12DAlLYTF WedneSday, ".'ovembefif. 20 12
AGRICU[ URE
Vour guide to successful farml"
FG, 9 states agree to plant 450,000 metric tons of rice ~okoto ovtr tht wccktnd -Tilt MIIHSttr of Slatt for Agnculturt allJ Rural Dt ... tlopmtnt. nukarTWtnL. ",hn ch;lIrw Iht I11ttling, rerrt~tllltU lILt Itdcnl (JO\-Crnllltlll wilL It CC,mIllL\\LOntr; of agri.uhurt rtpft'iE'lltcJ Ihclr rt~l'C'\ ti\'c ~Iall."\ at thc high I~'C'I /IIttllllS rhc mll~ Slat~ rt'pr~lIItll .II thc Im,'('lmg "'tT!' lIaudll, (if)ml~, K.tnu, Kal\Ula, K''l:I, \cAolt~ 7.amfara, IIg,lw,1 ,md Kt'hhi.H tht rdc4.W' Itold ... T"lrl nILs 1\ (.omLLlg 011 Iht htt'l\ l'( tht I'rl.lllli'iE' hr III(' mim\\n to un<icrlJl..c l'u\1 flno..! r"(1l1 rtn,uring irri!loatltlll lilrrlllll!lo 10 malt up fvr tht In\t O._GI\,.lIltd hy Iht no.>(1 UI~nell(.cd ICH'1I11, III part\ oftht ulUnlr)" flit rdcast al~. ~uj Ih,ll -PrMIJenl (i(>lxlluck Ehtlt lonathan hilS al<;() UIIC'\lt'tI llie r-a.ltral MlIli~lr}" of Agm:ullurt anJ RuraIIH\'C'I"l'nlenl ItJ I'rovldt iTleCnllvt'~ In Iht' ri,,;~ rarlll~l~ in... luJinglmprrr.-cJ rk:t <.eNs frC'(' of charge', anll SO per (enl \ub\ld) 00 the' (XI o( t\\ll hag\ uHcrulutn -Addill,lIlaIIlKellll\{'4, a\',lIIlable 10 Ihe famlers mdulle II ltU.lnnlcro IlllntmUIII prL(e rer mttrie Illn 01 p;llldr rite, creall1lR hllkagt'~ ~Iwttn 11(t' farmers ;1II.1 wge !iCak n(e II"lIe,", all.llh(' I'ro\"l~1t 'II of ~~ltn~l(lII 'it1"\'I(CS III order 10 hdl'lhem achir'.'ClIlaxllllulII pdd per h«lare md r.lnl goo..! UKOllle
in
•
Rlcefarm
Stories by Abdulwasiu Hassan
I h.. h.-Jeral
lio\"~rnll1tnl
amI
nint SI;ltC'~ gnvC'rnrnC'nl~ han~ agreed 10 rOlll11)" mohlllS(' tlll'lnillllhof flcr farl11t'rs Itl plant
tht (fOP on 230.000 hectares IIf farmland to proouct 4'>0,000 metric Ions of p;l.dJ) ricC' through irrigation in Ihe forthcolllmgdrr \ea~n to unpro\'C' Nigeria's food .UffiClCIiCY
According 10 I sUlrmrnl
h~dC'ral
(IIr ;lcctleu.ted paddy ncr rroJuclion prngnl1lllu.' III the
1.Iinislq' of Agriculture and RulOl[ Dt\·e!0l'lIlrnt. \ah~lI Nainna DaTlhalla, - tht' ucdsl(ln Wil~ readu~d al a $I~cial meellllg 011 the irnplelllC'ntatlVlI slrillrgr
2012 dry ~eawn hetween the hetirral Milll~lrr of Agrkuhure anti Rural ()~\cl(}pm~nl anJ cOl1ll1lission~r~ uf agrkultur~ flOm nin~ ~Ial~~uflh~ ft'tltr.lllOn
\igllcd
by
Infnrmlilun
the III
the
DircclIlr
fmllllheir('rrurt\~
Stakeholders decry under-exploitation of agric business Slal('h(lkl~ amonga~n( .enlrel'rC11~U1'~ ha\'C' I,UnerlltdtheunderuuliQtlOOPI'thtJ'Oltrltiais I.(the agnc 5('(lor, sapng many oflhe whilt' 101I.Jr ~ obs wckmg U11tlnplo)1:'l1 gnt\IualC$ arc
1M>! aW;ll('(l{ Its I'r~s..
