl encroachment, governmen.t efforts and whert' we neN assistance..
IITA gets $7m approval for commercial products THE Inlerna~' lOal Institute of Tropical Agnculwre (I A) has received approval of abool USS7 m' 100 from the 8ill &: Melinda Gales Foundat',n f~!he lmplcmenl2tion of the second \Ihasc of tht Commercial Products (COM PRO· U) prufect. says liT A Director Ge-net'.u. Nteranya Sanginga. Tagged 'IruHtutionaliutlon of quality assulll.rlCe mechaniSm and diuemlna ';un of lOp quality commercial products 10 increase crop ylt Ids and inIpn:tve food S«U rlt~- or' IRiilllholclcr (annersln sub·Sahilflln
AfriClll; the COMPRO-II project ainu 10 irulilutionalize quality assu~ mechanlsou and faciJilllle the I1Ipid diHmlinalion of lop qualilycommerdal products to increase yidds and improve Ihe food !CCUrily of s.mallholder (...rners in Ihe ~on. "The plan is to llIise awarmess among over IWO million sm.a.llholdcr farmus on dfectiw: and profil2ble commerdal products by 2016 through public-prlVltl: partnel"5hip,~ SanSinga explains. A stattmml from IITA said thai of these
households. 4.20,000 will have 1t'Sled alleast one effective commen::i.al product and al last SO pcn::cnt ofthcsc will haye adopted the technology and achieved I 15-30 per· cent yield increase wllilsubslantial impacts an food security and income.. "The key expected outcome or the project is the Inslilution.alha.tion ofscrttn· ing Ind approval of conunf'rclal products;' says Prem Wanior.Scnior ProgllIm Officer with the Bill & Melinda Gales Foundltion, In the last d~e. sub-$ahaflln Afria
has wilncssed economic growth -mid population Increases and rUins demand for food. Consequently. investmenl5 in soil frnility have become indispcnsabk 10 inaeued asrtculturaJ producllvilY, and ICcess to agricullunal inpul! is required 10 achieve th.J.s goal. Bul more than having ICU$5 to inputs, quality assurance o( agricu!tunJ inputs is: of ulmost importallCe 10 protecl fanners. n:tall ers. wholcsalen. and Importers. and to mlm·
miu health and f'l'lvirmmmlaJ hazards.