news re ort
i8 DAllY TRUsr
24
Wednesday. October 24, 2012
AGRICULTURE
Food import fuelling inflation - Adamu from Hir Jos~. L..afT~ Smalor Abdullahl Adamu (Nasanwa.North), who led lhe National AgricultUJ"af FowldaUon ofNigma (NAFN). al the just concluded 2012 NltionaJ AgncuJtural. Show that took placr It the outskirts ofKcffi. in the state.1w Wd food Import Is fuelling Nigeria', inflatJon,and as I mull. accounting for im«urlty. Thr 6th edition 0( the IJtnuaJ
From ICehlnde Aklnyeml. Abeokuta
1nr conti nurd Imporulion of froun chicken Ind IUrkry has bttn Idrntlfird as OM' of the major problems hampering the ckvorlopment of Ioa.J poultry firming In Nigeria. aptrts uid at the Wo rld Eggs Diy celebration In Abeokutl. Ogun Slate. Spnltin8 It Ihe event. Administrative Secretary of Poultry Association of Nigeria. Ogun State (PANOG). Ogunlola Temltayo said If the Federal GoYIernmenl bannrd the importalion of froU'fl chicun and turkey. it would nol only save Nigerians from contracting 101m' strange dlSUKt affecting consumeR all a result of the chemlals used In the preservation of such mnl. bul will also develop local pouhry f,rnung in tbe country. He urged the federal Ind IllIe governments to pay more Ittention to '8riculture. saying the chillenges militating against I productive poultry business in Nigeria range from non · IVlilability of equipment for enhanced poultry farmin8 to lack of enlbling environment for poultry business. He said poultry (armers ~uire raw mllerlalt for the loca.I production of poultry feed such as soya beans Ind maize which. he nOlrd. are either nol enoogh or too ape:nslve (or the poultry (Irmers to afford. lidding. athese are some of the KriOUS challenges faced. In the poultry industry." He said as a mnns of
cvml took pace withoul full partidpotion from "" f«l=l "'" stair sovmtments ... on the dayof' the otr1Cial opening by Pruidcnt GoodIuck Jon,athUl. only rlV't stales had set up pavilions. The praidcnt. who was expected by farmm logM thrm imjXtuswith
his pracnce. wa5 abo repracntcd bytJw Minlstcrof AgrirultUtt. Dr. Akinwumi Adc:sina. .smalOf Adarnu. who Is the Chairman, Board of Tl'U$lea 0(
the NAFN, &!cribcd the nations agncullural S«Cor as '"vay "fing tben: wu the need to appreciate the problem and theImplk::ations on the economy. politics and SOYUasntr of
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condition b dtvdopmmt. whm inflation is being fuelled by food imports, when UMmpIoymcnl rate is rising. when the Ievd of poYCrty I
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among the muses is at aU time high and whrn hunger Is ~ng the land": Adamu asked, noting that the countryi leadenhip was to ........ ~ IT\lMlcr Adelinaon
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was inIIe.d on • t.dt tnt. bding
onIy_. nd ~ofsbipkbxl He wundmd why the naUon wtuch bouu f:A 0Ya" 84 million
hcctaru ofanlbIc-lInd Ifl1lOIU bxI producr to the tune of S II biDion doIars )'taffy whlch in tum fuds
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PresidmI jonattwl "'..... spt'f'Ch he I'C8d at the apmins. to h.wintroducat c-waBct ~izcr saIa Id1mw: whkh, ht: said. bmdikd 90l\O0O r.m.n. He aha said lhr numbrr is exprclrdto r!aCh 1.5 million nc:xt ~
Farmers want FG to ban import of frozen birds
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enhancing poultry farming in the country. ~mment should ensure I lotll traruorormltion of the poultry industry which conclude availability of loan 10 fund poultry It a friendly buk rate of below seven percent.
lvailability of raw materi.1s and Ingrrdients for the production of feed and import duties at a tariff. friend.ly figu re to farmers for the Importation of poultry farminS Implemenu.
"The transformation Ig~nda of the poultry Industry .hould include the ~ncourag~ment Ind promotion of higher consumption of poultry products, lJ>«ial interat rate
consideration for poultry Indwl ry. reduction in raw mater;al prlcH and uro duty on all poultry inpulL ""ere are updated scientific findings on eggs consumption. ScOOlar should update tMse before erron~s facts are passed 10 the public: he Ald. He "Id the World Egg. Day is celebnlrd slobally by poultry farmers Ind all ewry s«ond Friday ohhe month of OeloMr essentially to update the popullceon the nutritional facts In eggs consumptIon. srnsitlu the public about goodness of egg and reach out to the public WIth re~earch findings on consumption of eggs with part icular empha~1\ on its dietlry and nutritional facts This year"s celebration. WIth theme -Food securily In uncontamlnalrd natural proteln-. commenced with • road show where aboul 250 cntes of eggs translating to lbout 7.500 piKH of boilrd and fres h eggs were freely dislribu ted 10 Ihe public in Abeckull Grammar School. ldi · Aba. The 2012 World Eggs Diy lecture was dellwred by Prof. Morenikr: DipeoIu. Dean. CoIIqo< of v-...y _ FaImoJ lJnhomiIy of _
Abeoktb.. on the theme "Egg - A nIt1InII protein
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Ogun committed to improved cotton production From Ke h lnde Akinye ml. Abeokuta Ogun Silte gowmment hIS lUured that It will continue to give nceded support 10 farmers in the state. particularly colton farmers to Improve their production and welfare. The Commissioner for Agriculture. EnSf.AyoOluborl.gavethlsluurancein Abeokutl while receivi ng management members of Arewa CoUon. Abu;a branch led by the Managing Dlrtttor. Mr. Anibe Achimugu during a courtesy
call. Olubori rcca.lIrd thai not too long ago. the state sovernment had IJJlslt'd the South· Wes t wne of the Nalional COlton Associllion of Niger I. (NACOTAN) In the purchase or I bamnS mlchlne Ind released 650 hectares of land for cotton deveWpment In the st.te. According to him. II Is the responsibility ofsovrrnml'nllO support any assad.tion which Is working to Ichieve its lim. Ind objectives, poinling out lhat one of thl' cardinal objectives
of the IIate govunment is Increased Igrlcultural production to encourage industriaJiutlon in the state. !'his is why the stale has provided support ror NACOTAN 10 access the Bankof lndusl ry(RoI) loan used In the purchase or I bailing mlchlne 10 ru rther Idd q lue to the cotlon ginned; O lu borl remlrked.. The commlnioner mainlained that gowrnment was poised 10 muSt' more land to NACOTAN upon request 10 increaSt' planting of colton. uying that
it had jusl procured some land clearing
Ind preparalion equipmenl to improve a,ricultural produclion in the ltate Elrlier. Mr. Achlmugu had e.splained Ihat his team WIS visiting the tone 10 JCC.k furl her ways of collabofllting Ind partnl'ring WIth NACOTAN on the dewlopment o(Jong staple cation. He .ddrd that hi. company was willing to support farml'n through the pfOvi.5lon of cotton Igro-lnpuUl.nd l iso provide I ready marht fOJ the collon produced by the association.