Bmught logelhl."r by Ihe l'an Afrkan L"m\TNI)';; Agm ·lgll1l(' ~minaral tJlt Shrilu ~Iu~ '''at'adua CelllT!', Abuja, work('1'S ill agrk: fin;aIKe, (arl'T'ltn and Ilf'OJ'Ie int('rtSled III hlllllllg look a look al lilt ehall~ngC$ htd~'iUlIIg Ihe 'l«1(>r ....'lh a \'ltW to IKk.llng tilttn One of Ihelll, Innocenl Okuku, htad of agrkulture of Not ore Chtmka.ls lnJust~ salJ Ihe the're arc unlal'l~ ol'ponunlltcs in lilt' agrl( 'l«lllT whkh (an lum around tilt' fvrlun~ 01 Soe'.enl untml'lored graduales. HAllll Ih~· hJ\ca kl( "f0l'l'0rtumhM in Ihe \.lIUl'lhalll_ Mor(' 11~1I ~ptrt(,lIlofNlgcnan Inlll~ all1.l \'('gtlabl(' (>t"l'ua are lo<;lllCfnre Ih("\" arc \U"-'"11lt1J 11~' are lost beuuse of I'II~I han~1 daillagro; And Ihtll lU~1 being ahle 10 lit I ~llIll'le I'I1.JC~SJ.llg Ihal UII pft'St'f"\'C' tI~ pnll.llKl\ fllr later eOIl\umrhon can alilMU) hc a gO(>l1 source o( income; saill Inlltl<:cnt ()kuku
j\lr Okuku, Voho narrnlro 10 Ihe agrit • reaJ) for il by Iht IUlle thc)' grauualr' ('ntrq"'fellt'Ur5 how hl( linn nuJe money I'mfcswr Garba SlliIrubulu of L"m"n Danfo<iio Unh'C'rslly saM tht ]j\'t'SllKk from IUrniligaround Ihe fortllllt'Sof cahl,..ge farnlt'l'S in Plaleau SUit by lramportlllg tilC'lr sub·~I(lf of agriculturr has a kll oflalent SUI plus rroduce to Rivtrs Slale, Qld Nigena pOlellh;ili; Ihat Will ad\'Crllsc themsch't'S WIth has morr than 50 pttcellt of arable lands III IIIIIt' Wt'SIAfnu. Ill' iamt'nled thai a kit of \';Iecines aT!' Ill' said lack of awarenCS5 is Iht rta'iOn being wrongly administ«l'd \(I dlk.kens I<I'l1y )'ouths aT!' 001 inlerest~ m farmmg. dut 10 innsion 0{ the '~(T1Iury pn.ftsSM.III a.ldll1glhat, -wllh de\'dopmenl III impTO\'t'd b)' quaclu allll Ihe fael Ihat the Nalional .sttds and fanning pr.rocliccs. I<I'Ilh as lillie as Vcteruwy Research Imtitule, Vom, milt/I( fh'C' hKlJ,ft':S of land ont is ahll! 10 make a n1«llhc IlMls of tilt' poultry farmers "I ItrlllS net income of N2 miUion which isalll'lkli\'C' of \'accines.. OOKe tJIt' smuggling in of st:>lIlt enough. And I do know thai Illeenlry wa~ \liKCII)t'5 tJlat rna)' not begood fIX Ihe Nlgeri.lll for mall)' oftht organisallons where )'oulIg poultl)'" A fISh (;UHler, Augustult Agonu., ulletl OIL rtopk g() to 'iftk employment is not tI"'l hIgh. So. 11lt'T!'are a lot Of('r,':ortunlli~ak)flg Ih(>';Cwishill~IO[.."I inlo fasminglodo II not \(I Ihalllllt~ l>elrttle whailitey h.I\T, <;aymg ('Ilt ~';1n \t;lrt J \'ke Ch.mCt'llor u( Afe Babaktla Uni\"el~il)', pouhl)" fann \\,tJl a.\ irltle iI5 2OOulrds, i'l'l.Ift'SS(W' Skli Chho. sai(1 tnlrt'!'ltneun nttd Ill' also ~I~ tht 11«<.1 fur rn'l'l(T 10 lla\~ I'I"ikIK;U knowlt'tlge Ilf the f-armLIIg man;lgnncTlI (IIhe' farm as.. Il(' ~, J'<'1I..r aellvlli~ Ihty wanl to engagt III for thelll to mallagl!llleni (OSI hun InJ lil"l't palm nil succced, pnw.:~il1g hl..l\I~~ According 10 he(, s\IIdenU In Ihe Afe I:.;trlier, Ah)'u lIalllCC\I, Cenlrol R;lIIk (If Iktualola Llni\'l'T"'illy are bring groomed \\ilh Ni~ria'\ hlt."t1lh\T II.aseJ Risk Sharmg 1"( .... praelical fanning sIuIl~ so Ihal Ihe')" WIU be Agr,.;uhural l..elll.llllg h"ll loki Ill(' agl1t.
mlrt'!'leIKUI"5 thai they Vo\II..JJ "oulli hctltr dlafl(t uf gclllllglo;alU If tJlt'y ~1l('\:",II7.e allli fUlIII(UI.'1't'r.1lJ~ st:KitUt':5 R.c-<1l(HlUllJ~ 10 qutStJl>ll$ (Ii illao.:(~il'ihl)' ofkl;lllS frum til(' hau)u; by Ihe l'ar1kil'anl~, Ilasl1«<.1 askeJ tJ)(' tume" 10 ((IflI~1 UIN wht'll ~uch lul'ptn~ W3nll!lg llO\\C'\'C'r thai • ....,lhuul a husillrSs QSC in their 1lk.'aS, 11)(' ban)u; ca.ntl(lj Ii\ten 10 than We halT 10 !It'(' Ihefile ~"1K'11 rOO I\;&\'C' )'OUf J'"-,«t anu)'tlU;lT!' 5ubillilUlig )1Ju'r requC!i1 Volllt a bu.~lIlCM caSt. ~lotl)('CnN br.lIll.h In )uur (I"leC;IJ"la.I" You wtll 111('(1 whal Vo'C' call dC'\'C'k'llflll'lll financ.t' ll/flCtr tlLCT!'ldl hUll that tllis is tl)(' cf1'Y ti Ill)' ~Uhllli';$I"", I II,II'C' ~ul"1lJIltd Ill)" 1'"-'1('1,.1 andlw.:mileMl';l.\t' t\llheStanl,,~ IIH(: .lId thl' i~ tht ;l(eOUlllllficer" So, tl)('T!' UIN is fllDr eng.1[..'C\L We WIll follo\\' illhJ(lUgh," Ill' §;lId 11)(' f\bnaglllg 1)11"«1(>1' uf Bank 101 AgTK.uhurt,lJr Muhamntall SantUldkJ,~.u Ihtbanku.sesJllIII..Jtll.lnk.sanuF.'\'t' \\'11I~ kl;lll~ tOUlll1nlUmt)' hank.~ Ih .. t \\1111)(' ablt III le;ach 11~(u_~tllmcrs l'('C;Iu'I(l" alKh" ;lIeU'''' II In mall1lain, .. Jduig thaI Ihc be\t \\';1\ 10 m»c I",'nk.~ In I~nd III f;um~l~ is mural ~ll.\~on